NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI)
gas_transmission Incident — — September 13, 2021
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 13, 2021 |
| Operator | NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 35.54585, -100.66416 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $2,250 |
| Emergency Response | $25 |
| Other Costs | $100 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2021, NATURAL GAS PIPELINE (NGPL) OPERATIONS STAFF ARRIVED AT COMPRESSOR STATION 154 AT 07:00-HOURS TO COMMENCE STATION FILTER REPLACEMENT. IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE TASK, THE STATION WOULD UNDERGO AN INTENTIONAL ESD. DURING THE ESD, THE STAFF REALIZED THE DISCHARGE SIDE GATE VALVE 154-3 DID NOT PROPERLY CLOSE. THEREFORE, UNINTENTIONAL NATURAL GAS RELEASE CONTINUED THROUGH THE BLOWDOWN SYSTEM. CONSEQUENTLY, OPERATIONS STAFF MANUALLY CLOSED VALVE 154-3 THEREBY SECURING THE NATURAL GAS RELEASE. THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE LINE (ERL) WAS EXECUTED AND THE INCIDENT WAS REPORTED ACCORDINGLY. POST EVENT INVESTIGATION FOUND THE ACTUATOR LIMIT SWITCH ON VALVE 154-3 HAD FAILED, BY SENDING ERRANT VALVE POSITION DURING THE ESD, THEREBY ALLOWING UNINTENTIONAL NATURAL GAS TO RELEASE THROUGH THE BLOWDOWN SYSTEM. IN ORDER TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE, OPERATIONS STAFF REBUILT SIMILAR LIMIT SWITCHES ON THE SUCTION AND DISCHARGE STATION VALVE ACTUATORS. ALL RECOMMENDED ACTIONS PER THE INCIDENT WERE ADDRESSED ON SEPTEMBER 17, 2021. HOWEVER, THE COMPRESSOR STATION CONTINUES TO BE OFF-LINE FOR ADDITIONAL UNRELATED MAINTENANCE TASKS.
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.