GULFSTREAM MANAGEMENT & OPERATING SERVICES,LLC

Incident Narrative

ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH THE ANNUAL ESD TEST WAS PERFORMED AT COMPRESSOR STATION 430. ONCE COMPLETED THE TWO TECHNICIANS WERE PUTTING THE STATION BACK IN SERVICE AND WERE REPRESSURIZING THE SUCTION AND DISCHARGE HEADERS UTILIZING THE 4"" LOADING LINES AROUND THE STATION SIDE GATES. TECHNICIAN 1 WAS TAKING CARE OF THE SUCTION HEADER, AND TECHNICIAN 2 WAS TAKING CARE OF THE DISCHARGE HEADER. ONCE THE VALVES WERE PARTIALLY OPENED, AND THE LINES WERE BEING PRESSURED UP TECHNICIAN 1 NOTICED A WASP NEST NEAR HIM AND RETURNED TO HIS VEHICLE TO GRAB A CAN OF WASP SPRAY. HE SPRAYED DOWN THE NEST AND RETURNED THE CAN TO HIS TRUCK. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TECHNICIAN 2 TO DISCUSS THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCEDURE. THE LINES CONTINUED TO PACK UP TO LINE PRESSURE. TECHNICIAN 1 FAILED TO RETURN TO AND CLOSE THE 4"" LOADING LINE ON THE SUCTION HEADER. BOTH TECHNICIANS CONTINUED AND BROUGHT THE STATION BACK INTO SERVICE. ON SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH A THUNDERSTORM ROLLED THROUGH THE AREA, AND A LIGHTNING STRIKE CAUSED A STATION EBD. GAS CONTROL CALLED TECHNICIAN 1 WHO WAS WORKING ON EQUIPMENT AT ANOTHER STATION WHEN PIPELINE CONTROL CALLED HIM TO MAKE HIM AWARE OF THE BLOWDOWN EVENT. THE STATION WAS NOT ONLINE AT THE TIME, SO THE EMPLOYEE INFORMED GAS CONTROL HE WOULD SWING BY ON HIS WAY HOME. THE EMPLOYEE WRAPPED UP WHAT HE WAS DOING AND LOGGED IN REMOTELY TO THE STATION HMI AND NOTICED ONLY THE SUCTION HEADER HAD BLOWN DOWN, BUT THE TRANSMITTER WAS STILL SHOWING 300 PSI. TECHNICIAN 1 RECOGNIZED THIS WAS ABNORMAL AND CALLED THE MANAGER OF OPERATIONS. THE MANAGER OF OPERATIONS LOGGED INTO THE SECURITY CAMERAS AND WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT GAS WAS STILL BLOWING FROM THE SUCTION LINE BLOWDOWN VENT. THIS WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES AFTER THE INITIAL CALL THAT THE STATION HAD BLOWN DOWN. TECHNICIAN 1 STARTED HEADING TO THE STATION BUT WAS AN HOUR AWAY, MANAGER OF OPERATIONS CALLED TECHNICIAN 2, AND HE ALSO STARTED HEADING TO THE STATION. BOTH TECHS ARRIVED AT STATION 430C AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME TIME AND FOUND THE 4"" SUCTION LOADING VALVE PARTIALLY OPEN FROM THE ESD TEST THAT WAS PERFORMED ON WEDNESDAY. GAS VENTED FOR 90 MINUTES AT 300PSI FOR A TOTAL OF 8.145MMSCF THE LIGHTNING STRIKE HAD BLOWN 2 FUSES AND BURNED UP THE SOLENOID ON THE SUCTION BLOW-DOWN VALVE, WHICH IS WHY IT ACTUATED AND THE DISCHARGE BLOWDOWN DID NOT. EMPLOYEES WERE NOT ABLE TO MAKE REPAIRS THAT EVENING AS THE THUNDERSTORM CONTINUED WITH HEAVY RAIN AND LIGHTNING. EMPLOYEES RETURNED THE NEXT MORNING AND MADE REPAIRS AND PUT THE STATION BACK IN SERVICE. AN INVESTIGATION WILL BE CONDUCTED AND MOVING FORWARD THE LOADING VALVES ON THE STATION SUCTION AND DISCHARGE WILL BE ADDED TO THE SAFETY CRITICAL DEVICE LIST AND WILL HAVE CAR SEALS INSTALLED THAT WILL REQUIRE REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION ANYTIME THE VALVES ARE OPERATED IN ORDER TO CONFIRM THEY ARE LEFT IN THE CORRECT POSITION.