Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
HL incident on 2018-07-29 — TX
Operator
Boardwalk Louisiana Midstream, Llc
Cause
Equipment Failure
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)
$1,342,158
Incident datetime
2018-07-29 10:30
Report number
Location
TX
Narrative
At approximately 10:30 am on 7/29/18, the operator noticed a relief valve releasing to the flare. Operator investigated where the release to the flare was located. Operator noticed the flare base had ignited and pressed the master shutdown for the facility and isolated the relief valve that failed. Contacted the office of emergency preparedness (911) for response. Made notifications to all pertinent agencies. In regard to question a14, ethylene service restarted on 8/7/18 at approximately 5:00 am. Ethane service was ready at approximately 9 pm on 8/16/18 but did not start flowing until 8/18/18. Ethane/propane remains out of service. Estimated in service date for ethane/propane is 8/29/18. 11/29/18 updated to submit final report. 12/5/18 updated in response to PHMSA email. The responses that have changed are based on knowledge gained from the root cause analysis. Prior to the event, at an undetermined time, the set pressure of the relief had been lowered from the proper set point. Frequent lifting of the relief valve occurred as a result of the incorrect set pressure. The repetitive lifting of the relief valve resulted in damage to the seating o-ring in the pilot of the valve. Contributed by an improperly sized o-ring in the main valve body, these factors combined to cause the relief valve to fail in the open position. When the relief valve failed in the open position liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. The response to part g, 5a needs clarification because an appropriate response is not an option. Inspection and testing of relief devices is covered in boardwalk's oq program but it is unknown who or when the set pressure was lowered from the proper set point; therefore, it is unclear who the employee was or if they were qualified on this task. 1-6-2020 updated release volume and repair costs to submit final report. Permanent flare was in-service on december 20, 2019. 1-10-2020 update following further investigation. Repetitive lifting of valve resulted in damage to seating o-ring in pilot of the valve which caused the relief valve to drift and fail in open position. In addition, the flare knock-out drum contained brine preventing full drum capacity availability causing excessive volume to be sent to flare. When the relief valve failed in the open position excessive liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. Cause of accident has been updated from incorrect operations to equipment failure for these reasons. While incorrect operations contributed to this accident, the primary cause was equipment failure. The facility was previously under psm regulations and this accident occurred during the transition to PHMSA regulations; therefore, this work was not performed under oq.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2018-08-27 00:00:00
Iyear
2018
Report Number
20180257
Supplemental Number
33174
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
39138
Name
Boardwalk Louisiana Midstream, Llc
Operator Street Address
9 Greenway Plaza
Operator City Name
Houston
Operator State Abbreviation
TX
Operator Postal Code
77046
Local Datetime
2018-07-29 10:30:00
Location Latitude
30.320183
Location Longitude
-91.309208
Commodity Released Type
Hvl Or Other Flammable Or Toxic Fluid Which Is A Gas At Ambient Conditions
Commodity Subtype
Other Hvl
Commodity Details
Ethylene
Unintentional Release Bbls
160
Intentional Release Bbls
0
Recovered Bbls
0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Accident Identifier
Controller
Operator Type
Operator Employee
Incident Identified Datetime
2018-07-29 10:30:00
System Part Involved
Onshore Terminal/tank Farm Equipment And Piping
On Off Shore
Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2018-07-29 10:30:00
Restart Datetime
2018-08-29 16:30:00
On Site Datetime
2018-07-29 10:50:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2018-07-29 13:46:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1219846
Ignite Ind
Yes
Explode Ind
No
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Pipe Fac Name
Choctaw Terminal
Segment Name
Choctaw Terminal
Onshore State Abbreviation
La
Onshore Postal Code
70764
Onshore City Name
Plaquemine
Onshore County Name
Iberville
Designated Location
Milepost/valve Station
Designated Name
1000:10+25
Federal
No
Location Type
Totally Contained On Operator-Controlled Property
Incident Area Type
Aboveground
Incident Area Subtype
Typical Aboveground Facility Piping Or Appurtenance
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Intrastate
Item Involved
Valve
Valve Type
Relief Valve
Installation Year
2008
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Leak
Leak Type
Other
Leak Type Other
Relief Valve Failed
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Soil Contamination
No
Long Term Assessment
No
Remediation Ind
No
Water Contam Ind
No
Could Be Hca
No
Commodity Reached Hca
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
0
Est Cost Gas Released
3024
Est Cost Prop Damage
1342158
Est Cost Emergency
5000
Est Cost Environmental
0
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
1350182
Accident Psig
1215
Mop Psig
1440
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Pipeline Function
> 20% Smys Regulated Gathering
Scada In Place Ind
Yes
Scada Operating Ind
Yes
Scada Functional Ind
Yes
Scada Detection Ind
No
Scada Conf Ind
Yes
Cpm In Place Ind
No
Investigation Status
Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply)
Invest Maint Ind
Yes
Employee Drug Test Ind
Yes
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Num Employees Tested
6
Num Employees Failed
0
Cause
Equipment Failure
Cause Details
Malfunction Of Control/relief Equipment
Eq Failure Type
Malfunction Of Control/relief Equipment
Relief Valve Ind
Yes
Eq Additional Other Ind
Yes
Eq Additional Other Details
Valve Lifting Resulted In Damage To Seating O-Ring In Pilot Of Valve
Preparer Name
S****** M********
Preparer Title
Pa Oq And Event Program Leader
Preparer Email
S****************@b**********.com
Preparer Telephone
2706886357
Prepared Date
2020-01-10 00:00:00
Authorizer Name
T*** B****
Authorizer Telephone
2706886497
Authorizer Title
Manager Compliance Services
Authorizer Email
T*********@b**********.com
Narrative
At approximately 10:30 am on 7/29/18, the operator noticed a relief valve releasing to the flare. Operator investigated where the release to the flare was located. Operator noticed the flare base had ignited and pressed the master shutdown for the facility and isolated the relief valve that failed. Contacted the office of emergency preparedness (911) for response. Made notifications to all pertinent agencies. In regard to question a14, ethylene service restarted on 8/7/18 at approximately 5:00 am. Ethane service was ready at approximately 9 pm on 8/16/18 but did not start flowing until 8/18/18. Ethane/propane remains out of service. Estimated in service date for ethane/propane is 8/29/18. 11/29/18 updated to submit final report. 12/5/18 updated in response to PHMSA email. The responses that have changed are based on knowledge gained from the root cause analysis. Prior to the event, at an undetermined time, the set pressure of the relief had been lowered from the proper set point. Frequent lifting of the relief valve occurred as a result of the incorrect set pressure. The repetitive lifting of the relief valve resulted in damage to the seating o-ring in the pilot of the valve. Contributed by an improperly sized o-ring in the main valve body, these factors combined to cause the relief valve to fail in the open position. When the relief valve failed in the open position liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. The response to part g, 5a needs clarification because an appropriate response is not an option. Inspection and testing of relief devices is covered in boardwalk's oq program but it is unknown who or when the set pressure was lowered from the proper set point; therefore, it is unclear who the employee was or if they were qualified on this task. 1-6-2020 updated release volume and repair costs to submit final report. Permanent flare was in-service on december 20, 2019. 1-10-2020 update following further investigation. Repetitive lifting of valve resulted in damage to seating o-ring in pilot of the valve which caused the relief valve to drift and fail in open position. In addition, the flare knock-out drum contained brine preventing full drum capacity availability causing excessive volume to be sent to flare. When the relief valve failed in the open position excessive liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. Cause of accident has been updated from incorrect operations to equipment failure for these reasons. While incorrect operations contributed to this accident, the primary cause was equipment failure. The facility was previously under psm regulations and this accident occurred during the transition to PHMSA regulations; therefore, this work was not performed under oq.
| Report Received Date | 2018-08-27 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2018 |
| Report Number | 20180257 |
| Supplemental Number | 33174 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 39138 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Boardwalk Louisiana Midstream, Llc |
| Operator Street Address | 9 Greenway Plaza |
| Operator City Name | Houston |
| Operator State Abbreviation | TX |
| Operator Postal Code | 77046 |
| Local Datetime | 2018-07-29 10:30:00 |
| Location Latitude | 30.320183 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -91.309208 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Commodity Released Type | Hvl Or Other Flammable Or Toxic Fluid Which Is A Gas At Ambient Conditions |
| Commodity Subtype | Other Hvl |
| Commodity Details | Ethylene |
| Unintentional Release Bbls | 160 |
| Intentional Release Bbls | 0 |
| Recovered Bbls | 0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Accident Identifier | Controller |
| Operator Type | Operator Employee |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2018-07-29 10:30:00 |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Terminal/tank Farm Equipment And Piping |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2018-07-29 10:30:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2018-08-29 16:30:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2018-07-29 10:50:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2018-07-29 13:46:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1219846 NRC Report How to search |
| Ignite Ind | Yes |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Choctaw Terminal |
| Segment Name | Choctaw Terminal |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | La |
| Onshore Postal Code | 70764 |
| Onshore City Name | Plaquemine |
| Onshore County Name | Iberville |
| Designated Location | Milepost/valve Station |
| Designated Name | 1000:10+25 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Totally Contained On Operator-Controlled Property |
| Incident Area Type | Aboveground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Typical Aboveground Facility Piping Or Appurtenance |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Intrastate |
| Item Involved | Valve |
| Valve Type | Relief Valve |
| Installation Year | 2008 |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Leak |
| Leak Type | Other |
| Leak Type Other | Relief Valve Failed |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Soil Contamination | No |
| Long Term Assessment | No |
| Remediation Ind | No |
| Water Contam Ind | No |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Commodity Reached Hca | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 0 |
| Est Cost Gas Released | 3024 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 1342158 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 5000 |
| Est Cost Environmental | 0 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Prpty | 1350182 |
| Accident Psig | 1215 |
| Mop Psig | 1440 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Pipeline Function | > 20% Smys Regulated Gathering |
| Scada In Place Ind | Yes |
| Scada Operating Ind | Yes |
| Scada Functional Ind | Yes |
| Scada Detection Ind | No |
| Scada Conf Ind | Yes |
| Cpm In Place Ind | No |
| Investigation Status | Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply) |
| Invest Maint Ind | Yes |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | Yes |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Num Employees Tested | 6 |
| Num Employees Failed | 0 |
| Cause | Equipment Failure |
| Cause Details | Malfunction Of Control/relief Equipment |
| Eq Failure Type | Malfunction Of Control/relief Equipment |
| Relief Valve Ind | Yes |
| Eq Additional Other Ind | Yes |
| Eq Additional Other Details | Valve Lifting Resulted In Damage To Seating O-Ring In Pilot Of Valve |
| Preparer Name | S****** M******** |
| Preparer Title | Pa Oq And Event Program Leader |
| Preparer Email | S****************@b**********.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 2706886357 |
| Prepared Date | 2020-01-10 00:00:00 |
| Authorizer Name | T*** B**** |
| Authorizer Telephone | 2706886497 |
| Authorizer Title | Manager Compliance Services |
| Authorizer Email | T*********@b**********.com |
| Narrative | At approximately 10:30 am on 7/29/18, the operator noticed a relief valve releasing to the flare. Operator investigated where the release to the flare was located. Operator noticed the flare base had ignited and pressed the master shutdown for the facility and isolated the relief valve that failed. Contacted the office of emergency preparedness (911) for response. Made notifications to all pertinent agencies. In regard to question a14, ethylene service restarted on 8/7/18 at approximately 5:00 am. Ethane service was ready at approximately 9 pm on 8/16/18 but did not start flowing until 8/18/18. Ethane/propane remains out of service. Estimated in service date for ethane/propane is 8/29/18. 11/29/18 updated to submit final report. 12/5/18 updated in response to PHMSA email. The responses that have changed are based on knowledge gained from the root cause analysis. Prior to the event, at an undetermined time, the set pressure of the relief had been lowered from the proper set point. Frequent lifting of the relief valve occurred as a result of the incorrect set pressure. The repetitive lifting of the relief valve resulted in damage to the seating o-ring in the pilot of the valve. Contributed by an improperly sized o-ring in the main valve body, these factors combined to cause the relief valve to fail in the open position. When the relief valve failed in the open position liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. The response to part g, 5a needs clarification because an appropriate response is not an option. Inspection and testing of relief devices is covered in boardwalk's oq program but it is unknown who or when the set pressure was lowered from the proper set point; therefore, it is unclear who the employee was or if they were qualified on this task. 1-6-2020 updated release volume and repair costs to submit final report. Permanent flare was in-service on december 20, 2019. 1-10-2020 update following further investigation. Repetitive lifting of valve resulted in damage to seating o-ring in pilot of the valve which caused the relief valve to drift and fail in open position. In addition, the flare knock-out drum contained brine preventing full drum capacity availability causing excessive volume to be sent to flare. When the relief valve failed in the open position excessive liquid ethylene was then sent to the flare which then caught fire. Cause of accident has been updated from incorrect operations to equipment failure for these reasons. While incorrect operations contributed to this accident, the primary cause was equipment failure. The facility was previously under psm regulations and this accident occurred during the transition to PHMSA regulations; therefore, this work was not performed under oq. |
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