PANHANDLE EASTERN PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

"AT 12:54PM PEPL EMPLOYEE RECEIVED CALL FROM A LANDOWNER THAT HE COULD HEAR A LEAK AND SEE VAPOR EAST OF ROAD N AND SOUTH OF 100 RD. AT 1:00PM NOTIFIED EMPLOYEES AT OLPE STATION TO GO TO LOCATION AND CONFIRM LEAK AND LOCATION. AT 1:15PM THE LOCATION AND LEAK WERE CONFIRMED AND BELIEVED TO BE THE 300L. AT 1:17PM SENT AN EMPLOYEE TO PROTECT LEAK SITE AND TWO EMPLOYEES TO 300L WEST RIVER HEADER FOR ISOLATION. AT 1:23PM STATION VALVE 554-3 WAS CLOSED. AT 1:45PM A GAUGE WAS PLACED ON 554-3 DSBO 642PSI TO CONFIRM THE 300L WAS LEAKING BY PRESSURE DROP. AT 1:47PM CALLED LYON COUNTY DISPATCH AND INFORMED OF THE SITUATION AND LOCATION, WAS ASKED IF ASSISTANCE WAS NEEDED, INFORMED THEM THAT NO ASSISTANCE WAS NEEDED AT THE TIME. AT 1:48PM WEST RIVER HEADER VALVE 326W WAS CLOSED, AND AT 1:55PM 516 W-1W WAS OPENED. AT 2:10PM THE STATION PRESSURE WAS AT 569 PSI. AT 2:17PM VALVE 516W-2W WAS OPENED. AT 2:20PM STATION PRESSURE WAS AT 545 PSI. AT 2:28PM STARTED BLOWDOWN. AT 2:38PM 2 GATE 300-400 CROSSOVER VALVE 302-E OPENED. AT 2:39PM 2 GATE 300-400 CROSSOVER VALVE 402-E OPENED. AT 3:19PM ISOLATED SECTION WAS BLOWN FLAT. ON 4/11/2024 PIPE WAS EXPOSED, AND LEAK IDENTIFIED AS A CRACKED WELD. A 44-FOOT PIPE SEGMENT WAS CUT OUT AND REPLACED. A SPECIMEN WAS SENT TO THE LAB FOR EVALUATION AND DETERMINATION OF CAUSE. THE LAB REPORT WAS COMPLETED ON 11/1/2024 AND FOUND THAT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A COMBINATION OF A PREEXISTING DELAYED HYDROGEN CRACK ON THE INTERNAL PIPE SURFACE AT THE TOE OF THE GIRTH WELD, THE PRESENCE OF A CONCENTRATED AXIAL STRESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPE, AND THE EXCEEDANCE OF THE GIRTH WELD'S TENSILE STRAIN CAPACITY. THE CRACK MEASURED 34 INCHES LONG CIRCUMFERENTIALLY ALONG THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE GIRTH WELD."