PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC
gas_transmission Incident — — February 3, 2013
Incident Information
| Incident Date | February 3, 2013 |
| Operator | PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS CO INC |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 34.43336, -78.47533 |
Cause
| Cause | EXCAVATION DAMAGE |
| Subcause | PREVIOUS DAMAGE DUE TO EXCAVATION ACTIVITY |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $525,175 |
| Emergency Response | $1,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
AT APPROXIMATELY 2:50 A.M. LOCAL TIME ON SUNDAY FEBURARY 3, 2013, A PIEDMONT NATURAL GAS 12"" TRANSMISSION LINE, DENOTED AS LINE 2, RUPTURED. THIS EVENT WAS NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF COUNCIL IN RURAL SOUTHEASTERN NC. PRESSURES BEFORE THE EVENT WERE WITHIN MAOP LIMITS. NO INJURIES OR SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS NOTED FROM THE EVENT. THE FAILURE ANALYSIS PERFORMED BY A THIRD PARTY INVESTIGATOR INDICATES THAT THE RUPTURE ""INITIATED AT A GOUGE CONTAINING A RE-ROUNDING CRACK THAT WAS LOCATED ALONG THE TOP OF THE PIPELINE. THE CAUSE OF THE GOUGE IS UNKNOWN. CRACKS PROPAGATED IN A HELICAL PATTERN AROUND THE PIPE AND AWAY FROM THE GOUGE. THE MATERIAL WAS LIKELY OF LOW TOUGHNESS DUE TO THE INHERENT LOW TOUGHNESS OF THE PIPE STEEL AT SERVICE TEMPERATURE AND THE WORK HARDENING EFFECT OF THE GOUGING PROCESS.
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.