Incident details
Operator, cause, commodity and consequences with raw source fields.
GTG incident on 2020-12-04 — TX
Operator
Kinder Morgan Tejas Pipeline
Cause
Corrosion Failure
Commodity
Natural Gas
Program
GTG
Damage and Injuries
0 fatalities
0 injuries
Property damage (nominal)
$110,536
Incident datetime
2020-12-04 16:40
Report number
Location
TX
Narrative
On december 4, 2020 at approximately 15:00 hrs. Local time, tejas pipeline received a call from a local gas operating company of natural gas vapors observed from a pipeline casing vent located near avery point in nueces county, texas. At 15:20 hrs. Local time, a tejas field technician inspected the location but could not locate the leak. The local gas operating company, originally reporting the leak, revised the location description to navigation blvd in nueces county, texas. Upon arrival at navigation blvd., the tejas field technician confirmed the leak belonged to tejas at 16:20 hrs. Local time by observing a low-level emission of vapors from the pipeline casing vent. The tejas field technician and management completed a erl telephone call and decided to report the event as an incident since it was determined that the cost of repairs would exceed $50,000. As such, tejas completed the report to the nrc at 17:02 hrs. The same day. Tejas completed a 48-hour nrc update the following day citing no significant changes. The pipe section containing the pinhole leak was shipped to bryan laboratories in houston, tx for metallurgical evaluation. Based on metallurgical report, the apparent cause of the pinhole leak appeared to be stray current induced on the pipeline from close proximity existing metal, narrow-gauge railroad line that crosses the tejas pipeline. The root cause of the pinhole leak was determined to be dc stray current from the railroad lines causing external corrosion of the pipeline directly below the tracks. The railroad tracks have been removed and the pipeline repaired and placed back into service. The affected pipe segment did not contain an injurious microstructure or properties that could have contribute to the failure. In addition, no internal corrosion reported.
Detailed record list
Report Received Date
2020-12-28 00:00:00
Iyear
2020
Report Number
20200134
Supplemental Number
35049
Report Type
Supplemental Final
Operator Id
4900
Name
Kinder Morgan Tejas Pipeline
Operator Street Address
1001 Louisiana St, Suite 1000
Operator City Name
Houston
Operator State Abbreviation
TX
Operator Postal Code
77002
Local Datetime
2020-12-04 17:02:00
Time Zone
Central
Daylight Savings Ind
No
Location Latitude
27.817108
Location Longitude
-97.452814
Nrc Rpt Num
1293563
Nrc Rpt Datetime
2020-12-04 17:02:00
Additional Nrc Report Numbers
1293611
Commodity Released Type
Natural Gas
Unintentional Release
104
Intentional Release
642
Accompanying Liquid
0
Fatality Ind
No
Fatal
0
Injury Ind
No
Injure
0
Status When Identified
Normal Operation, Includes Pauses During Maintenance
Shutdown Due Accident Ind
Yes
Shutdown Datetime
2020-12-04 18:52:00
Still Shutdown Ind
Yes
Communication State Fed Ind
No
Ignite Ind
No
Upstream Action Taken
Valve Closure
Upstream Valve Close Datetime
2020-12-04 18:52:00
Downstream Action Taken
Valve Closure
Downstream Vlv Close Datetime
2020-12-04 18:52:00
Num Pub Evacuated
0
Incident Identified Datetime
2020-12-04 16:40:00
On Site Datetime
2020-12-04 18:00:00
On Off Shore
Onshore
Onshore State Abbreviation
Tx
Onshore Postal Code
78407
Onshore City Name
Corpus Christi
Onshore County Name
Nueces
Designated Location
Survey Station No.
Designated Name
21853.85
Pipe Fac Name
Transco To Avery
Segment Name
Goldston To Avery 12 Inch
Federal
No
Location Type
Pipeline Right-Of-Way
Incident Area Type
Underground
Incident Area Subtype
Other
Incident Area Details
Underground Pipeline Casing.
Depth Of Cover
46
Other Underground Facilities
No
Crossing
Yes
Road Crossing Ind
Yes
Road Type
Cased
Pipe Facility Type
Intrastate
System Part Involved
Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites
Item Involved
Pipe
Pipe Type
Pipe Body
Pipe Diameter
12.75
Puddle Weld Ind
No
Pipe Wall Thickness
0.25
Pipe Smys
52000
Pipe Specification
Api 5l
Pipe Seam Type
Longitudinal Erw - Unknown Frequency
Pipe Manufacturer
Unknown
Pipe Coating Type
Other
Pipe Coating Details
Fbe
Coating Applied Ind
Unknown
Installation Year
1988
Manufactured Year
Unknown
Material Involved
Carbon Steel
Release Type
Leak
Leak Type
Pinhole
Class Location Type
Class 1 Location
Could Be Hca
No
Pir Radius
252
Heat Damage Ind
No
Non Heat Damage Ind
No
Est Cost Oper Paid
0
Est Cost Unintentional Release
281
Est Cost Intentional Release
1733
Est Cost Prop Damage
110536
Est Cost Emergency
500
Est Cost Other
0
Gas Cost In Mcf
2.7
Prpty
113050
Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght
0
Num Injured Treated By Emt
0
Num Resident Building Affctd
0
Num Business Building Affctd
0
Wildlife Impact Ind
No
Accident Psig
669
Gas Flow In Pipe In Mcf
40000
Mop Psig
819
Mop Cfr Section
192.619(A)(2)
Maop Established Date
1988-01-01 00:00:00
Maop Reversal Flow Ind
No
Accident Pressure
Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop
Pressure Restriction Ind
No
Gas Required Odorized Ind
Yes
Gas Odorized Ind
Yes
Upstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Downstream Valve Type Ind
Manual
Length Segment Isolated
16913
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
No
Scada Conf Ind
No
Accident Identifier
Notification From Public
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 incident was deemed independent of controller action.
Employee Drug Test Ind
No
Contractor Drug Test Ind
No
Cause
Corrosion Failure
Cause Details
External Corrosion
Internal External
External Corrosion
Visual Exam Results
Localized Pitting
Stray Current Corrosion Ind
Yes
Stray Current Type
Direct Current
Stray Current Details
Dc Current From Narrow Railroad Track Located Directly Above The Pipeline.
Metallurgical Basis Ind
Yes
Underground Location
Yes
Under Cathodic Protection Ind
Yes
Cathodic Pro Start Year
1989
Shielding Evident
No
Cathodic Survey Type
Yes
Cp Annual Survey Ind
Yes
Close Interval Survey Ind
Yes
Cp Annual Survey Year
2019
Close Interval Survey Year
2020
Prior Damage
Yes
Collected Data Ind
Yes
Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind
Yes
Geometry Deformation Ind
Yes
Other Tool Tech Ind
Yes
Axial Recent Year
2017
Axial Rcnt Propul Method
Free Swimming
Axial Rcnt Attuned Detect
Metal Loss
Axial Rcnt Atnd Dtct Metal
High Resolution
Geometry Recent Year
2017
Geometry Rcnt Propul Method
Free Swimming
Geometry Rcnt Resolution
High Resolution
Geometrt Rcnt Measur Cups
No Cups
Other Tool
Imu
Other Recent Year
2017
Other Rcnt Propul Method
Free Swimming
Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind
No
Direct Asmnt Conducted
No
Non Destructive Exam Ind
No
Preparer Name
S****** R* D****
Preparer Title
Engineer
Preparer Email
S************@k***********.com
Preparer Telephone
(719) 351-3199
Local Contact Name
T*** P*******
Local Contact Email
T************@k***********.com
Local Contact Telephone
(361) 438-3411
Authorizer Name
J**** H********
Authorizer Title
Director-Engineering
Authorizer Telephone
713 369-9443
Authorizer Email
J**************@k***********.com
Narrative
On december 4, 2020 at approximately 15:00 hrs. Local time, tejas pipeline received a call from a local gas operating company of natural gas vapors observed from a pipeline casing vent located near avery point in nueces county, texas. At 15:20 hrs. Local time, a tejas field technician inspected the location but could not locate the leak. The local gas operating company, originally reporting the leak, revised the location description to navigation blvd in nueces county, texas. Upon arrival at navigation blvd., the tejas field technician confirmed the leak belonged to tejas at 16:20 hrs. Local time by observing a low-level emission of vapors from the pipeline casing vent. The tejas field technician and management completed a erl telephone call and decided to report the event as an incident since it was determined that the cost of repairs would exceed $50,000. As such, tejas completed the report to the nrc at 17:02 hrs. The same day. Tejas completed a 48-hour nrc update the following day citing no significant changes. The pipe section containing the pinhole leak was shipped to bryan laboratories in houston, tx for metallurgical evaluation. Based on metallurgical report, the apparent cause of the pinhole leak appeared to be stray current induced on the pipeline from close proximity existing metal, narrow-gauge railroad line that crosses the tejas pipeline. The root cause of the pinhole leak was determined to be dc stray current from the railroad lines causing external corrosion of the pipeline directly below the tracks. The railroad tracks have been removed and the pipeline repaired and placed back into service. The affected pipe segment did not contain an injurious microstructure or properties that could have contribute to the failure. In addition, no internal corrosion reported.
| Report Received Date | 2020-12-28 00:00:00 |
|---|---|
| Iyear | 2020 |
| Report Number | 20200134 |
| Supplemental Number | 35049 |
| Report Type | Supplemental Final |
| Operator Id | 4900 PHMSA Enforcement |
| Name | Kinder Morgan Tejas Pipeline |
| Operator Street Address | 1001 Louisiana St, Suite 1000 |
| Operator City Name | Houston |
| Operator State Abbreviation | TX |
| Operator Postal Code | 77002 |
| Local Datetime | 2020-12-04 17:02:00 |
| Time Zone | Central |
| Daylight Savings Ind | No |
| Location Latitude | 27.817108 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Location Longitude | -97.452814 Google Maps OpenStreetMap |
| Nrc Rpt Num | 1293563 NRC Report How to search |
| Nrc Rpt Datetime | 2020-12-04 17:02:00 |
| Additional Nrc Report Numbers | 1293611 |
| Commodity Released Type | Natural Gas |
| Unintentional Release | 104 |
| Intentional Release | 642 |
| Accompanying Liquid | 0 |
| Fatality Ind | No |
| Fatal | 0 |
| Injury Ind | No |
| Injure | 0 |
| Status When Identified | Normal Operation, Includes Pauses During Maintenance |
| Shutdown Due Accident Ind | Yes |
| Shutdown Datetime | 2020-12-04 18:52:00 |
| Still Shutdown Ind | Yes |
| Communication State Fed Ind | No |
| Ignite Ind | No |
| Upstream Action Taken | Valve Closure |
| Upstream Valve Close Datetime | 2020-12-04 18:52:00 |
| Downstream Action Taken | Valve Closure |
| Downstream Vlv Close Datetime | 2020-12-04 18:52:00 |
| Num Pub Evacuated | 0 |
| Incident Identified Datetime | 2020-12-04 16:40:00 |
| On Site Datetime | 2020-12-04 18:00:00 |
| On Off Shore | Onshore |
| Onshore State Abbreviation | Tx |
| Onshore Postal Code | 78407 |
| Onshore City Name | Corpus Christi |
| Onshore County Name | Nueces |
| Designated Location | Survey Station No. |
| Designated Name | 21853.85 |
| Pipe Fac Name | Transco To Avery |
| Segment Name | Goldston To Avery 12 Inch |
| Federal | No |
| Location Type | Pipeline Right-Of-Way |
| Incident Area Type | Underground |
| Incident Area Subtype | Other |
| Incident Area Details | Underground Pipeline Casing. |
| Depth Of Cover | 46 |
| Other Underground Facilities | No |
| Crossing | Yes |
| Road Crossing Ind | Yes |
| Road Type | Cased |
| Pipe Facility Type | Intrastate |
| System Part Involved | Onshore Pipeline, Including Valve Sites |
| Item Involved | Pipe |
| Pipe Type | Pipe Body |
| Pipe Diameter | 12.75 |
| Puddle Weld Ind | No |
| Pipe Wall Thickness | 0.25 |
| Pipe Smys | 52000 |
| Pipe Specification | Api 5l |
| Pipe Seam Type | Longitudinal Erw - Unknown Frequency |
| Pipe Manufacturer | Unknown |
| Pipe Coating Type | Other |
| Pipe Coating Details | Fbe |
| Coating Applied Ind | Unknown |
| Installation Year | 1988 |
| Manufactured Year | Unknown |
| Material Involved | Carbon Steel |
| Release Type | Leak |
| Leak Type | Pinhole |
| Class Location Type | Class 1 Location |
| Could Be Hca | No |
| Pir Radius | 252 |
| Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Non Heat Damage Ind | No |
| Est Cost Oper Paid | 0 |
| Est Cost Unintentional Release | 281 |
| Est Cost Intentional Release | 1733 |
| Est Cost Prop Damage | 110536 |
| Est Cost Emergency | 500 |
| Est Cost Other | 0 |
| Gas Cost In Mcf | 2.7 |
| Prpty | 113050 |
| Num Persons Hosp Not Ovnght | 0 |
| Num Injured Treated By Emt | 0 |
| Num Resident Building Affctd | 0 |
| Num Business Building Affctd | 0 |
| Wildlife Impact Ind | No |
| Accident Psig | 669 |
| Gas Flow In Pipe In Mcf | 40000 |
| Mop Psig | 819 |
| Mop Cfr Section | 192.619(A)(2) View CFR 49 §192 |
| Maop Established Date | 1988-01-01 00:00:00 |
| Maop Reversal Flow Ind | No |
| Accident Pressure | Pressure Did Not Exceed Maop |
| Pressure Restriction Ind | No |
| Gas Required Odorized Ind | Yes |
| Gas Odorized Ind | Yes |
| Upstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Downstream Valve Type Ind | Manual |
| Length Segment Isolated | 16913 |
| 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 | No |
| Scada Conf Ind | No |
| Accident Identifier | Notification From Public |
| 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 incident was deemed independent of controller action. |
| Employee Drug Test Ind | No |
| Contractor Drug Test Ind | No |
| Cause | Corrosion Failure |
| Cause Details | External Corrosion |
| Internal External | External Corrosion |
| Visual Exam Results | Localized Pitting |
| Stray Current Corrosion Ind | Yes |
| Stray Current Type | Direct Current |
| Stray Current Details | Dc Current From Narrow Railroad Track Located Directly Above The Pipeline. |
| Metallurgical Basis Ind | Yes |
| Underground Location | Yes |
| Under Cathodic Protection Ind | Yes |
| Cathodic Pro Start Year | 1989 |
| Shielding Evident | No |
| Cathodic Survey Type | Yes |
| Cp Annual Survey Ind | Yes |
| Close Interval Survey Ind | Yes |
| Cp Annual Survey Year | 2019 |
| Close Interval Survey Year | 2020 |
| Prior Damage | Yes |
| Collected Data Ind | Yes |
| Axial Magnetic Flx Lkg Ind | Yes |
| Geometry Deformation Ind | Yes |
| Other Tool Tech Ind | Yes |
| Axial Recent Year | 2017 |
| Axial Rcnt Propul Method | Free Swimming |
| Axial Rcnt Attuned Detect | Metal Loss |
| Axial Rcnt Atnd Dtct Metal | High Resolution |
| Geometry Recent Year | 2017 |
| Geometry Rcnt Propul Method | Free Swimming |
| Geometry Rcnt Resolution | High Resolution |
| Geometrt Rcnt Measur Cups | No Cups |
| Other Tool | Imu |
| Other Recent Year | 2017 |
| Other Rcnt Propul Method | Free Swimming |
| Has Hydrtst Conduc Before Ind | No |
| Direct Asmnt Conducted | No |
| Non Destructive Exam Ind | No |
| Preparer Name | S****** R* D**** |
| Preparer Title | Engineer |
| Preparer Email | S************@k***********.com |
| Preparer Telephone | (719) 351-3199 |
| Local Contact Name | T*** P******* |
| Local Contact Email | T************@k***********.com |
| Local Contact Telephone | (361) 438-3411 |
| Authorizer Name | J**** H******** |
| Authorizer Title | Director-Engineering |
| Authorizer Telephone | 713 369-9443 |
| Authorizer Email | J**************@k***********.com |
| Narrative | On december 4, 2020 at approximately 15:00 hrs. Local time, tejas pipeline received a call from a local gas operating company of natural gas vapors observed from a pipeline casing vent located near avery point in nueces county, texas. At 15:20 hrs. Local time, a tejas field technician inspected the location but could not locate the leak. The local gas operating company, originally reporting the leak, revised the location description to navigation blvd in nueces county, texas. Upon arrival at navigation blvd., the tejas field technician confirmed the leak belonged to tejas at 16:20 hrs. Local time by observing a low-level emission of vapors from the pipeline casing vent. The tejas field technician and management completed a erl telephone call and decided to report the event as an incident since it was determined that the cost of repairs would exceed $50,000. As such, tejas completed the report to the nrc at 17:02 hrs. The same day. Tejas completed a 48-hour nrc update the following day citing no significant changes. The pipe section containing the pinhole leak was shipped to bryan laboratories in houston, tx for metallurgical evaluation. Based on metallurgical report, the apparent cause of the pinhole leak appeared to be stray current induced on the pipeline from close proximity existing metal, narrow-gauge railroad line that crosses the tejas pipeline. The root cause of the pinhole leak was determined to be dc stray current from the railroad lines causing external corrosion of the pipeline directly below the tracks. The railroad tracks have been removed and the pipeline repaired and placed back into service. The affected pipe segment did not contain an injurious microstructure or properties that could have contribute to the failure. In addition, no internal corrosion reported. |
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