TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION LP (SPECTRA ENERGY CORP)
gas_transmission Incident — — April 13, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 13, 2012 |
| Operator | TEXAS EASTERN TRANSMISSION LP (SPECTRA ENERGY CORP) |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.06413, -76.57733 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | COMPRESSOR OR COMPRESSOR-RELATED EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $250,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
THE EMPLOYEE WAS STARTING THE UNIT. DURING THE START UP 2 OF THE UNIT'S 8 STARTING AIR CHECK VALVES WERE SLUGGISH IN CLOSING WHICH ALLOWED COMBUSTION GASSES TO ENTER THE STARTING AIR SYSTEM. A COMBUSTIBLE MIXTURE OF AIR AND AIR COMPRESSOR LUBE OIL HAD ACCUMULATED IN THE STARTING AIR SYSTEM PIPING AND WAS IGNITED BY THE COMBUSTION GASSES FROM THE UNIT. THERE WAS NO UNINTENTIONAL RELEASE OF NATURAL GAS DURING THE EVENT BUT SPECTRA ENERGY HAS JUDGED THIS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT OCCURRENCE.
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.