GREAT LAKES GAS TRANSMISSION CO
gas_transmission Incident — — April 13, 2011
Incident Information
| Incident Date | April 13, 2011 |
| Operator | GREAT LAKES GAS TRANSMISSION CO |
| Commodity | NATURAL GAS |
| Pipeline Type | gas_transmission |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 45.26109, -84.76865 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $114,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
LEAK WAS DETECTED AS BUBBLES ARISING ADJACENT TO THE 100 LINE PIG LAUNCHER VALVE 100-0-L. THE LAUNCHER AND VALVE ARE LOCATED WITHIN THE FENCED, COMPRESSOR STATION YARD. FOLLOWING A 20% PRESSURE REDUCTION AND EXCAVATION OF THE VALVE, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE BODY BLEED FITTING ON THE BOTTOM OF THE VALVE WAS LEAKING AT THE THREADED CONNECTION. THE PIPELINE VALVE SECTION WAS THEN BLOWN DOWN TO SAFELY MAKE REPAIRS. THE BODY BLEED FITTING AND ASSOCIATED PIPING WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED. FIELD EXAMINATION OF THE REMOVED PIPING AND FITTING DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK TO BE A POSSIBLE MISALIGNMENT OF THE PIPE UNION ON THE UNDERGROUND PORTION OF THE VALVE'S BODY BLEED PIPING. NO LEAKAGE WAS OBSERVED AT THE PIPE THREADS OF THIS FITTING DURING THE EXAMINATION.
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.