CONSUMERS ENERGY CO
gas_transmission Incident — — December 21, 2013
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 21, 2013 |
| Operator | CONSUMERS ENERGY CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.69793, -85.95030 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $250 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"AT APPROXIMATELY 10:33 PM ON DECEMBER 21, 2013, BLOWDOWN VALVE 614 AT OVERISEL COMPRESSOR STATION TRAVELED OPEN AND VENTED GAS TO ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE STATION EMERGENCY SHUT-DOWN VENT FOR APPROXIMATELY 57 MINUTES. IN TOTAL, ABOUT 6.65 MMCF WAS VENTED TO ATMOSPHERE. PER MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATION, CONSUMERS ENERGY IS PURSUING PLANS TO INSTALL WEATHER-TIGHT ENCLOSURES AND/OR NEW PILOT ASSEMBLIES FOR ALL BIFFI-STYLE VALVES IDENTIFIED AT ITS COMPRESSOR STATIONS. WHERE IMPLEMENTED, THE ENCLOSURES WILL HOUSE THE PILOT VALVE AS WELL AS THE CONTROLLER. AS A NEAR-TERM MEASURE, VALVES ARE BEING MONITORED REGULARLY FOR ICE BUILD-UP TO PREVENT RE-OCCURRENCE. ADDITIONALLY, VENT REPLACEMENT IS IN PROGRESS FOR ALL IDENTIFIED BIFFI VALVES AND IS SCHEDULED FOR COMPLETION BY JANUARY 31, 2014. IN THE EVENT OF A LEAKING SHAFT SEAL, UNRESTRICTED VENTS WILL HELP PREVENT PRESSURE BUILD-UP AT THE VALVE ACTUATOR, THUS PREVENTING THE BLOWDOWN VALVE FROM IMPROPER OPERATION."
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.