SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CO
gas_transmission Incident — — June 24, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | June 24, 2015 |
| Operator | SOUTHERN NATURAL GAS CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.21074, -85.00109 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $55 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
THE VENT VALVE ON HOLY TRINITY COMPRESSOR STATION UNIT #2 IS CONTROLLED BY A BETTIS PNEUMATIC OPERATOR WITH AIR SUPPLY TO OPERATE. BROKEN BOLTS ON THE BRACKET HOLDING THE CONTACT HOUSING TO THE OPERATOR CAUSED THE CONTACT HOUSING TO FALL TO THE GROUND AND DAMAGE THE AIR SUPPLY LINE FOR THE PNEUMATIC OPERATOR. THE VENT VALVE IS SPRING-LOADED TO DEFAULT TO THE OPEN POSITION, AND IT'S HELD CLOSED BY THE PNEUMATIC OPERATOR. WHEN THE PNEUMATIC OPERATOR LOST AIR SUPPLY PRESSURE, DUE TO THE CONTACT HOUSING FALLING AND DAMAGING THE AIR LINE, THE VENT VALVE ""FAILED OPEN"". THE BOLTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND THE BRACKET HAS BEEN REPAIRED. OPERATIONS IS WORKING WITH A MACHINE SHOP TO BUILD A STRONGER BRACKET AND A PIPE SUPPORT TO STABILIZE THE OPERATOR. THESE PIECES WILL BE INSTALLED ON BOTH UNITS AT HOLY TRINITY COMPRESSOR STATION IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT THIS INCIDENT FROM REOCCURRING.
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.