ROCKY MOUNTAIN MIDSTREAM LLC
gas_transmission Incident — — October 31, 2024
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 31, 2024 |
| Operator | ROCKY MOUNTAIN MIDSTREAM LLC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.03586, -104.67235 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | "VALVE LEFT OR PLACED IN WRONG POSITION, BUT NOT RESULTING IN AN OVERPRESSURE" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON OCTOBER 31ST, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 2:00 AM MST, WILLIAMS HAD A CATERPILLAR 3606 COMPRESSOR UNIT (UNIT) GO DOWN AT THE LOCHBUIE COMPRESSOR STATION (""FACILITY""). THE 3RD PARTY LEASED COMPRESSOR SUPPLIER, KODIAK GAS SERVICES (KODIAK), HAD AN OPERATION TECHNICIAN GO TO THE SITE AND RESTART THE UNIT, WHICH REQUIRES A PURGE TO SAFELY BRING THE UNIT BACK ONLINE. FOR THE SITE-SPECIFIC UNIT PURGE, NATURAL GAS IS VENTED TO ATMOSPHERE FROM A 2"" BLOWDOWN VALVE THROUGH A SILENCER STACK. AFTER THE UNIT IS COMPLETELY PURGED, KODIAK'S STARTUP PROCESS IS TO CLOSE THE BLOWDOWN VALVE BEFORE LOADING THE UNIT; HOWEVER, THE KODIAK TECHNICIAN DID NOT PERFORM THIS STEP AND AFTER LOADING THE UNIT AT APPROXIMATELY 4:00 AM MST, THE KODIAK TECHNICIAN LEFT THE FACILITY. WILLIAMS NOTICED THAT THE FACILITY'S VOLUME THROUGHPUT WAS LESS THAN WHEN THE UNIT WAS RUNNING EARLIER, BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A LEAK NOR OF AN ISSUE ON GOING. WILLIAMS CONTINUED ITS INVESTIGATION THROUGH THE DAY OF OCTOBER 31ST. AT APPROXIMATELY 4:00 PM MST A WILLIAMS OPERATION TECHNICIAN IDENTIFIED THE IMPROPER VALVE ALIGNMENT OF THE 2"" BLOWDOWN VALVE (VALVE IN OPEN POSITION) AND REALIZED THAT IT WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FACILITY'S VOLUME THROUGHPUT DECREASE. THE OPERATIONS TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY CLOSED THE VALVE."
About This Pipeline Incident
Pipeline incident data is reported to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). All significant incidents involving fatalities, injuries, or property damage over $50,000 must be reported.