Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GTG incident on 2015-01-29 — CO
Operator
Rockies Express Pipeline Llc
Cause
Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GTG
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$900,000
Incident datetime
2015-01-29 17:56
Report number
Location
CO
Narrative
At approximately 17:56 cst on january 29, 2015, a rupture resulting in a natural gas release occurred on the rockies express pipeline (rex) near state road u and pike county road 43 (class 1 area) in pike county, missouri. The 42" pipeline was operating at 1296 psig at the time of the incident, with an established maximum allowable operating pressure (maop) of 1480 psig. There was no fire, explosion, injury/death, or major private property damage associated with the rupture. Fifty families were evacuated by local law enforcement. The first scada safety related line break alarm for the mexico compressor station was received in the operational control center (occ) at 17:56 cst. The controller immediately contacted the on-call station operator at mexico compressor station to determine if there was an issue at the station. The valve downstream of the rupture site (mlv 65) closed immediately upon sensing the pressure drop. A representative of the bowling green fire department contacted occ at 18:15 cst, which was followed by a call from the pike county sheriff at 18:20 cst to communicate their arrival on site. At 18:30 cst the controller spoke with local field operations personnel who were in route to the site. Tallgrass field operations personnel arrived on site at 19:40 cst, met with the local incident commander, and at that time confirmed the rupture. Field operations supervised the blowdown of gas until it was safe to approach the rupture site in preparation for the incident investigation. At 0:52 cst emergency response activities concluded and the site was deemed secure. Incident investigation and clean-up began the morning of january 30, 2015. The field investigation revealed that the failure occurred at a weld. Included are both the upstream and downstream pipe characteristics: - upstream: x70, wt. 0.74, aro - downstream: x80, wt. 0.486, fbe - 0.740" bevel was prepared in accordance with asme b31.8 annex I and showed evidence of good workmanship subsequent to the root cause analysis discussion, and with agreement from all parties involved, it was deemed that the girth weld rupture was an overload failure caused by axial stress that exceeded the cross section tensile strength of the crack initiation location. This determination is supported by crack characteristics, metallurgical analysis, potential failure modes and observation of the pipe geometry resulting from the rupture. The rca identified five axial load inducing variables that likely lead to the exceedance of the cross section tensile strength, however, no single variable can be blamed for the overall cause of the rupture. The five predominate axial load inducing variables are as follows: pipeline settlement, pipeline misalignment, temperature stresses, internal pressure, and construction forces.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2015-03-01 00:00:00
Iyear
2015
Report Number
20150026
Supplemental Number
17056
Report Type
Supplemental
Operator Id
32163
Name
Rockies Express Pipeline Llc
Operator Street Address
370 Van Gordon St
Operator City Name
Lakewood
Operator State Abbreviation
CO
Operator Postal Code
80228
Local Datetime
2015-01-29 17:56:00
Location Latitude
39.396826
Location Longitude
-91.262317
Nrc Rpt Num
1106914
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2015-01-29 19:18:00
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
181000
Intentional Release
56302
Accompanying Liquid
0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2015-01-29 17:56:00
Restart Datetime
2015-02-08 07:02:00
Ignite Ind
No
Explode Ind
No
Num Pub Evacuated
100
Incident Identified Datetime
2015-01-29 17:56:00
On Site Datetime
2015-01-29 19:40:00
On Off Shore
Onshore
Onshore State Abbreviation
Mo
Onshore Postal Code
63334
Onshore City Name
Bowling Green
Onshore County Name
Pike County
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
56639+02
Pipe Fac Name
Rockies Express Pipeline
Segment Name
Rex 014-001-00-00
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
120
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Interstate
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
Item Involved
Weld/fusion, Including Heat-Affected Zone
Pipe Diameter
42
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.486
Pipe Smys
70000
Pipe Specification
Api 5l
Pipe Seam Type
Spiral Welded
Pipe Manufacturer
Welspun
Pipe Coating Type
Epoxy
Weld Subtype
Pipe Girth Weld
Installation Year
2008
Manufactured Year
2008
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Rupture
Rupture Orient
Circumferential
Rupture Length
121.8
Rupture Width
1.5
Class Location Type
Class 1 Location
Could Be Hca
No
Pir Radius
1155
Heat Damage Ind
No
Non Heat Damage Ind
No
Hca Fatalities Ind
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
100000
Est Cost Unintentional Release
1457447
Est Cost Intentional Release
159898
Est Cost Prop Damage
900000
Est Cost Emergency
35000
Est Cost Other
20000
Est Cost Other Details
En Engineering Metallurgical Analysis
Prpty
2672345
Accident Psig
1296
Mop Psig
1480
Mop Cfr Section
Other
Mop Cfr Section Details
0.8 Design Factor
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Automatic
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Automatic
Length Segment Isolated
95621
Internal Inspection Ind
Yes
Operation Complications Ind
No
Pipeline Function
Transmission System
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
Yes
Scada Conf Ind
Yes
Accident Identifier
Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Or Pack Calculations)
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
Controller acknowledged the alarm before field operations responded.
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld
Cause Details
Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related
Pwjf Failure Type
Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related
Field Exam Ind
Yes
Metallurgical Ind
Yes
Other Analysis Ind
Yes
Other Analysis Details
Root Cause Investigation
Other Factor
Yes
Other Factor Details
Overburden
Pwf Additional Misalign Ind
Yes
Pwf Additional Other Ind
Yes
Additional Other Details
Overburden Due To Construction Activities.
Collected Data Ind
Yes
Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind
Yes
Geometry Deformation Ind
Yes
Other Tool Tech Ind
Yes
Axial Recent Year
2012
Geometry Recent Year
2012
Other Tool
Combination Tool
Other Recent Year
2012
Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind
No
Direct Asmnt Conducted
No
Non Destructive Exam Ind
Yes
Exm Radiography Rcnt Year
2008
Exm Radiography Rcnt Ind
Yes
Preparer Name
T** A*****
Preparer Title
Compliance Engineer
Preparer Email
T*********@t****************.com
Preparer Telephone
3037633315
Authorizer Name
J******* E*****
Authorizer Title
Compliance Manager
Authorizer Telephone
3037633486
Authorizer Email
J**************@t****************.com
Narrative
At approximately 17:56 cst on january 29, 2015, a rupture resulting in a natural gas release occurred on the rockies express pipeline (rex) near state road u and pike county road 43 (class 1 area) in pike county, missouri. The 42" pipeline was operating at 1296 psig at the time of the incident, with an established maximum allowable operating pressure (maop) of 1480 psig. There was no fire, explosion, injury/death, or major private property damage associated with the rupture. Fifty families were evacuated by local law enforcement. The first scada safety related line break alarm for the mexico compressor station was received in the operational control center (occ) at 17:56 cst. The controller immediately contacted the on-call station operator at mexico compressor station to determine if there was an issue at the station. The valve downstream of the rupture site (mlv 65) closed immediately upon sensing the pressure drop. A representative of the bowling green fire department contacted occ at 18:15 cst, which was followed by a call from the pike county sheriff at 18:20 cst to communicate their arrival on site. At 18:30 cst the controller spoke with local field operations personnel who were in route to the site. Tallgrass field operations personnel arrived on site at 19:40 cst, met with the local incident commander, and at that time confirmed the rupture. Field operations supervised the blowdown of gas until it was safe to approach the rupture site in preparation for the incident investigation. At 0:52 cst emergency response activities concluded and the site was deemed secure. Incident investigation and clean-up began the morning of january 30, 2015. The field investigation revealed that the failure occurred at a weld. Included are both the upstream and downstream pipe characteristics: - upstream: x70, wt. 0.74, aro - downstream: x80, wt. 0.486, fbe - 0.740" bevel was prepared in accordance with asme b31.8 annex I and showed evidence of good workmanship subsequent to the root cause analysis discussion, and with agreement from all parties involved, it was deemed that the girth weld rupture was an overload failure caused by axial stress that exceeded the cross section tensile strength of the crack initiation location. This determination is supported by crack characteristics, metallurgical analysis, potential failure modes and observation of the pipe geometry resulting from the rupture. The rca identified five axial load inducing variables that likely lead to the exceedance of the cross section tensile strength, however, no single variable can be blamed for the overall cause of the rupture. The five predominate axial load inducing variables are as follows: pipeline settlement, pipeline misalignment, temperature stresses, internal pressure, and construction forces.
| Report Received Date | 2015-03-01 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2015 |
| Report Number | 20150026 |
| Supplemental Number | 17056 |
| Report Type | Supplemental |
| Operator Id | 32163 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Rockies Express Pipeline Llc |
| Operator Street Address | 370 Van Gordon St |
| Operator City Name | Lakewood |
| Operator State Abbreviation | CO |
| Operator Postal Code | 80228 |
| Local Datetime | 2015-01-29 17:56:00 |
| Location Latitude | 39.396826 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -91.262317 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1106914 NRC Report How to search |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2015-01-29 19:18:00 |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 181000 |
| Intentional Release | 56302 |
| Accompanying Liquid | 0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2015-01-29 17:56:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2015-02-08 07:02:00 |
| Ignite Ind | No |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 100 |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2015-01-29 17:56:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2015-01-29 19:40:00 |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Mo |
| Onshore Postal Code | 63334 |
| Onshore City Name | Bowling Green |
| Onshore County Name | Pike County |
| Designated Location | Survey Station No. |
| Designated Name | 56639+02 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Rockies Express Pipeline |
| Segment Name | Rex 014-001-00-00 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Soil |
| Depth Of Cover | 120 |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Interstate |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| Item Involved | Weld/fusion, Including Heat-Affected Zone |
| Pipe Diameter | 42 |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.486 |
| Pipe Smys | 70000 |
| Pipe Specification | Api 5l |
| Pipe Seam Type | Spiral Welded |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Welspun |
| Pipe Coating Type | Epoxy |
| Weld Subtype | Pipe Girth Weld |
| Installation Year | 2008 |
| Manufactured Year | 2008 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Rupture |
| Rupture Orient | Circumferential |
| Rupture Length | 121.8 |
| Rupture Width | 1.5 |
| Class Location Type | Class 1 Location |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Pir Radius | 1155 |
| Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Non Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Hca Fatalities Ind | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 100000 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 1457447 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 159898 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 900000 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 35000 |
| Est Cost Other | 20000 |
| Est Cost Other Details | En Engineering Metallurgical Analysis |
| Prpty | 2672345 |
| Accident Psig | 1296 |
| Mop Psig | 1480 |
| Mop Cfr Section | Other View CFR 49 §192 |
| Mop Cfr Section Details | 0.8 Design Factor |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Automatic |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Automatic |
| Length Segment Isolated | 95621 |
| Internal Inspection Ind | Yes |
| Operation Complications Ind | No |
| Pipeline Function | Transmission System |
| Scada In Place Ind | Yes |
| Scada Operating Ind | Yes |
| Scada Functional Ind | Yes |
| Scada Detection Ind | Yes |
| Scada Conf Ind | Yes |
| Accident Identifier | Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Or Pack Calculations) |
| 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 | Controller acknowledged the alarm before field operations responded. |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | No |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Cause | Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld |
| Cause Details | Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related |
| Pwjf Failure Type | Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related |
| Field Exam Ind | Yes |
| Metallurgical Ind | Yes |
| Other Analysis Ind | Yes |
| Other Analysis Details | Root Cause Investigation |
| Other Factor | Yes |
| Other Factor Details | Overburden |
| Pwf Additional Misalign Ind | Yes |
| Pwf Additional Other Ind | Yes |
| Additional Other Details | Overburden Due To Construction Activities. |
| Collected Data Ind | Yes |
| Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind | Yes |
| Geometry Deformation Ind | Yes |
| Other Tool Tech Ind | Yes |
| Axial Recent Year | 2012 |
| Geometry Recent Year | 2012 |
| Other Tool | Combination Tool |
| Other Recent Year | 2012 |
| Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind | No |
| Direct Asmnt Conducted | No |
| Non Destructive Exam Ind | Yes |
| Exm Radiography Rcnt Year | 2008 |
| Exm Radiography Rcnt Ind | Yes |
| Preparer Name | T** A***** |
| Preparer Title | Compliance Engineer |
| Preparer Email | T*********@t****************.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 3037633315 |
| Authorizer Name | J******* E***** |
| Authorizer Title | Compliance Manager |
| Authorizer Telephone | 3037633486 |
| Authorizer Email | J**************@t****************.com |
| Narrative | At approximately 17:56 cst on january 29, 2015, a rupture resulting in a natural gas release occurred on the rockies express pipeline (rex) near state road u and pike county road 43 (class 1 area) in pike county, missouri. The 42" pipeline was operating at 1296 psig at the time of the incident, with an established maximum allowable operating pressure (maop) of 1480 psig. There was no fire, explosion, injury/death, or major private property damage associated with the rupture. Fifty families were evacuated by local law enforcement. The first scada safety related line break alarm for the mexico compressor station was received in the operational control center (occ) at 17:56 cst. The controller immediately contacted the on-call station operator at mexico compressor station to determine if there was an issue at the station. The valve downstream of the rupture site (mlv 65) closed immediately upon sensing the pressure drop. A representative of the bowling green fire department contacted occ at 18:15 cst, which was followed by a call from the pike county sheriff at 18:20 cst to communicate their arrival on site. At 18:30 cst the controller spoke with local field operations personnel who were in route to the site. Tallgrass field operations personnel arrived on site at 19:40 cst, met with the local incident commander, and at that time confirmed the rupture. Field operations supervised the blowdown of gas until it was safe to approach the rupture site in preparation for the incident investigation. At 0:52 cst emergency response activities concluded and the site was deemed secure. Incident investigation and clean-up began the morning of january 30, 2015. The field investigation revealed that the failure occurred at a weld. Included are both the upstream and downstream pipe characteristics: - upstream: x70, wt. 0.74, aro - downstream: x80, wt. 0.486, fbe - 0.740" bevel was prepared in accordance with asme b31.8 annex I and showed evidence of good workmanship subsequent to the root cause analysis discussion, and with agreement from all parties involved, it was deemed that the girth weld rupture was an overload failure caused by axial stress that exceeded the cross section tensile strength of the crack initiation location. This determination is supported by crack characteristics, metallurgical analysis, potential failure modes and observation of the pipe geometry resulting from the rupture. The rca identified five axial load inducing variables that likely lead to the exceedance of the cross section tensile strength, however, no single variable can be blamed for the overall cause of the rupture. The five predominate axial load inducing variables are as follows: pipeline settlement, pipeline misalignment, temperature stresses, internal pressure, and construction forces. |
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