Review of black powder in gas pipelines – An industrial perspective

•Black powder is a major operational problem in gas industry.•This review reports recent studies on black powder phenomenon in gas pipelines.•Research studies conducted at industrial level are focused.•Recommends quantifying effects of operational & geometric parameters.•Recommend better industry-academia liaison.

Natural gas is extensively used in energy production, process industry and domestic applications across the globe. Black powder has been identified as a major operational problem faced by the gas industry today. A detailed literature review was carried out to report recent studies on black powder phenomenon in the gas pipelines. Focus has been on reporting research studies conducted at industrial level. Presence of black powder causes product contamination, erosion, clogging, fouling and flow reduction in the pipelines. Sitting black powder may cause operational problems, but its movement with gas flow poses even bigger challenge. A substantial amount of work has been reported on characterization and removal of black powder. The current review highlights research gaps and recommends quantifying effects of several operational and geometric parameters to better understand and manage black powder in gas pipelines.