(148b) Passive Device Technology: The Trend Away from Reliance upon Valving Systems to Address Line Failure

Since the landmark incident in Sanford, North Carolina to the more recent tragedy in Riverview, Michigan, reliance upon excess flow valve technology to stop the potentially catastrophic consequences of hose and line failure has been eroding. Through legislation requiring ?passive device? technology to formal warnings against this reliance issued by all of the major regulatory agencies in the United States to special permits that provide regulatory relief for users of passive device technologies, a growing trend has commenced towards eliminating this over-reliance upon excess flow valves in the event of transfer line failure. The basis of our paper is to identify this trend, explain its genesis and provide an understanding of the benefits to safety, cost and regulatory compliance through the growing trend and regulatorily encouraged use of passive devices for line and hose failures.