TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY
gas_transmission Incident — — May 17, 2013
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 17, 2013 |
| Operator | TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE COMPANY |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 31.77656, -93.14300 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | "VALVE LEFT OR PLACED IN WRONG POSITION, BUT NOT RESULTING IN AN OVERPRESSURE" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $300 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"TENNESSEE GAS PIPELINE (TGP) EMPLOYEES WERE TAKING DISCHARGE PIPING OUT OF SERVICE AT THE TGP NATCHITOCHES COMPRESSOR STATION (STATION 40) MAY 17, 2013 IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR IMP HYDROSTATIC TESTING. THE EMPLOYEES FAILED TO ISOLATE A RELIEF VALVE DURING THE DEPRESSURIZATION SUCH THAT WHEN THE RELIEF VALVE'S SENSING LINE LOST PRESSURE, THE RELIEF VALVE ACTIVATED AS IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO. THE RELIEF VALVE RELEASED NATURAL GAS TO THE ATMOSPHERE IN A VOLUME THAT EXCEEDED THE INCIDENT REPORTABILITY LEVEL OF 3,000 MCF. UPON HEARING THE NOISE OF THE RELEASE, THE RELIEF VALVE'S ISOATION VALVE WAS CLOSED TO STOP THE RELEASE. THE RELIEF WAS RESET FOR NORMAL 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.