Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
HL incident on 2015-06-01 — KS
Operator
Nustar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.p.
Cause
Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld
Commodity
Hvl Or Other Flammable Or Toxic Fluid Which Is A Gas At Ambient Conditions
Program
HL
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$49,400
Incident datetime
2015-06-01 02:28
Report number
Location
KS
Narrative
At 2:28 am on 06-01-2015 the san antonio control center received an ammonia detection alarm and station lockout at the ramah pump station, in iberville parrish, la. A station lockout isolates the station piping from the mainline piping. The control center operator contacted the area nustar employee. The nustar employee arrived at 4:09 am and confirmed the smell of ammonia originating from buried mainline pipe within the pump station and not the station piping. Emergency shutdown procedures for the mainline were started at 0412. The pipeline was completely shut down and blocked at 0421. Nustar's maintenance crew arrived on 06-02-2015, excavated and installed a stopple tee downstream of the leak location. On 06-03-2015 they excavated the pipeline and confirmed the stopple tee fitting as the cause. They completed repairs on 06-03-2015 and the line was restarted at 23:45. The stopple tee fitting will be sent for metallurgical analysis in order to determine the cause of the leak. Results of metallurgical analysis: the leak was caused by a nearly through wall crack in the longitudinal seam weld of the stopple(r) fitting. The crack initiated in an area of misalignment of the cuff edges and incomplete penetration (ip); these are fabrication defects created during installation of the fitting. The ip created a notch-like stress concentration which allowed for the initiation of a crack. The crack propagated until it was nearly through the weld. The remaining intact ligament was unable to contain the internal line pressure.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2015-06-30 00:00:00
Iyear
2015
Report Number
20150237
Supplemental Number
21807
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
10012
Name
Nustar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.p.
Operator Street Address
7340 W. 21st Street N., Suite 200
Operator City Name
Wichita
Operator State Abbreviation
KS
Operator Postal Code
67205
Local Datetime
2015-06-01 04:09:00
Location Latitude
30.386817
Location Longitude
-91.507267
Commodity Released Type
Hvl Or Other Flammable Or Toxic Fluid Which Is A Gas At Ambient Conditions
Commodity Subtype
Anhydrous Ammonia
Unintentional Release Bbls
8.98
Intentional Release Bbls
9.63
Recovered Bbls
7.18
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Accident Identifier
Cpm Leak Detection System Or Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Calculations)
Incident Identified Datetime
2015-06-01 02:28:00
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
On Off Shore
Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2015-06-01 02:28:00
Restart Datetime
2015-06-03 23:45:00
On Site Datetime
2015-06-01 04:09:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2015-06-01 10:22:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1120335
Ignite Ind
No
Explode Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Remotely Controlled
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Pipe Fac Name
Ramah Pump Station
Segment Name
Ramah 8 Inch To Palmetto Station
Onshore State Abbreviation
La
Onshore Postal Code
70757
Onshore City Name
Not Within A Municipality
Onshore County Name
Iberville
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
2495+35
Federal
No
Location Type
Totally Contained On Operator-Controlled Property
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
48
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Interstate
Item Involved
Weld, Including Heat-Affected Zone
Weld Subtype
Other
Weld Details
Longitudinal
Installation Year
2003
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Leak
Leak Type
Crack
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Soil Contamination
Yes
Long Term Assessment
No
Remediation Ind
No
Water Contam Ind
No
Could Be Hca
Yes
Commodity Reached Hca
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
0
Est Cost Gas Released
635
Est Cost Prop Damage
49400
Est Cost Emergency
17820
Est Cost Environmental
0
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
67855
Accident Psig
1320
Mop Psig
1340
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Length Segment Isolated
47520
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
Yes
Scada Conf Ind
Yes
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
The operator's actions did not contribute to the cause of the accident.
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
Metallurgical Ind
Yes
Failure Type
Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related
Other Factor
Yes
Other Factor Details
Incomplete Penetration Created A Notch Like Stress Concentration Which Allowed F
Pwf Additional Other Ind
Yes
Collected Data Ind
Yes
Other Tool Tech Ind
Yes
Other Tool
Def&mfl Tool Runs 12/10/14, Def&mfl Tool Runs 10/19/11, Def&mfl Tool Runs 6/7/06
Other Recent Year
2014
Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind
No
Direct Asmnt Conducted
No
Non Destructive Exam Ind
No
Preparer Name
K*** P****
Preparer Title
Pipeline Safety Supervisor
Preparer Email
K*********@n***********.com
Preparer Telephone
316-721-7053
Prepared Date
2016-09-28 00:00:00
Authorizer Name
B*** F******
Authorizer Telephone
316-721-7066
Authorizer Title
General Manager - Pipeline And Terminal Operations
Authorizer Email
B***********@n***********.com
Narrative
At 2:28 am on 06-01-2015 the san antonio control center received an ammonia detection alarm and station lockout at the ramah pump station, in iberville parrish, la. A station lockout isolates the station piping from the mainline piping. The control center operator contacted the area nustar employee. The nustar employee arrived at 4:09 am and confirmed the smell of ammonia originating from buried mainline pipe within the pump station and not the station piping. Emergency shutdown procedures for the mainline were started at 0412. The pipeline was completely shut down and blocked at 0421. Nustar's maintenance crew arrived on 06-02-2015, excavated and installed a stopple tee downstream of the leak location. On 06-03-2015 they excavated the pipeline and confirmed the stopple tee fitting as the cause. They completed repairs on 06-03-2015 and the line was restarted at 23:45. The stopple tee fitting will be sent for metallurgical analysis in order to determine the cause of the leak. Results of metallurgical analysis: the leak was caused by a nearly through wall crack in the longitudinal seam weld of the stopple(r) fitting. The crack initiated in an area of misalignment of the cuff edges and incomplete penetration (ip); these are fabrication defects created during installation of the fitting. The ip created a notch-like stress concentration which allowed for the initiation of a crack. The crack propagated until it was nearly through the weld. The remaining intact ligament was unable to contain the internal line pressure.
| Report Received Date | 2015-06-30 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2015 |
| Report Number | 20150237 |
| Supplemental Number | 21807 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 10012 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Nustar Pipeline Operating Partnership L.p. |
| Operator Street Address | 7340 W. 21st Street N., Suite 200 |
| Operator City Name | Wichita |
| Operator State Abbreviation | KS |
| Operator Postal Code | 67205 |
| Local Datetime | 2015-06-01 04:09:00 |
| Location Latitude | 30.386817 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -91.507267 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Commodity Released Type | Hvl Or Other Flammable Or Toxic Fluid Which Is A Gas At Ambient Conditions |
| Commodity Subtype | Anhydrous Ammonia |
| Unintentional Release Bbls | 8.98 |
| Intentional Release Bbls | 9.63 |
| Recovered Bbls | 7.18 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Accident Identifier | Cpm Leak Detection System Or Scada-Based Information (Such As Alarm(S), Alert(S), Event(S), And/or Volume Calculations) |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2015-06-01 02:28:00 |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2015-06-01 02:28:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2015-06-03 23:45:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2015-06-01 04:09:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2015-06-01 10:22:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1120335 NRC Report How to search |
| Ignite Ind | No |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Remotely Controlled |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Ramah Pump Station |
| Segment Name | Ramah 8 Inch To Palmetto Station |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | La |
| Onshore Postal Code | 70757 |
| Onshore City Name | Not Within A Municipality |
| Onshore County Name | Iberville |
| Designated Location | Survey Station No. |
| Designated Name | 2495+35 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Totally Contained On Operator-Controlled Property |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Soil |
| Depth Of Cover | 48 |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Interstate |
| Item Involved | Weld, Including Heat-Affected Zone |
| Weld Subtype | Other |
| Weld Details | Longitudinal |
| Installation Year | 2003 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Leak |
| Leak Type | Crack |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Soil Contamination | Yes |
| Long Term Assessment | No |
| Remediation Ind | No |
| Water Contam Ind | No |
| Could Be Hca | Yes |
| Commodity Reached Hca | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 0 |
| Est Cost Gas Released | 635 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 49400 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 17820 |
| Est Cost Environmental | 0 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Prpty | 67855 |
| Accident Psig | 1320 |
| Mop Psig | 1340 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Length Segment Isolated | 47520 |
| 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 | Yes |
| Scada Conf Ind | Yes |
| 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 | The operator's actions did not contribute to the cause of the accident. |
| 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 |
| Metallurgical Ind | Yes |
| Failure Type | Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related |
| Other Factor | Yes |
| Other Factor Details | Incomplete Penetration Created A Notch Like Stress Concentration Which Allowed F |
| Pwf Additional Other Ind | Yes |
| Collected Data Ind | Yes |
| Other Tool Tech Ind | Yes |
| Other Tool | Def&mfl Tool Runs 12/10/14, Def&mfl Tool Runs 10/19/11, Def&mfl Tool Runs 6/7/06 |
| Other Recent Year | 2014 |
| Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind | No |
| Direct Asmnt Conducted | No |
| Non Destructive Exam Ind | No |
| Preparer Name | K*** P**** |
| Preparer Title | Pipeline Safety Supervisor |
| Preparer Email | K*********@n***********.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 316-721-7053 |
| Prepared Date | 2016-09-28 00:00:00 |
| Authorizer Name | B*** F****** |
| Authorizer Telephone | 316-721-7066 |
| Authorizer Title | General Manager - Pipeline And Terminal Operations |
| Authorizer Email | B***********@n***********.com |
| Narrative | At 2:28 am on 06-01-2015 the san antonio control center received an ammonia detection alarm and station lockout at the ramah pump station, in iberville parrish, la. A station lockout isolates the station piping from the mainline piping. The control center operator contacted the area nustar employee. The nustar employee arrived at 4:09 am and confirmed the smell of ammonia originating from buried mainline pipe within the pump station and not the station piping. Emergency shutdown procedures for the mainline were started at 0412. The pipeline was completely shut down and blocked at 0421. Nustar's maintenance crew arrived on 06-02-2015, excavated and installed a stopple tee downstream of the leak location. On 06-03-2015 they excavated the pipeline and confirmed the stopple tee fitting as the cause. They completed repairs on 06-03-2015 and the line was restarted at 23:45. The stopple tee fitting will be sent for metallurgical analysis in order to determine the cause of the leak. Results of metallurgical analysis: the leak was caused by a nearly through wall crack in the longitudinal seam weld of the stopple(r) fitting. The crack initiated in an area of misalignment of the cuff edges and incomplete penetration (ip); these are fabrication defects created during installation of the fitting. The ip created a notch-like stress concentration which allowed for the initiation of a crack. The crack propagated until it was nearly through the weld. The remaining intact ligament was unable to contain the internal line pressure. |
External Resources
PHMSA pipeline safety insights.
Product
Features
Company
All rights reserved. Copyright © by ClearPHMSA