Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
HL incident on 2018-11-12 — TX
Operator
Sunoco Pipeline L.p.
Cause
Material Failure Of Pipe Or Weld
Commodity
Crude Oil
Program
HL
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$56,235
Incident datetime
2018-11-12 12:15
Report number
Location
TX
Narrative
At approximately 12:15 on 11/12/18 a company truck driver was unloading at the adjacent rule facility and noticed crude oil in the bar ditch on the side of state highway 6 near rule, tx. The driver contacted the control center and the line was immediately shutdown. Local operations personnel responded to the location at approximately 12:32. After investigation it was determined that costs would likely exceed $50,000. Nrc was notified at 13:39 local time and report 1230168 was issued. The tx railroad commission was notified and incident 1879 was assigned. All free product was recovered via vacuum truck and contaminated soil was removed for remediation at company facility. The area was excavated and it was determined that the first girth weld outside of the cased crossing of state highway 6 had failed. This weld was an original construction weld (1927) and did not have a weld reinforcement collar installed. The section of line was drained down and 39.9' of pipe was cut out and replaced. The next weld downstream was exposed and was found to have a weld reinforcement collar installed. Ili data indicated that the next girth weld downstream also had a weld reinforcement collar installed. The three upstream girth welds are inside the cased crossing of state highway 6 and do not have weld reinforcements. After this investigation clean backfill was brought in, the line was static pressure tested and returned to service on 11/14/18. 48 hour nrc update report was filed on 11/14/18 and report 1230352 was issued. The discharge pressure at the time of discovery from the adjacent rule facility was 55 psi. A slight pressure drop was noted in scada however this condition was not considered out of normal operating parameters at the time because a downstream injection pump was cycling which can influence upstream pressures. Additionally, no scada alarms occurred because during transient conditions the pressure and flow alarms are temporarily disabled to reduce nuisance alarms until downstream injection pressures stabilize. The leakwarn system did not alarm because it did not meet thresholds of any of the current alarming windows. The section of pipe with the failed weld was sent to a 3rd party laboratory for analysis. This analysis concluded that there were numerous defects in the weld including porosity, slag, incomplete fusion and penetration with brittle fracturing at the external surface of the weld. The defective weld fractured as a result of these defects combined with external overloading. The surrounding soil was overly saturated due to high levels of rainfall which caused instability. This instability combined with the loading incurred due to the adjacent state highway was the cause of the failure. The welds within the casing that do not have weld reinforcement collars are not at risk due to being cased and not subjected to the same stress induced on the downstream welds that are not cased. The two downstream original welds from the failure have weld reinforcement collars installed. The tie in welds for the replacement pipe are of superior, modern method and were both non destructively tested after completion. The new welds in conjunction with the two reinforced downstream welds will aid to prevent recurrence of the release at this location.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2018-12-12 00:00:00
Iyear
2018
Report Number
20180384
Supplemental Number
31455
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
18718
Name
Sunoco Pipeline L.p.
Operator Street Address
1300 Main Street
Operator City Name
Houston
Operator State Abbreviation
TX
Operator Postal Code
77002
Local Datetime
2018-11-12 12:15:00
Location Latitude
33.221106
Location Longitude
-99.872604
Commodity Released Type
Crude Oil
Unintentional Release Bbls
100
Recovered Bbls
90
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Accident Identifier
Other
Accident Details
Oil Tanker Truck Driver Making A Delivery To Adjacent Facility
Incident Identified Datetime
2018-11-12 12:15:00
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
On Off Shore
Onshore
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2018-11-12 12:15:00
Restart Datetime
2018-11-14 14:19:00
On Site Datetime
2018-11-12 12:32:00
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2018-11-12 13:39:00
Nrc Rpt Num
1230168
Ignite Ind
No
Explode Ind
No
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Pipe Fac Name
23002 - 8/10" Hawley To Merten
Segment Name
23002 - 8/10" Hawley To Merten
Onshore State Abbreviation
Tx
Onshore Postal Code
79547
Onshore City Name
Rule
Onshore County Name
Haskell
Designated Location
Milepost/valve Station
Designated Name
41
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Under Soil
Depth Of Cover
48
Crossing
No
Pipe Facility Type
Intrastate
Item Involved
Weld, Including Heat-Affected Zone
Pipe Diameter
10
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.365
Pipe Smys
25000
Pipe Specification
Grade A
Pipe Seam Type
Lap Welded
Pipe Manufacturer
Unknown
Pipe Coating Type
Coal Tar
Weld Subtype
Pipe Girth Weld
Installation Year
1927
Manufactured Year
Unknown
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Leak
Leak Type
Connection Failure
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Soil Contamination
Yes
Long Term Assessment
No
Remediation Ind
Yes
Soil Remed Ind
Yes
Water Contam Ind
No
Could Be Hca
No
Commodity Reached Hca
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
0
Est Cost Gas Released
520
Est Cost Prop Damage
56235
Est Cost Emergency
20000
Est Cost Environmental
130000
Est Cost Other
0
Prpty
206755
Accident Psig
55
Mop Psig
540
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Length Segment Isolated
73647
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
Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply)
Invest Schedule Ind
Yes
Invest No Control Room Ind
Yes
Invest No Controller Ind
Yes
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
Field Exam Ind
Yes
Metallurgical Ind
Yes
Failure Type
Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related
Mechanical Stress
Yes
Other Factor
Yes
Other Factor Details
Defective Weld Combined With External Overload Of The Weld
Additional Lack Fusion Ind
Yes
Pwf Additional Other Ind
Yes
Collected Data Ind
Yes
Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind
Yes
Geometry Deformation Ind
Yes
Axial Recent Year
2016
Geometry Recent Year
2016
Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind
Yes
Hydrtst Most Rcnt Year
1976
Hydrtst Most Rcnt Pressure
906
Direct Asmnt Conducted
No
Non Destructive Exam Ind
No
Preparer Name
T*** N*******
Preparer Title
Sr. Manager - Dot Compliance
Preparer Email
T************@e*************.com
Preparer Telephone
713-989-7126
Preparer Fax
877-917-0448
Prepared Date
2019-01-09 00:00:00
Authorizer Name
T*** N*******
Authorizer Telephone
713-989-7126
Authorizer Title
Sr. Manager - Dot Compliance
Authorizer Email
T************@e*************.com
Narrative
At approximately 12:15 on 11/12/18 a company truck driver was unloading at the adjacent rule facility and noticed crude oil in the bar ditch on the side of state highway 6 near rule, tx. The driver contacted the control center and the line was immediately shutdown. Local operations personnel responded to the location at approximately 12:32. After investigation it was determined that costs would likely exceed $50,000. Nrc was notified at 13:39 local time and report 1230168 was issued. The tx railroad commission was notified and incident 1879 was assigned. All free product was recovered via vacuum truck and contaminated soil was removed for remediation at company facility. The area was excavated and it was determined that the first girth weld outside of the cased crossing of state highway 6 had failed. This weld was an original construction weld (1927) and did not have a weld reinforcement collar installed. The section of line was drained down and 39.9' of pipe was cut out and replaced. The next weld downstream was exposed and was found to have a weld reinforcement collar installed. Ili data indicated that the next girth weld downstream also had a weld reinforcement collar installed. The three upstream girth welds are inside the cased crossing of state highway 6 and do not have weld reinforcements. After this investigation clean backfill was brought in, the line was static pressure tested and returned to service on 11/14/18. 48 hour nrc update report was filed on 11/14/18 and report 1230352 was issued. The discharge pressure at the time of discovery from the adjacent rule facility was 55 psi. A slight pressure drop was noted in scada however this condition was not considered out of normal operating parameters at the time because a downstream injection pump was cycling which can influence upstream pressures. Additionally, no scada alarms occurred because during transient conditions the pressure and flow alarms are temporarily disabled to reduce nuisance alarms until downstream injection pressures stabilize. The leakwarn system did not alarm because it did not meet thresholds of any of the current alarming windows. The section of pipe with the failed weld was sent to a 3rd party laboratory for analysis. This analysis concluded that there were numerous defects in the weld including porosity, slag, incomplete fusion and penetration with brittle fracturing at the external surface of the weld. The defective weld fractured as a result of these defects combined with external overloading. The surrounding soil was overly saturated due to high levels of rainfall which caused instability. This instability combined with the loading incurred due to the adjacent state highway was the cause of the failure. The welds within the casing that do not have weld reinforcement collars are not at risk due to being cased and not subjected to the same stress induced on the downstream welds that are not cased. The two downstream original welds from the failure have weld reinforcement collars installed. The tie in welds for the replacement pipe are of superior, modern method and were both non destructively tested after completion. The new welds in conjunction with the two reinforced downstream welds will aid to prevent recurrence of the release at this location.
| Report Received Date | 2018-12-12 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2018 |
| Report Number | 20180384 |
| Supplemental Number | 31455 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 18718 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Sunoco Pipeline L.p. |
| Operator Street Address | 1300 Main Street |
| Operator City Name | Houston |
| Operator State Abbreviation | TX |
| Operator Postal Code | 77002 |
| Local Datetime | 2018-11-12 12:15:00 |
| Location Latitude | 33.221106 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -99.872604 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Commodity Released Type | Crude Oil |
| Unintentional Release Bbls | 100 |
| Recovered Bbls | 90 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Accident Identifier | Other |
| Accident Details | Oil Tanker Truck Driver Making A Delivery To Adjacent Facility |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2018-11-12 12:15:00 |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2018-11-12 12:15:00 |
| Restart Datetime | 2018-11-14 14:19:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2018-11-12 12:32:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2018-11-12 13:39:00 |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1230168 NRC Report How to search |
| Ignite Ind | No |
| Explode Ind | No |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Pipe Fac Name | 23002 - 8/10" Hawley To Merten |
| Segment Name | 23002 - 8/10" Hawley To Merten |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Tx |
| Onshore Postal Code | 79547 |
| Onshore City Name | Rule |
| Onshore County Name | Haskell |
| Designated Location | Milepost/valve Station |
| Designated Name | 41 |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Under Soil |
| Depth Of Cover | 48 |
| Crossing | No |
| Pipe Facility Type | Intrastate |
| Item Involved | Weld, Including Heat-Affected Zone |
| Pipe Diameter | 10 |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.365 |
| Pipe Smys | 25000 |
| Pipe Specification | Grade A |
| Pipe Seam Type | Lap Welded |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Unknown |
| Pipe Coating Type | Coal Tar |
| Weld Subtype | Pipe Girth Weld |
| Installation Year | 1927 |
| Manufactured Year | Unknown |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Leak |
| Leak Type | Connection Failure |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Soil Contamination | Yes |
| Long Term Assessment | No |
| Remediation Ind | Yes |
| Soil Remed Ind | Yes |
| Water Contam Ind | No |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Commodity Reached Hca | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 0 |
| Est Cost Gas Released | 520 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 56235 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 20000 |
| Est Cost Environmental | 130000 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Prpty | 206755 |
| Accident Psig | 55 |
| Mop Psig | 540 |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Mop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Length Segment Isolated | 73647 |
| 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 | Yes, specify investigation result(s): (select all that apply) |
| Invest Schedule Ind | Yes |
| Invest No Control Room Ind | Yes |
| Invest No Controller Ind | Yes |
| 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 |
| Field Exam Ind | Yes |
| Metallurgical Ind | Yes |
| Failure Type | Design-, Construction-, Installation-, Or Fabrication-Related |
| Mechanical Stress | Yes |
| Other Factor | Yes |
| Other Factor Details | Defective Weld Combined With External Overload Of The Weld |
| Additional Lack Fusion Ind | Yes |
| Pwf Additional Other Ind | Yes |
| Collected Data Ind | Yes |
| Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind | Yes |
| Geometry Deformation Ind | Yes |
| Axial Recent Year | 2016 |
| Geometry Recent Year | 2016 |
| Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind | Yes |
| Hydrtst Most Rcnt Year | 1976 |
| Hydrtst Most Rcnt Pressure | 906 |
| Direct Asmnt Conducted | No |
| Non Destructive Exam Ind | No |
| Preparer Name | T*** N******* |
| Preparer Title | Sr. Manager - Dot Compliance |
| Preparer Email | T************@e*************.com |
| Preparer Telephone | 713-989-7126 |
| Preparer Fax | 877-917-0448 |
| Prepared Date | 2019-01-09 00:00:00 |
| Authorizer Name | T*** N******* |
| Authorizer Telephone | 713-989-7126 |
| Authorizer Title | Sr. Manager - Dot Compliance |
| Authorizer Email | T************@e*************.com |
| Narrative | At approximately 12:15 on 11/12/18 a company truck driver was unloading at the adjacent rule facility and noticed crude oil in the bar ditch on the side of state highway 6 near rule, tx. The driver contacted the control center and the line was immediately shutdown. Local operations personnel responded to the location at approximately 12:32. After investigation it was determined that costs would likely exceed $50,000. Nrc was notified at 13:39 local time and report 1230168 was issued. The tx railroad commission was notified and incident 1879 was assigned. All free product was recovered via vacuum truck and contaminated soil was removed for remediation at company facility. The area was excavated and it was determined that the first girth weld outside of the cased crossing of state highway 6 had failed. This weld was an original construction weld (1927) and did not have a weld reinforcement collar installed. The section of line was drained down and 39.9' of pipe was cut out and replaced. The next weld downstream was exposed and was found to have a weld reinforcement collar installed. Ili data indicated that the next girth weld downstream also had a weld reinforcement collar installed. The three upstream girth welds are inside the cased crossing of state highway 6 and do not have weld reinforcements. After this investigation clean backfill was brought in, the line was static pressure tested and returned to service on 11/14/18. 48 hour nrc update report was filed on 11/14/18 and report 1230352 was issued. The discharge pressure at the time of discovery from the adjacent rule facility was 55 psi. A slight pressure drop was noted in scada however this condition was not considered out of normal operating parameters at the time because a downstream injection pump was cycling which can influence upstream pressures. Additionally, no scada alarms occurred because during transient conditions the pressure and flow alarms are temporarily disabled to reduce nuisance alarms until downstream injection pressures stabilize. The leakwarn system did not alarm because it did not meet thresholds of any of the current alarming windows. The section of pipe with the failed weld was sent to a 3rd party laboratory for analysis. This analysis concluded that there were numerous defects in the weld including porosity, slag, incomplete fusion and penetration with brittle fracturing at the external surface of the weld. The defective weld fractured as a result of these defects combined with external overloading. The surrounding soil was overly saturated due to high levels of rainfall which caused instability. This instability combined with the loading incurred due to the adjacent state highway was the cause of the failure. The welds within the casing that do not have weld reinforcement collars are not at risk due to being cased and not subjected to the same stress induced on the downstream welds that are not cased. The two downstream original welds from the failure have weld reinforcement collars installed. The tie in welds for the replacement pipe are of superior, modern method and were both non destructively tested after completion. The new welds in conjunction with the two reinforced downstream welds will aid to prevent recurrence of the release at this location. |
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