ENERGY TRANSFER COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON MARCH 3, 2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 14:52, A NATURAL GAS RELEASE OCCURRED AT THE 20150013 ATHLON DISCHARGE 12-INCH PIG LAUNCHER SITE LOCATED 23 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ODESSA, TX IN MIDLAND COUNTY. WHILE PREPARING TO LAUNCH A CLEANING PIG, THE OPERATOR MOVED ALL VALVES INVOLVED TO THEIR PROPER POSITIONS AS PER SOP. THE OPERATOR VISUALLY AND AUDIBLY WITNESSED THE PIG TRAP BLOW DOWN. ONCE THE PIG TRAP WAS COMPLETELY BLOWN DOWN THE OPERATOR BEGAN TO OPEN THE PIG TRAP DOOR AS PER SOP. THE OPERATOR WALKED AWAY FROM THE PIG TRAP DOOR TO RETRIEVE THE CLEANING PIG FROM HIS TRUCK AND HEARD A HISSING SOUND COMING FROM THE PIG TRAP. THE HISSING SOUND WAS GROWING LOUDER AND THE OPERATOR REMOVED HIMSELF FROM THE AREA TO BE SAFE. THAT IS WHEN THE GAS PRESSURE CAUSED THE PIG TRAP DOOR TO OPEN CAUSING THE RELEASE OF GAS FROM THE 16-INCH PIG TRAP DOOR. AT APPROXIMATELY 16:35, IT WAS CALCULATED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE UNINTENTIONAL GAS LOSS WAS AT 3.69 MMCF, WHICH EXCEEDED THE 3 MMCF REPORTING CRITERIA AND THE NRC WAS NOTIFIED AT 16:49. THE BETTIS ACTUATOR AND VERSE VALVE WERE REMOVED AND SENT FOR INSPECTION AND REPAIRS. A NEW MANUAL GEAR OPERATOR WAS INSTALLED AND AT 14:00 ON 04MAR THE PIPELINE WAS PUT BACK INTO SERVICE. **JUNE 1, 2023, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE 1-INCH MAIN LINE SUPPLY GAS BALL VALVE WAS LEAKING BY AND LIKELY RE-SUPPLIED THE ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY WITH ENOUGH PRESSURE TO ACTUATE THE VALVE OPEN ALLOWING GAS TO RE-ENTER THE PIG LAUNCHING BARREL THUS CAUSING THE UNINTENTIONAL GAS RELEASE. THE LEAKING 1-INCH BALL VALVE WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE. THIS WAS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT AND TO PREVENT THIS FROM OCCURRING IN THE FUTURE AND THIS SITE, THE ACTUATORS WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH MANUAL GEAR OPERATORS. THE SITE SPECIFIC PIGGING PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE AREAS WITH ACTUATORS TO LOCK OUT THE SUPPLY SOURCE BLOWDOWN VALVE IN THE OPEN POSITION IN CASE THERE IS A LEAKING VALVE AND TO PREVENT GAS FROM RE-ENTERING THE PIG LAUNCHER BARREL.