NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI)

Incident Narrative

AT 17:12 CST, THE STATION EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN (ESD) SYSTEM AT THE NATURAL GAS PIPELINE COMPANY OF AMERICA, LLC (NGPL) STATION 342 IN JOHNSON BAYOU, LA (CAMERON PARISH) WAS ACTIVATED. NGPL GAS CONTROL IN HOUSTON, TX RECEIVED AN ABNORMAL SHUTDOWN ALARM AROUND 17:13. THE CONTROLLER DISPATCHED A TECHNICIAN TO THE SITE. PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE STATION AT 17:55. UPON ARRIVAL, THE TECHNICIAN ASSESSED THE SITUATION RECOGNIZING THAT THE DISCHARGE BLOWDOWN VALVE WAS VENTING GAS; THEREFORE, THE DISCHARGE SIDE GATE VALVE (1342-5) DID NOT CLOSE PROPERLY WHEN THE ESD WAS ACTIVATED. THE TECHNICIAN CLOSED THE VALVE STOPPING THE RELEASE OF GAS AT 17:58. NOTE THAT LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS HAD TEMPORARILY BLOCKED THE ACCESS ROAD TO THE STATION (DEEP BAYOU ROAD) UNTIL THE GAS RELEASE STOPPED. STATION PERSONNEL BEGAN INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE ESD AND IT WAS INITIALLY DETERMINED THAT THE PNEUMATIC FIRE PROTECTION PANEL TRIPPED INITIATING THE ESD. RETURN TO SERVICE WAS DELAYED DUE TO DETERMINING THE CAUSE OF THE ESD AS WELL AS OBTAINING REPLACEMENT COMPONENTS IN THE FIRE PROTECTION PANEL. ADDITIONALLY, LINE BREAK/PIPELINE RUPTURE DETECTION DEVICES HAD CLOSED THE UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM MAINLINE BLOCK VALVES ADDING TO THE DELAY. THE DELAY IMPACTED ONE NGPL CUSTOMER, THE CHENIERE LNG FACILITY. THE INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE ESD WAS CAUSED BY COMPONENT FAILURE OF THE PNEUMATIC ESD RESET PALM BUTTON IN THE FIRE PROTECTION CONTROL PANEL. ADDITIONALLY, THE ESD DID NOT FUNCTION AS DESIGNED DUE TO THE DISCHARGE SIDE GATE VALVE NOT CLOSING FULLY DUE TO THE PNEUMATIC INTERLOCKING DEVICES NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. NOTE: 48-HOUR NRC UPDATE #1239500