ENERGY TRANSFER COMPANY

Incident Narrative

ON 5/6/2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 14:44 WHILE PUMPING THE RECENTLY COMMISSIONED BEAR CREEK CVR DELIVERY, A RELEASE AT EOLA STATION OCCURRED. AT APPROXIMATELY 21:35 THE RELEASE WAS DISCOVERED AT EOLA STATION BY OPERATING PERSONNEL. THE LINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND SPILL RESPONSE CREWS WERE DISPATCHED. APPROXIMATELY 1500 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED. ALL FREE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED, AND CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN 10-INCH DEAD LEG PIPING SITUATED BETWEEN THE MAINLINE DIAMETER TRANSITION TRAPS OF THE 10-INCH TO 12-INCH SEGMENTS. ON 5/7/2023, PERMANENT REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, AND THE LINE WAS RESTARTED. THE FAILED PIPING WAS CUT OUT AND SENT TO 3RD PARTY LABORATORY FOR ANALYSIS. THE LABORATORY ANALYSIS DETERMINED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY INTERNAL CORROSION THAT PROGRESSED UNTIL THE REMAINING WALL THICKNESS COULD NO LONGER SUPPORT THE PRESSURE WITHIN THE PIPE RESULTING IN THE RUPTURE FAILURE. THE CORROSION DEPOSITS INDICATED THAT THE INTERNAL CORROSION PROGRESSED IN AN ENVIRONMENT CONTAINING CARBONIC ACID FORMING WITHIN THE PRESENCE OF CO2 AND WATER WHICH WAS EXACERBATED BY SEDIMENT FILLING THE LOW END OF THE PIPE. THE RELEASE WAS EXACERBATED DUE TO CONTROL CENTER UNCERTAINTY REGARDING WHETHER A VALVE CLOSURE AT THE DELIVERY FACILITY AT APPROXIMATELY 14:39 WAS CAUSED EITHER BY A LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS DUE TO A POWER FAILURE AT THE DELIVERY FACILITY OR DUE TO PRESSURE SETPOINT. THIS UNCERTAINTY LED CONTROLLERS TO BELIEVE A LINE BALANCE ISSUE WAS DUE TO POWER FAILURE/COMMUNICATION LOSS AND NOT A RELEASE. SURGE PROTECTION WAS NO LONGER OPEN DOWNSTREAM WHICH ALLOWED A HIGHER-THAN-NORMAL PRESSURE BUT NOT EXCEEDING MOP TO BE EXPERIENCED AT EOLA STATION AND OPEN PATH LOGIC DID NOT TRIGGER AN IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN. THE RUPTURE ALARMS FOLLOWING STARTUP APPEARED TO THE CONTROLLER TO BE EXPLAINABLE AND WERE NOT PROPERLY ESCALATED FOR ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION. WHILE FIELD CREWS AT THE DELIVERY POINT CONTINUED TO TROUBLE SHOOT THE ISSUES AND COMMUNICATE WITH THE CONTROL CENTER THE LINE CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED INTERMITTENTLY UNTIL 21:35 WITH THE BELIEF THAT THE LINE WAS RE-PACKING AFTER THE POWER FAILURE, COMMUNICATIONS LOSS, AND DELIVERY VALVE CLOSURE. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OPEN PATH LOGIC AND REVISED ALARM SET POINTS WERE IMPLEMENTED ON THIS DELIVERY CONFIGURATION. ADDITIONALLY, CONTROLLER ADHERENCE TO PROCEDURES, SHUTDOWN AUTHORITY AND ENGAGEMENT WITH MANAGEMENT WAS REVIEWED WITH ALL LIQUID CONTROLLERS.