TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY
gas_transmission Incident — — September 20, 2018
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 20, 2018 |
| Operator | TRANSCONTINENTAL GAS PIPE LINE COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.44194, -74.31472 |
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 | $200,000 |
| Emergency Response | $4,000 |
| Other Costs | $27,000 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT APPROXIMATELY 8:04 AM CST ON 09/20/2018, UNIT #3 @ COMPRESSOR STA 207 WAS SCHEDULED FOR AN AUTOMATIC BLOW DOWN DUE TO AN UPCOMING PROJECT TO REMOVE THE INLET STRAINER. WHEN UNIT #3'S BLOWDOWN VALVE OPENED, GAS ENTERED THE CHARCOAL FILLED DEODORIZER AND WOULD NORMALLY FLOW UP AND OUT OF THE TOP OF THE STACK ABOVE THE BUILDING ROOFLINE TO ATMOSPHERE. DUE TO A 4"" DRAIN LINE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DEODORIZER VESSEL IN THE OPEN POSITION, THE VENTING GAS AND CHARCOAL WERE ABLE TO ENTER INTO THE DRAIN SYSTEM OF COMPRESSOR BUILDINGS 1&2. THIS IN TURN ACTIVATED BOTH BUILDINGS EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN (ESD) SYSTEMS AS DESIGNED AT 20% LEL (ESD) AND 40% LEL (ESD 2). THE STATION WAS SHUT DOWN IN A SAFE STATE AND THE BUILDING'S FANS EVACUATED THE GAS. WILLIAMS' PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO THE SITE AND INITIATED THE STATIONS EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN WITH THE LOCAL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS."
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.