NORTHWEST PIPELINE CORP (WGP)
gas_transmission Incident — — April 27, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 27, 2011 |
| Operator | NORTHWEST PIPELINE CORP (WGP) |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.62764, -111.83791 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $81,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
WILLIAMS (NORTHWEST PIPELINE) IDENTIFIED A 2"" THREADED TAP VALVE THAT WAS NOT SEALING PROPERLY DURING REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE 2"" PIPELINE COMES OFF OF THE 22"" MAINLINE IN IDAHO STATE AND FEEDS A SINGLE HOME. AFTER ANALYZING THE SITUATION, WILLIAMS FEELS THAT THE BEST APPROACH IS TO REMOVE THE 2"" TAP VALVE. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK, WILLIAMS ISOLATE THE SEGMENT OF 22"" MAINLINE PIPE, BLEW DOWN THE MAINLINE, ISOLATE THE 2"" PIPELINE AND CUT OUT THE SECTION OF MAINLINE THAT CONTAINS THE 2"" TAP. INSTEAD OF A SMALL PUP TO ACCOMODATE THE CUT OUT, A FULL JOINT OF NEW 22"" PIPE WAS INSTALLED IN THE MAINLINE TO ELIMINATE THREE COMPOSITE SLEEVES FOUND DURING THE EXCAVATION OF THE PIPE WHILE THE PIPE WAS OUT OF SERVICE. THE CUSTOMER WAS TRANSFERED ONTO ANOTHER AVAILABLE SERVICE.
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.