NORTHERN BORDER PIPELINE COMPANY
gas_transmission Incident — — February 9, 2015
Incident Information
| Incident Date | February 9, 2015 |
| Operator | NORTHERN BORDER PIPELINE COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 47.25458, -102.71709 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $40,572 |
| Emergency Response | $4,788 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A COMPRESSOR STATION EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN (ESD) WAS INITIATED BY THE FAILURE OF A BATTERY CHARGER IN THE STATION CONTROL SYSTEM. THE STATION BLOCK VALVES (SUCTION AND DISCHARGE) WERE COMMANDED CLOSED, AND THE STATION VENT VALVE WAS COMMANDED OPEN. THE DISCHARGE AND VENT VALVES OPERATED AS DESIGNED, BUT THE STATION SUCTION VALVE REMAINED OPEN. GAS VENTED THROUGH THE STATION VENT VALVE AND VENT STACK FOR 3 MINUTES BEFORE OPERATOR PERSONNEL CLOSED THE STATION VENT VALVE TO CONTROL THE GAS RELEASE. THIS VENTED AN AMOUNT OF GAS THAT EXCEEDED THE LEVEL REQUIRED FOR REPORTING AS AN INCIDENT. THE STATION SUCTION VALVE FAILED TO OPERATE DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A RUBBER DIAPHRAGM IN THE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR THE VALVE OPERATOR.
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.