HL incident on 2014-08-07 — TX

Operator
Express Holdings (Usa), Llc
Cause
Natural Force Damage
Commodity
Crude Oil
Program
HL
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities 0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$484,000
Incident datetime
2014-08-07 19:50
Report number
Location
TX
Narrative
At approximately 19:49 on august 7, 2014 the platte pipeline control center received an emergency call from a landowner reporting a fire caused by an apparent lightning strike on the platte pipeline right of way 1/4 mile downstream of yoder station (goshen county, wy). The control center operator immediately initiated shutdown of the platte pipeline and notified field personnel. Field personnel were dispatched and arrived on site, however, they were unable to positively verify the fire was fueled by crude oil from the platte pipeline. Additional resources were then contacted to assist with exposing the pipeline to determine whether or not the pipeline was leaking. At approximately 23:00 it was confirmed that oil was misting from a small pinhole in the pipe at approximately the 2:30 position. The area impacted by the fire was approximately 24 ft. X10 ft.. The pinhole leak was controlled and contained until a leak clamp arrived on site and was installed. Upon installation of the leak clamp, field personnel monitored it for a period of time to ensure the leak was stopped. No leaks were observed therefore a restart plan was developed and approved by management. In accordance with the restart plan, platte pipeline was restarted at approximately 07:00 on august 9, 2014 and was operating at normal pressures by 11:21. Field personnel remained on site for the next 48 hrs. To monitor the repair and ensure it was not leaking at normal operating pressures. No leaks were observed. Permanent repairs to the pipeline are scheduled for the first week in september. At that time, the damaged section will be removed and replaced with new pipe. As noted above, the initial assessment determined the pinhole was suspected to be caused by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike (note: a cloud-to-ground lightning strike was confirmed by the national weather service within 100 ft. Of the coordinates of the damaged pipe); however, the damaged pipe will be submitted for metallurgical analysis to verify the findings. External notifications were made to the nrc, goshen county lepc, and wyoming deq. A representative of PHMSA visited the site on august 8. All free oil was recovered from the location and the contaminated soil was excavated and removed for offsite disposal. There was no impact to ground water or wildlife.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2014-09-02 00:00:00
Iyear
2014
Report Number
20140310
Supplemental Number
19695
Report Type
Original Final
Operator Id
Name
Express Holdings (Usa), Llc
Operator Street Address
915 N Eldridge Parkway, Suite 1100
Operator City Name
Houston
Operator State Abbreviation
TX
Operator Postal Code
77079
Local Datetime
2014-08-07 19:49:00
Location Latitude
Location Longitude
Commodity Released Type
Crude Oil
Unintentional Release Bbls
2
Recovered Bbls
2
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Accident Identifier
Notification From Public
Incident Identified Datetime
2014-08-07 19:50:00
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
On Off Shore
Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2014-08-07 19:50:00
Restart Datetime
2014-08-09 07:00:00
On Site Datetime
2014-08-07 20:18:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2014-08-07 23:37:00
Nrc Rpt Num
Ignite Ind
Yes
Explode Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Remotely Controlled
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Remotely Controlled
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Pipe Fac Name
Platte Pipe Line
Segment Name
Yoder To Gurley
Onshore State Abbreviation
Wy
Onshore Postal Code
82244
Onshore City Name
Yoder
Onshore County Name
Goshen
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
0170+612.1 Ft
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
26
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Interstate
Item Involved
Pipe
Pipe Type
Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter
20
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.344
Pipe Smys
52000
Pipe Specification
Api 5l
Pipe Seam Type
Single Saw
Pipe Manufacturer
Kaiser
Pipe Coating Type
Coal Tar
Installation Year
1952
Manufactured Year
1952
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Leak
Leak Type
Pinhole
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Soil Contamination
Yes
Long Term Assessment
No
Remediation Ind
Yes
Soil Remed Ind
Yes
Vegetation Remed Ind
Yes
Water Contam Ind
No
Could Be Hca
No
Commodity Reached Hca
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
5000
Est Cost Gas Released
200
Est Cost Prop Damage
484000
Est Cost Emergency
173000
Est Cost Environmental
10000
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
672200
Accident Psig
754
Mop Psig
1200
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Length Segment Isolated
190608
Internal Inspection Ind
Yes
Operation Complications Ind
No
Pipeline Function
> 20% Smys Regulated Transmission
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
No
Scada Conf Ind
No
Cpm In Place Ind
Yes
Cpm Operating Ind
Yes
Cpm Functional Ind
Yes
Cpm Detection Ind
No
Cpm Conf Ind
No
Investigation Status
No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate)
Investigation Status Details
Control center operator actions were evaluated and deemed adequate. The leak was too small to be detectable by the control room operator. The control center operator responded properly and the line was shutdown and the section isolated. Local field personnel responded effectively, monitoring the fire, row and station.
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Natural Force Damage
Cause Details
Lightning
Natural Force Type
Lightning
Lightning Subtype
Direct Hit
Nf Extreme Weather Ind
Yes
Nf Other Ind
Yes
Nf Extreme Weather Details
Severe Thunderstorm. The National Weather Service Confirmed That A Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Strike Occurred At 7:19 Pm Within .02/mile (100 Ft) Of The Coordinates Of The Damaged Pipe.
Preparer Name
D****** T******
Preparer Title
Specialist Ehs Lead
Preparer Email
D********@s************.com
Preparer Telephone
307-233-6179
Preparer Fax
866-795-3620
Prepared Date
2014-09-02 00:00:00
Authorizer Name
R**** D***
Authorizer Telephone
307-233-6169
Authorizer Title
Director Operations
Authorizer Email
R*****@s************.com
Narrative
At approximately 19:49 on august 7, 2014 the platte pipeline control center received an emergency call from a landowner reporting a fire caused by an apparent lightning strike on the platte pipeline right of way 1/4 mile downstream of yoder station (goshen county, wy). The control center operator immediately initiated shutdown of the platte pipeline and notified field personnel. Field personnel were dispatched and arrived on site, however, they were unable to positively verify the fire was fueled by crude oil from the platte pipeline. Additional resources were then contacted to assist with exposing the pipeline to determine whether or not the pipeline was leaking. At approximately 23:00 it was confirmed that oil was misting from a small pinhole in the pipe at approximately the 2:30 position. The area impacted by the fire was approximately 24 ft. X10 ft.. The pinhole leak was controlled and contained until a leak clamp arrived on site and was installed. Upon installation of the leak clamp, field personnel monitored it for a period of time to ensure the leak was stopped. No leaks were observed therefore a restart plan was developed and approved by management. In accordance with the restart plan, platte pipeline was restarted at approximately 07:00 on august 9, 2014 and was operating at normal pressures by 11:21. Field personnel remained on site for the next 48 hrs. To monitor the repair and ensure it was not leaking at normal operating pressures. No leaks were observed. Permanent repairs to the pipeline are scheduled for the first week in september. At that time, the damaged section will be removed and replaced with new pipe. As noted above, the initial assessment determined the pinhole was suspected to be caused by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike (note: a cloud-to-ground lightning strike was confirmed by the national weather service within 100 ft. Of the coordinates of the damaged pipe); however, the damaged pipe will be submitted for metallurgical analysis to verify the findings. External notifications were made to the nrc, goshen county lepc, and wyoming deq. A representative of PHMSA visited the site on august 8. All free oil was recovered from the location and the contaminated soil was excavated and removed for offsite disposal. There was no impact to ground water or wildlife.
Report Received Date 2014-09-02 00:00:00
Iyear 2014
Report Number 20140310
Supplemental Number 19695
Report Type Original Final
Operator Id 31720 PHMSA Enforcement
Name Express Holdings (Usa), Llc
Operator Street Address 915 N Eldridge Parkway, Suite 1100
Operator City Name Houston
Operator State Abbreviation TX
Operator Postal Code 77079
Local Datetime 2014-08-07 19:49:00
Location Latitude 41.890476 Google Maps OpenStreetMap
Location Longitude -104.263399 Google Maps OpenStreetMap
Commodity Released Type Crude Oil
Unintentional Release Bbls 2
Recovered Bbls 2
Fatality Ind No
Fatal 0
Injury Ind No
Injure 0
Accident Identifier Notification From Public
Incident Identified Datetime 2014-08-07 19:50:00
System Part Involved Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
On Off Shore Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind Yes
Shutdown Datetime 2014-08-07 19:50:00
Restart Datetime 2014-08-09 07:00:00
On Site Datetime 2014-08-07 20:18:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime 2014-08-07 23:37:00
Nrc Rpt Num 1091682 NRC Report How to search
Ignite Ind Yes
Explode Ind No
Upstream Valve Type Ind Remotely Controlled
Downstream Valve Type Ind Remotely Controlled
Num Pub Evacuated 0
Pipe Fac Name Platte Pipe Line
Segment Name Yoder To Gurley
Onshore State Abbreviation Wy
Onshore Postal Code 82244
Onshore City Name Yoder
Onshore County Name Goshen
Designated Location Survey Station No.
Designated Name 0170+612.1 Ft
Federal No
Location Type Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type Underground
Incident Area Subtype Under Soil
Depth Of Cover 26
Crossing No
Pipe Facility Type Interstate
Item Involved Pipe
Pipe Type Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter 20
Pipe Wall Thickness 0.344
Pipe Smys 52000
Pipe Specification Api 5l
Pipe Seam Type Single Saw
Pipe Manufacturer Kaiser
Pipe Coating Type Coal Tar
Installation Year 1952
Manufactured Year 1952
Material Involved Carbon Steel
Release Type Leak
Leak Type Pinhole
Wildlife Impact Ind No
Soil Contamination Yes
Long Term Assessment No
Remediation Ind Yes
Soil Remed Ind Yes
Vegetation Remed Ind Yes
Water Contam Ind No
Could Be Hca No
Commodity Reached Hca No
Est Cost Oper Paid 5000
Est Cost Gas Released 200
Est Cost Prop Damage 484000
Est Cost Emergency 173000
Est Cost Environmental 10000
Est Cost Other 0
Prpty 672200
Accident Psig 754
Mop Psig 1200
Accident Pressure Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind No
Length Segment Isolated 190608
Internal Inspection Ind Yes
Operation Complications Ind No
Pipeline Function > 20% Smys Regulated Transmission
Scada In Place Ind Yes
Scada Operating Ind Yes
Scada Functional Ind Yes
Scada Detection Ind No
Scada Conf Ind No
Cpm In Place Ind Yes
Cpm Operating Ind Yes
Cpm Functional Ind Yes
Cpm Detection Ind No
Cpm Conf Ind No
Investigation Status No, the operator did not find that an investigation of the controller(s) actions or control room issues was necessary due to: (provide an explanation for why the operator did not investigate)
Investigation Status Details Control center operator actions were evaluated and deemed adequate. The leak was too small to be detectable by the control room operator. The control center operator responded properly and the line was shutdown and the section isolated. Local field personnel responded effectively, monitoring the fire, row and station.
Employee Drug Test Ind No
Contractor Drug Test Ind No
Cause Natural Force Damage
Cause Details Lightning
Natural Force Type Lightning
Lightning Subtype Direct Hit
Nf Extreme Weather Ind Yes
Nf Other Ind Yes
Nf Extreme Weather Details Severe Thunderstorm. The National Weather Service Confirmed That A Cloud-To-Ground Lightning Strike Occurred At 7:19 Pm Within .02/mile (100 Ft) Of The Coordinates Of The Damaged Pipe.
Preparer Name D****** T******
Preparer Title Specialist Ehs Lead
Preparer Email D********@s************.com
Preparer Telephone 307-233-6179
Preparer Fax 866-795-3620
Prepared Date 2014-09-02 00:00:00
Authorizer Name R**** D***
Authorizer Telephone 307-233-6169
Authorizer Title Director Operations
Authorizer Email R*****@s************.com
Narrative At approximately 19:49 on august 7, 2014 the platte pipeline control center received an emergency call from a landowner reporting a fire caused by an apparent lightning strike on the platte pipeline right of way 1/4 mile downstream of yoder station (goshen county, wy). The control center operator immediately initiated shutdown of the platte pipeline and notified field personnel. Field personnel were dispatched and arrived on site, however, they were unable to positively verify the fire was fueled by crude oil from the platte pipeline. Additional resources were then contacted to assist with exposing the pipeline to determine whether or not the pipeline was leaking. At approximately 23:00 it was confirmed that oil was misting from a small pinhole in the pipe at approximately the 2:30 position. The area impacted by the fire was approximately 24 ft. X10 ft.. The pinhole leak was controlled and contained until a leak clamp arrived on site and was installed. Upon installation of the leak clamp, field personnel monitored it for a period of time to ensure the leak was stopped. No leaks were observed therefore a restart plan was developed and approved by management. In accordance with the restart plan, platte pipeline was restarted at approximately 07:00 on august 9, 2014 and was operating at normal pressures by 11:21. Field personnel remained on site for the next 48 hrs. To monitor the repair and ensure it was not leaking at normal operating pressures. No leaks were observed. Permanent repairs to the pipeline are scheduled for the first week in september. At that time, the damaged section will be removed and replaced with new pipe. As noted above, the initial assessment determined the pinhole was suspected to be caused by a cloud-to-ground lightning strike (note: a cloud-to-ground lightning strike was confirmed by the national weather service within 100 ft. Of the coordinates of the damaged pipe); however, the damaged pipe will be submitted for metallurgical analysis to verify the findings. External notifications were made to the nrc, goshen county lepc, and wyoming deq. A representative of PHMSA visited the site on august 8. All free oil was recovered from the location and the contaminated soil was excavated and removed for offsite disposal. There was no impact to ground water or wildlife.

All rights reserved. Copyright © by ClearPHMSA