KINDER MORGAN TEJAS PIPELINE

Incident Narrative

KINDER MORGAN TEJAS GAS CONTROL RECEIVED A CALL FROM A HOMEOWNER OF A POTENTIAL NATURAL GAS LEAK. KM OPERATIONS PERSONNEL RESPONDED AND VERIFIED THE PRESENCE OF GAS ABOVEGROUND ON ITS 202-600 LINE. NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE TO THE NATIONAL RESPONSE CENTER AND THE TXRRC. OPERATIONS WERE DISPATCHED TO THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM VALVES AND LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS (HOUSTON FIRE DEPARTMENT) WERE CONTACTED AND DISPATCHED. UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM VALVES WERE CLOSED IN ORDER THAT THE PIPELINE SEGMENT COULD BE ISOLATED, AND THE PIPELINE BLOWN DOWN. THE LEAK SITE WAS EXCAVATED, AND EVALUATION AND REPAIR OF THE LEAK BEGAN. DURING EVALUATION THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS DETERMINED TO BE FROM A CRACK AT A TAP WELD (TAP HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ABANDONED). THE REPAIR OF THE LEAK CONSISTED OF THE SEGMENT OF PIPE CONTAINING THE ABANDONED TAP BEING CUT OUT AND REPLACED WITH A PIECE OF STRAIGHT PIPE. THE KINDER MORGAN METALLURGY DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY IN THE PROCESS OF COMPLETING A FAILURE ANALYSIS OF THE FAILED TAP CONNECTION. UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE FAILURE ANALYSIS INVESTIGATION THIS REPORT WILL BE UPDATED AND FINALIZED. ON MAY 9, 2024; KINDER MORGAN'S METALLURGICAL ENGINEER COMPLETED THE FAILURE ANALYSIS OF THE TAP CONNECTION. THE FINAL CONCLUSIONS AS TO THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WERE: 1) THE LEAK WAS LOCATED AT THE TOE OF THE FILLET WELD ATTACHING A LOCALIZED SADDLE TO THE NPS 20 PIPE; 2) THE HOT TAP CONNECTION DID NOT HAVE A FULL ENCIRCLEMENT SADDLE, AND 3) THE FRACTURE WAS A DUCTILE OVERLOAD CAUSED BY A DOWNWARD BENDING MOMENT ON THE NPS 2 BRANCH. PLEASE NOTE THAT CURRENT KINDER MORGAN ENGINEERING STANDARD E1100 WOULD NOT PERMIT NEW CONSTRUCTION WITH THIS NPS 2 ON NPS 20 HOT TAP CONFIGURATION WITH ONLY A LOCALIZED SADDLE AND NO FULL ENCIRCLEMENT SLEEVE.