EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO
gas_transmission Incident — — March 4, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 4, 2017 |
| Operator | EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 31.70331, -105.45648 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $250 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON MARCH 4, 2017, AN EL PASO NATURAL GAS COMPANY OPERATIONS EMPLOYEE RESPONDED TO A REQUEST TO RESTART A COMPRESSOR ENGINE AT THE CORNUDAS COMPRESSOR STATION IN HUDSPETH COUNTY, TEXAS. UPON ARRIVAL, THE EMPLOYEE FOUND A 2"" X 3"" RELIEF VALVE RELEASING NATURAL GAS TO THE ATMOSPHERE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE UPSTREAM REGULATOR HAD FAILED DUE TO ITS INTERNAL BOOT BEING CONTAMINATED BY PIPELINE SLUDGE. THE REGULATOR WAS PROMPTLY ISOLATED, REPAIRED, AND PLACED BACK INTO SERVICE WITH THE COMPRESSOR STATION RETURNING TO NORMAL OPERATION.
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.