It’s no secret that when you hear our name, you immediately think about electric service. But did you know that 4.1 million neighbors count on us for reliable natural gas? To safely deliver energy to these homes and businesses, there are about 2,000 chefs in our gas kitchen. This natural gas safety recipe is brought to you by our Gas Distribution team. 

World Class Chefs 

You know the saying, “Not all heroes wear capes?” That could be the mantra for the Gas Distribution Regulation team. Behind the scenes, the team works closely with their suppliers – our transmission team. In turn, their work on regulation facilities allows us to: 

  • Deliver our supply of gas from the city gate directly to homes and businesses 
  • Convert and maintain safe levels of gas pressure within our distribution system(s) 
  •  Give colorless, odorless gas its distinct rotten egg smell, for easy detection 

Just Right Recipes 

Not every gas customer receives the same portion size (or gas pressure). When distributing gas throughout the system, following the Goldilocks and the Three Bears Rule is important— because, like a bowl of porridge, everything has to be just right.  

Our distribution team manages three different pressure systems – one that runs up to 400psi, one that goes to 60psi and one that is less than a pound.  

Too much or too little gas pressure can be an issue for our neighbors. Overpressure can lead to damaged pipelines. And too little pressure can cause a natural gas outage. 

Safety First 

Like a chef in any kitchen, Gas Distribution uses unique tools and technology to keep gas pressure nice and steady. Our system is set at a particular level. If gas pressure goes over that set level, one of the following overpressure protection methods will be used: 

Relief Valve: Have you ever heard a loud random noise that sounded like a freight train? You’re not imagining things if there are no train tracks near you. Miles away at your local Consumers Energy regulation station, a relief valve has opened, relieving gas pressure.  

When this happens, chefs are called out to make necessary adjustments to the recipe and return gas flow to normal operating conditions. 

Monitor Regulation: With dual pilots installed on the regulation runs, once a failure has occurred, the monitor pilot takes over, ensuring proper pressure continues to flow downstream. This method eliminates blowing relief stacks, prevents overpressure, and creates no gas outages for our customers. 

SCADA Monitoring Regulation: Through remote Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) monitoring, our team can look into our system and keep a pulse on gas pressure in real time. Like automatic transfer reclosers (ATRs) monitoring our electric infrastructure, SCADA devices identify locations on the system where gas pressures deviate from set points. 

The World-Famous Rotten Egg Recipe 

Nothing says leave your home, dial 9-1-1 and call Consumers Energy, like the smell of rotten eggs lingering in the air. When your nose begins to scrunch, and you suspect a potential natural gas leak, our Gas Distribution team strikes again. 

To give odorless, colorless natural gas its distinct smell, we inject a special ingredient—a sulfur-based compound known as mercaptan—into our pipelines. Due to its high potency, just over one cup of mercaptan is needed to odorize one million cubic feet of gas. 

“The odorization of gas is very scientific, but it’s really more of an art form,” shares William Rosser, Manager of Gas Regulation. “We have to put in the right amount of mercaptan to the flow of the gas so that it’s not so strong that customers are smelling it inside their homes while they’re burning it. But also, it’s not so weak that customers at the very end of the line can still smell it.” 

The Ultimate Taste Test 

The team follows many preventative steps to keep our customers and natural gas safe and reliable. From regularly visiting the company’s100 odorizers across the state, measuring mercaptan levels and adjusting as needed, to pickling our new modern steel pipelines, the work to keep our communities safe never ends. 

Let’s turn the oven off. Dinner is served.