--- title: Panhandle Project Increases Capacity, Eliminates Unodorized Section description: Panhandle Project Increases Capacity, Eliminates Unodorized Section image: https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hubfs/Panhandle%20IMG_2632.jpg --- [![](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hubfs/Engauge/engauge-logo.jpg)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge) [![](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hubfs/Backgrounds/search-mobile.png)](https://www.citizensenergygroup.com/Search) # Panhandle Project Increases Capacity, Eliminates Unodorized Section By Mandy Saucerman on 11/5/19 11:20 AM ![](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hubfs/Panhandle%20IMG_2632.jpg) A team of five gas control technicians has spent months working on the northside of Indianapolis to allow for increased capacity from Citizens’ natural gas supplier, Panhandle Eastern, to meet customer demand. Gas transmission pipes circle the city in a loop similar to Interstate 465. Several gate stations around the loop reduce the pressure of natural gas from what is needed for transmission to what is needed to distribute the gas to our customers. The gate station located between 86th and 96th Streets off of Zionsville Road needed to be upgraded in order to accomplish this. Because they were working in this area, they also were able to accomplish another much-needed project – eliminating a section of unodorized pipe. Odorizing the pipeline is a method the natural gas industry utilizes to readily detect a leak. The pipeline is leak surveyed annually with leak detection equipment. ![Gas Control Tech Team IMG_2336_crop](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Gas%20Control%20Tech%20Team%20IMG_2336_crop.jpg?width=450&name=Gas%20Control%20Tech%20Team%20IMG_2336_crop.jpg)The team of **Darrel Edwards**, **Jim O’Gara**, **Mitch Perry**, **Andy Sebastian**, and **Ron Sebastian** worked from January to August to accomplish these two projects. Project Engineer **Dan Decker** and Construction Coordinator **Josh Fanning** also were instrumental in completing the work. Additionally, the gas technicians worked alongside the valve and regulating crews for the transmission main shutdowns that were necessary. “We started talking to Panhandle about upgrading the station in 1998 but budget constraints and more pressing projects by both entities repeatedly postponed the project until it was resurrected a few years ago,” said **Mike Sullivan**, Director of Energy Distribution Engineering. *Pictured left to right: Ron Sebastian, Jim O'Gara, Steve Griffin, Mitch Perry, **Jeremy LaFara, Darrel Edwards, Dan Decker, Andy Sebastian; not pictured: Josh Fanning* The two-fold project involved wiring for metering and measuring temperature, pressure, and flow; re-locating an odorant tank; laying conduit; hanging lights, installing gas detection devices; and installing pipeline inspection gauge (PIG) launchers to electronically assess piping for defects. “Installing PIG launchers allows us to run a smart PIG, which provides data on the condition and integrity of the pipe, in an effort to operate the system more safely and reliably,” said Sullivan. Read more about a day in the life of a gas control technician in [this month's Q&A](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/qa-meet-mitch-perry-gas-control-technician). ![Panhandle PIG IMG_2612](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Panhandle%20PIG%20IMG_2612.jpg?width=6000&name=Panhandle%20PIG%20IMG_2612.jpg)   ### Current Articles ### Recent Issues - [November 2019 (23)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/11) - [November 2018 (21)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2018/11) - [January 2021 (21)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/01) - [October 2021 (21)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/10) - [February 2020 (20)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/02) - [December 2021 (20)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/12) - [October 2018 (19)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2018/10) - [January 2019 (19)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/01) - [June 2020 (19)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/06) - [August 2019 (18)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/08) - [October 2019 (18)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/10) - [April 2020 (18)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/04) - [September 2022 (18)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/09) - [July 2019 (17)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/07) - [July 2020 (17)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/07) - [June 2021 (17)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/06) - [April 2019 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/04) - [January 2020 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/01) - [October 2020 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/10) - [December 2020 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/12) - [April 2021 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/04) - [July 2021 (16)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/07) - [September 2020 (15)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2020/09) - [March 2021 (15)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/03) - [June 2022 (15)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/06) - [February 2019 (14)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/02) - [May 2019 (14)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2019/05) - [May 2022 (14)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/05) - [July 2022 (14)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/07) - [October 2023 (13)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2023/10) - [September 2021 (12)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2021/09) - [March 2023 (12)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2023/03) - [May 2023 (12)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2023/05) - [June 2023 (12)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2023/06) - [February 2022 (11)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/02) - [August 2018 (10)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2018/08) - [August 2023 (10)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2023/08) - [March 2022 (9)](https://blog.citizensenergygroup.com/engauge/archive/2022/03) [![PDF Archives](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2545024/33b9e93c-8f43-4101-9b48-7e78154731f5.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2545024/33b9e93c-8f43-4101-9b48-7e78154731f5) **Engauge** is published by Citizens Energy Group, Corporate Affairs Department, under the direction of Shannon Stahley, Director of Corporate and Public Affairs. 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