MOJAVE PIPELINE OPERATING COMPANY
gas_transmission Incident — — May 2, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 2, 2012 |
| Operator | MOJAVE PIPELINE OPERATING COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 35.16160, -118.80628 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $488,000 |
| Emergency Response | $8,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
MOJAVE PIPELINE OPERATING COMPANY GAS CONTROL PERSONAL ENCOUNTERED A PRESSURE DROP VIA SCADA INFORMATION ON THE MOJAVE PIPELINE. LOCAL OPERATING PERSONNEL IN THE VICINITY OF ARVIN, CA, WERE DISPATCHED AND FOUND THAT A FABRICATION OF RELIEF VALVES AND PIPE SUPPORTS HAD FAILED, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MOJAVE FACILITY AND SOME SURROUNDING CHERRY TREES. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE ROOT CAUSE OF REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE INADEQUACY OF THE STRUCTURAL SUPPORT PROVIDED AT THIS INSTALLATION AND ITS FAILURE ALLOWED FOR THE FAILURE OF THE PIPING SYSTEMS IT WAS INTENDED TO PROTECT. - UNDERSIZED STRUCTURAL MEMBERS IN SUPPORT TO WITHSTAND PREDICTED FORCES OF VENTING - INCORRECT ORIENTATION OF SUPPORT COLUMNS AND CROSS MEMBER (WEAK AXIS EXPOSED) - CONNECTION BETWEEN PIPE AND SUPPORT DIDNOT INSURE TRANSFER OF FORCES THE RELIEF VALVES WERE FOUND NOT TO HAVE HEIGHTENED THE LIKELIHOOD OF THE GAS RELEASE NOR DID THEY ADD TO THE IMPACT OF THE RELEASE, SO THEY WERE NOT CONTRIBUTING FACTORS AS DEFINED BY PHMSA.
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.