ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC
gas_transmission Incident — — April 9, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 9, 2020 |
| Operator | ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.36684, -98.20888 |
Cause
| Cause | MATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD |
| Subcause | ORIGINAL MANUFACTURING-RELATED (NOT GIRTH WELD OR OTHER WELDS FORMED IN THE FIELD) |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $46,965 |
| Emergency Response | $10,000 |
| Other Costs | $2,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT 18:35, HOUSTON CONTROL CENTER (HCC) RECEIVED A LOW PRESSURE ALARM AND NOTICED PRESSURES DROPPING ON THE PIPELINE. THE CONTROLLER IMMEDIATELY BLOCKED IN TWO REGULATORS AND DISPATCHED FIELD PERSONNEL TO INVESTIGATE. AT 18:50, HCC WAS NOTIFIED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT THERE WAS GAS BLOWING FROM A PIPELINE. AT THE TIME, IT WAS NOT KNOWN IF THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE WAS ENTERPRISE'S OR A 3RD PARTY CONNECTING PIPELINE. LOCAL TECHNICIANS CLOSED MANUAL VALVES TO FURTHER ISOLATE THE SEGMENT. AT 20:25, ENTERPRISE PERSONNEL WERE PERMITTED TO INSPECT THE SITE OF THE LEAK AND CONFIRMED THAT IT WAS ENTERPRISE'S PIPELINE. CONCERNING QUESTION E1A. - THE VALUE ENTERED .00 IS CORRECT AS PRODUCT WAS NOT FLOWING IN THE LINE AT THE POINT AND TIME OF THE INCIDENT. CONCERNING QUESTION E.11 - NO EMPLOYEES WERE FOUND TO BE HAVING CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. CONTROL ROOM SYSTEMS FUNCTIONED AS DESIGNED. THE CONTROLLER REACTED SWIFTLY AND APPROPRIATELY TO THE INCIDENT. ENTERPRISE EVACUATED 3 MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC; HOWEVER, THE NUMBER EVACUATED BY THE LOCAL FIRE DEPARTMENT ARE STILL (AS OF JUNE 16TH, 2020) NOT AVAILABLE. THERE WERE NO FIRES OR INJURIES. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS FOUND THAT THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS A BRITTLE FRACTURE INITIATING IN THE CONTACT MARKS AT THE EDGE OF THE HEAT AFFECTED ZONE (HAZ). BASED ON THE FINDINGS, ENTERPRISE PLANS TO CONDUCT A HYDROTEST IN THE AFFECTED SEGMENT TO DETECT AND REMOVE SIMILAR LOCATIONS. TRRC INCIDENT NUMBER 2180."
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.