Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GTG incident on 2017-11-20 — MI
Operator
Consumers Energy Co
Cause
Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GTG
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$5,966,210
Incident datetime
2017-11-20 21:51
Report number
Location
MI
Narrative
On november 20, 2017 at 2150 hours, a buried 22-inch-diameter intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline (line 600), owned and operated by consumers energy ruptured in orion charter township (oakland county) between baldwin and joslyn roads. Line 600 stretches approximately 34 miles from the clarkston junction interchange in clarkston, mi (oakland county) to the utica city gate, utica, mi (macomb county). Consumers energy employees arrived onsite at approximately 2243 hours and began the process of isolating the 6.5 mile segment of line 600 utilizing emergency valves located at orion city gate, orion charter township, mi and dixie-waterford city gate, clarkston, mi. The segment was fully isolated and closed at approximately 2307 hours. The escaping high-pressure natural gas ignited. Fire damage extended along the pipeline right-of-way and damaged several tractor trailers parked at the rear of the property at 693 brown road. Local police and fire personnel responded. There were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the rupture. The damaged pipeline and associated fragments were secured and transported to consumers energy's trail street laboratory for metallurgical testing and determination of a failure mode. A preliminary cause of failure has been identified as overload failure due to fill material place over the pipeline. An internal team was assembled immediately following the incident to complete a root cause investigation. The investigation included developing a sequence of events, and a review of the scene and pertinent facts needed to identify a root cause(s). Countermeasures will also be developed to prevent re-occurrence. The ruptured segment of line 600 will not be returned to service until the investigation and appropriate remediation actions have been completed. Consumers energy laboratory services concluded the rupture on consumers energy line 600 was the result of a tensile overload through the 22" od x 0.281 wall pipe adjacent to the east end girth weld where an 11.8' section of 22" od x 0.375 wall pipe was installed during remediation work in 2009. The instantaneous nature of overload failure and the time duration from when the pipe was installed until the failure occurred suggests loading conditions changed over time; however, the exact cause for this failure could not be determine from metallographic analysis. Corrosion was not found to be a contributing factor in the failure. The rca team similarly determined the root cause of the pipeline failure to be overload as a result of approximately 21' of fill material on top of the gas pipeline which lacked support due to the presence of highly compressible soils below the pipeline. The weld id offset (hi-lo) which exceeded code allowable 0.155" versus 3/32" (.09375) at the 2009 remediation tie-in to existing pipe was determine to be a contributing factor but not a secondary root cause. The rca team also identified human and systemic root components that may have contributed to the failure. Corrective actions to minimize the potential for reoccurrence have been implemented. Consumers energy replaced approximately 1,200 feet of line 600 north of brown rd. And west of joslyn rd. In lake orion, mi. The entire distance was replaced using horizontal directional drilling methods (hdd). The hdd method was selected in order to achieve depths below the compressible organic soil layers that contributed to the failure of the pipeline. All remediation activities and hydrostatic testing were performed in accordance with applicable regulations and the rupture segment of the pipeline was returned to normal operations on friday, march 23, 2018.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2017-12-20 00:00:00
Iyear
2017
Report Number
20170124
Supplemental Number
30752
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
2748
Name
Consumers Energy Co
Operator Street Address
One Energy Plaza
Operator City Name
Jackson
Operator State Abbreviation
MI
Operator Postal Code
49201
Local Datetime
2017-11-20 21:51:00
Location Latitude
42.710918
Location Longitude
-83.291544
Nrc Rpt Num
1197815
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2017-11-21 00:41:00
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
341152
Intentional Release
2848
Accompanying Liquid
0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2017-11-20 23:07:00
Restart Datetime
2018-03-23 19:42:00
Ignite Ind
Yes
Explode Ind
No
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Incident Identified Datetime
2017-11-20 21:51:00
On Site Datetime
2017-11-20 22:43:00
On Off Shore
Onshore
Onshore State Abbreviation
Mi
Onshore Postal Code
48359
Onshore City Name
Orion Charter Township
Onshore County Name
Oakland
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
994+93
Pipe Fac Name
Line 600
Segment Name
Line 600 Dixie-Waterford Cg To Orion Cg
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
250
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Intrastate
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
Item Involved
Pipe
Pipe Type
Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter
22
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.281
Pipe Smys
52000
Pipe Specification
Api5lx-52
Pipe Seam Type
Longitudinal Erw - High Frequency
Pipe Manufacturer
Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company
Pipe Coating Type
Other
Pipe Coating Details
Trenton Inner-Coat, Prime Coat And Mummy Wrap Also Some No-Ox-Id 6x Wax
Installation Year
1951
Manufactured Year
1951
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Rupture
Rupture Orient
Circumferential
Rupture Length
69.1
Rupture Width
22
Class Location Type
Class 2 Location
Could Be Hca
No
Pir Radius
182
Heat Damage Ind
No
Non Heat Damage Ind
No
Hca Fatalities Ind
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
300000
Est Cost Unintentional Release
980812
Est Cost Intentional Release
8188
Est Cost Prop Damage
5966210
Est Cost Emergency
1500
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
7256710
Accident Psig
607
Mop Psig
790
Mop Cfr Section
192.619(A)(2)
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Length Segment Isolated
34320
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
Appropriate response protocols were followed in response to alarms received indicating a possible pipeline rupture.
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 Factor
Yes
Other Factor Details
Overload Failure Due To Fill Material Placed Over The Pipeline
Pwf Additional Other Ind
Yes
Additional Other Details
Overload Failure Due To Fill Material Placed Over The Pipeline
Collected Data Ind
Yes
Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind
Yes
Other Tool Tech Ind
Yes
Axial Recent Year
2015
Other Tool
Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Tranducer (Emat) Inline Inspection
Other Recent Year
2017
Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind
Yes
Hydrtst Most Rcnt Year
1967
Hydrtst Most Rcnt Pressure
1035
Direct Asmnt Conducted
Yes, And An Investigative Dig Was Cunducted At The Point Of The Accident
Direct Asmnt At Pnt Accdnt Yr
2009
Non Destructive Exam Ind
Yes
Exm Radiography Rcnt Year
2009
Exm Radiography Rcnt Ind
Yes
Preparer Name
C******* K***
Preparer Title
Senior Engineering Technical Analyst Ii
Preparer Email
C************@c********.com
Preparer Telephone
989-280-2963
Authorizer Name
J**** P****
Authorizer Title
Senior Engineering Techinical Analyst Lead
Authorizer Telephone
989-791-5749
Authorizer Email
J**********@c********.com
Narrative
On november 20, 2017 at 2150 hours, a buried 22-inch-diameter intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline (line 600), owned and operated by consumers energy ruptured in orion charter township (oakland county) between baldwin and joslyn roads. Line 600 stretches approximately 34 miles from the clarkston junction interchange in clarkston, mi (oakland county) to the utica city gate, utica, mi (macomb county). Consumers energy employees arrived onsite at approximately 2243 hours and began the process of isolating the 6.5 mile segment of line 600 utilizing emergency valves located at orion city gate, orion charter township, mi and dixie-waterford city gate, clarkston, mi. The segment was fully isolated and closed at approximately 2307 hours. The escaping high-pressure natural gas ignited. Fire damage extended along the pipeline right-of-way and damaged several tractor trailers parked at the rear of the property at 693 brown road. Local police and fire personnel responded. There were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the rupture. The damaged pipeline and associated fragments were secured and transported to consumers energy's trail street laboratory for metallurgical testing and determination of a failure mode. A preliminary cause of failure has been identified as overload failure due to fill material place over the pipeline. An internal team was assembled immediately following the incident to complete a root cause investigation. The investigation included developing a sequence of events, and a review of the scene and pertinent facts needed to identify a root cause(s). Countermeasures will also be developed to prevent re-occurrence. The ruptured segment of line 600 will not be returned to service until the investigation and appropriate remediation actions have been completed. Consumers energy laboratory services concluded the rupture on consumers energy line 600 was the result of a tensile overload through the 22" od x 0.281 wall pipe adjacent to the east end girth weld where an 11.8' section of 22" od x 0.375 wall pipe was installed during remediation work in 2009. The instantaneous nature of overload failure and the time duration from when the pipe was installed until the failure occurred suggests loading conditions changed over time; however, the exact cause for this failure could not be determine from metallographic analysis. Corrosion was not found to be a contributing factor in the failure. The rca team similarly determined the root cause of the pipeline failure to be overload as a result of approximately 21' of fill material on top of the gas pipeline which lacked support due to the presence of highly compressible soils below the pipeline. The weld id offset (hi-lo) which exceeded code allowable 0.155" versus 3/32" (.09375) at the 2009 remediation tie-in to existing pipe was determine to be a contributing factor but not a secondary root cause. The rca team also identified human and systemic root components that may have contributed to the failure. Corrective actions to minimize the potential for reoccurrence have been implemented. Consumers energy replaced approximately 1,200 feet of line 600 north of brown rd. And west of joslyn rd. In lake orion, mi. The entire distance was replaced using horizontal directional drilling methods (hdd). The hdd method was selected in order to achieve depths below the compressible organic soil layers that contributed to the failure of the pipeline. All remediation activities and hydrostatic testing were performed in accordance with applicable regulations and the rupture segment of the pipeline was returned to normal operations on friday, march 23, 2018.
| Report Received Date | 2017-12-20 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2017 |
| Report Number | 20170124 |
| Supplemental Number | 30752 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 2748 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Consumers Energy Co |
| Operator Street Address | One Energy Plaza |
| Operator City Name | Jackson |
| Operator State Abbreviation | MI |
| Operator Postal Code | 49201 |
| Local Datetime | 2017-11-20 21:51:00 |
| Location Latitude | 42.710918 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -83.291544 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1197815 NRC Report How to search |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2017-11-21 00:41:00 |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 341152 |
| Intentional Release | 2848 |
| Accompanying Liquid | 0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2017-11-20 23:07:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2018-03-23 19:42:00 |
| Ignite Ind | Yes |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2017-11-20 21:51:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2017-11-20 22:43:00 |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Mi |
| Onshore Postal Code | 48359 |
| Onshore City Name | Orion Charter Township |
| Onshore County Name | Oakland |
| Designated Location | Survey Station No. |
| Designated Name | 994+93 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Line 600 |
| Segment Name | Line 600 Dixie-Waterford Cg To Orion Cg |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Soil |
| Depth Of Cover | 250 |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Intrastate |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| Item Involved | Pipe |
| Pipe Type | Pipe Body |
| Pipe Diameter | 22 |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.281 |
| Pipe Smys | 52000 |
| Pipe Specification | Api5lx-52 |
| Pipe Seam Type | Longitudinal Erw - High Frequency |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Youngstown Sheet & Tube Company |
| Pipe Coating Type | Other |
| Pipe Coating Details | Trenton Inner-Coat, Prime Coat And Mummy Wrap Also Some No-Ox-Id 6x Wax |
| Installation Year | 1951 |
| Manufactured Year | 1951 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Rupture |
| Rupture Orient | Circumferential |
| Rupture Length | 69.1 |
| Rupture Width | 22 |
| Class Location Type | Class 2 Location |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Pir Radius | 182 |
| Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Non Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Hca Fatalities Ind | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 300000 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 980812 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 8188 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 5966210 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 1500 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Prpty | 7256710 |
| Accident Psig | 607 |
| Mop Psig | 790 |
| Mop Cfr Section | 192.619(A)(2) View CFR 49 §192 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Length Segment Isolated | 34320 |
| 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 | Appropriate response protocols were followed in response to alarms received indicating a possible pipeline rupture. |
| 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 Factor | Yes |
| Other Factor Details | Overload Failure Due To Fill Material Placed Over The Pipeline |
| Pwf Additional Other Ind | Yes |
| Additional Other Details | Overload Failure Due To Fill Material Placed Over The Pipeline |
| Collected Data Ind | Yes |
| Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind | Yes |
| Other Tool Tech Ind | Yes |
| Axial Recent Year | 2015 |
| Other Tool | Electro-Magnetic Acoustic Tranducer (Emat) Inline Inspection |
| Other Recent Year | 2017 |
| Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind | Yes |
| Hydrtst Most Rcnt Year | 1967 |
| Hydrtst Most Rcnt Pressure | 1035 |
| Direct Asmnt Conducted | Yes, And An Investigative Dig Was Cunducted At The Point Of The Accident |
| Direct Asmnt At Pnt Accdnt Yr | 2009 |
| Non Destructive Exam Ind | Yes |
| Exm Radiography Rcnt Year | 2009 |
| Exm Radiography Rcnt Ind | Yes |
| Preparer Name | C******* K*** |
| Preparer Title | Senior Engineering Technical Analyst Ii |
| Preparer Email | C************@c********.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 989-280-2963 |
| Authorizer Name | J**** P**** |
| Authorizer Title | Senior Engineering Techinical Analyst Lead |
| Authorizer Telephone | 989-791-5749 |
| Authorizer Email | J**********@c********.com |
| Narrative | On november 20, 2017 at 2150 hours, a buried 22-inch-diameter intrastate natural gas transmission pipeline (line 600), owned and operated by consumers energy ruptured in orion charter township (oakland county) between baldwin and joslyn roads. Line 600 stretches approximately 34 miles from the clarkston junction interchange in clarkston, mi (oakland county) to the utica city gate, utica, mi (macomb county). Consumers energy employees arrived onsite at approximately 2243 hours and began the process of isolating the 6.5 mile segment of line 600 utilizing emergency valves located at orion city gate, orion charter township, mi and dixie-waterford city gate, clarkston, mi. The segment was fully isolated and closed at approximately 2307 hours. The escaping high-pressure natural gas ignited. Fire damage extended along the pipeline right-of-way and damaged several tractor trailers parked at the rear of the property at 693 brown road. Local police and fire personnel responded. There were no fatalities or injuries as a result of the rupture. The damaged pipeline and associated fragments were secured and transported to consumers energy's trail street laboratory for metallurgical testing and determination of a failure mode. A preliminary cause of failure has been identified as overload failure due to fill material place over the pipeline. An internal team was assembled immediately following the incident to complete a root cause investigation. The investigation included developing a sequence of events, and a review of the scene and pertinent facts needed to identify a root cause(s). Countermeasures will also be developed to prevent re-occurrence. The ruptured segment of line 600 will not be returned to service until the investigation and appropriate remediation actions have been completed. Consumers energy laboratory services concluded the rupture on consumers energy line 600 was the result of a tensile overload through the 22" od x 0.281 wall pipe adjacent to the east end girth weld where an 11.8' section of 22" od x 0.375 wall pipe was installed during remediation work in 2009. The instantaneous nature of overload failure and the time duration from when the pipe was installed until the failure occurred suggests loading conditions changed over time; however, the exact cause for this failure could not be determine from metallographic analysis. Corrosion was not found to be a contributing factor in the failure. The rca team similarly determined the root cause of the pipeline failure to be overload as a result of approximately 21' of fill material on top of the gas pipeline which lacked support due to the presence of highly compressible soils below the pipeline. The weld id offset (hi-lo) which exceeded code allowable 0.155" versus 3/32" (.09375) at the 2009 remediation tie-in to existing pipe was determine to be a contributing factor but not a secondary root cause. The rca team also identified human and systemic root components that may have contributed to the failure. Corrective actions to minimize the potential for reoccurrence have been implemented. Consumers energy replaced approximately 1,200 feet of line 600 north of brown rd. And west of joslyn rd. In lake orion, mi. The entire distance was replaced using horizontal directional drilling methods (hdd). The hdd method was selected in order to achieve depths below the compressible organic soil layers that contributed to the failure of the pipeline. All remediation activities and hydrostatic testing were performed in accordance with applicable regulations and the rupture segment of the pipeline was returned to normal operations on friday, march 23, 2018. |
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