NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI)
gas_transmission Incident — — August 16, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 16, 2011 |
| Operator | NATURAL GAS PIPELINE CO OF AMERICA (KMI) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 41.03423, -88.08837 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | OTHER INCORRECT OPERATION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 1 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,318,206 |
| Emergency Response | $2,612 |
| Other Costs | $92,910 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A CREW PERFORMED MAINTENANCE ON COMPRESSOR UNIT #5 TO REPAIR AN OIL LEAK BELOW THE TURBOCHARGER. TO REPAIR THE LEAK, THE CREW INTENDED TO SUPPORT THE TURBOCHARGER STAND WITH A HYDRAULIC JACK, CUT THE TWO LEGS OFF WITH A PORTABLE GRINDER, INSTALL A GASKET UNDER EACH LEG, AND THEN REPLACE EACH LEG TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION BY WELDING AT THE LOCATION OF THE CUT. THE CREW COMPLETED ALL OF THESE TASKS UP TO THE POINT OF WELDING THE SECOND LEG. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WHEN THE CREW WAS WELDING THE SECOND LEG. IN ORDER TO HAVE SUFFICIENT ROOM TO PERFORM WORK ON THE SECOND LEG, THE CREW HAD REMOVED THE CRANKCASE BREATHER. THE CREW HAD USED PORTABLE GAS DETECTORS IN AND AROUND THE WORK AREA, BUT THEY FAILED TO POSITION THE PORTABLE GAS DETECTORS INSIDE THE CRANKCASE, SO THE CREW WAS NOT AWARE THAT THERE WAS COMBUSTIBLE GAS IN THE CRANKCASE. AFTER PERFORMING A POST-INCIDENT INVESTIGATION, IT IS BELIEVED THAT THERE WAS EXCESSIVE LEAKAGE OF THE PACKING GLAND SEALS, WHICH RESULTED IN THE GAS MIGRATING TO THE CRANKCASE.
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.