"VECTOR PIPELINE, L.P."
gas_transmission Incident — — September 16, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 16, 2020 |
| Operator | "VECTOR PIPELINE, L.P." |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.14293, -85.26444 |
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 | $70,000 |
| Emergency Response | $2,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT APPROXIMATELY 12:44 PM EDT ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2020, VECTOR PIPELINE, L.P.'S (VECTOR) ATHEN'S COMPRESSOR STATION HAD A FIRE DURING THE STARTING SEQUENCE OF THE TURBINE UNIT. DURING THE ENSUING MINUTES, VECTOR EVACUATED THE FACILITY AND SUBSEQUENTLY NOTIFIED THE FIRST RESPONDERS. THE ESD WAS ACTIVATED BY A FLAME DETECTOR IN THE FACILITY, THUS ISOLATING THE COMPRESSOR STATION. THE CAUSE OF THE INCIDENT WAS INCORRECT OPERATION OF THE VALVES. THE BODY BLEEDS ON THE UNIT SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES WERE INADVERTENTLY LEFT OPEN FOLLOWING ROUTINE (SEMI ANNUAL) MAINTENANCE AND AS A RESULT VENTED GAS DURING THE UNIT STARTING SEQUENCE. USING THE BODY BLEEDS AS AND ADDITIONAL SAFETY MEASURE IS A COMMON PRACTICE AND THE LOCK OUT TAG OUT (LOTO) ISOLATION PLAN HAS BEEN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THESE VALVES. VECTOR IS REVIEWING PROCEDURES AND TRAINING TO PREVENT RECURRENCE. 01/04/2021 UPDATED PART G7 (3) AND PART H."
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.