EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO
gas_transmission Incident — — October 14, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 14, 2016 |
| Operator | EL PASO NATURAL GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 31.35026, -109.59754 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 10-14-2016 AT APPROXIMATELY 1:17 PM MST A KINDER MORGAN TECHNICIAN WAS NOTIFIED BY A SOUTHWEST GAS (SWG) TECHNICIAN THAT HE THOUGHT THE EPNG RELIEF VALVE LOCATED AT VALVE 31 NEAR MONUMENT 90 METER STATION WAS VENTING. UPON INVESTIGATION, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PRIMARY REGULATOR ON LINE 2003 NEAR VALVE 31 FAILED TO COMPLETELY CLOSE CAUSING THE DOWNSTREAM PRESSURE TO RISE ABOVE THE RELIEF VALVE SET-POINT OF 550 PSIG. THE RELIEF VALVE ACTUATED AND REDUCED THE LINE PRESSURE AS INTENDED AVOIDING PRESSURES EXCEEDING THE ESTABLISHED MAOP OF DOWNSTREAM FACILITIES, HOWEVER THE RELIEF VALVE FAILED TO CLOSE WHEN THE LINE PRESSURE REACHED THE RELIEF VALVE RESET PRESSURE DUE TO A FAILED INTERNAL SEATING COMPONENT AND RESULTED IN THE RELEASE OF APPROXIMATELY 8.49 MMSCF OF NATURAL GAS. THE AFFECTED REGULATOR AND RELIEF VALVE WERE REPAIRED FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT AND RETURNED TO SERVICE.
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.