ONEOK NGL PIPELINE, LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | ONEOK NGL PIPELINE, LLC |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.85340, -94.89279 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 8/27/2022 ONEOK AND CONTRACTOR PERSONNEL WERE PERFORMING WORK CONNECTING NEW HEADER PIPING TO EXISTING HEADER PIPING AT ONEOK MONT BELVIEU PUMP STATION. THE EXISTING HEADER PIPING HAD BEEN ISOLATED AND EVACUATED OF PRODUCT IN ADDITION TO A WELDING BLANKET PLACED IN PREPARATION FOR THE NEW CONNECTION AND ASSOCIATED WELDING. DURING THE WELDING PROCEDURE THE FIRE WATCH NOTICED A SMALL, NON-PRESSURIZED FIRE ON THE FLANGE CONNECTING THE NEW AND EXISTING HEADER PIPING. THE FIRE WAS IMMEDIATELY EXTINGUISHED AND WORK HALTED. ONEOK'S ON SITE INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT DURING THE WELDING PROCEDURE THE FLANGE/SPEC BLIND CONNECTION OF THE NEW TO EXISTING HEADER PIPING WAS NOT PROPERLY TORQUED. AN ISOLATION VALVE USED TO ISOLATE FROM ACTIVE PIPING HAD A SMALL LEAK-BY INTO THE EVACUATED PIPING CAUSING A RELEASE OF LESS THAN 0.25 GALLONS OF PRODUCT AT THE IMPROPERLY TORQUED FLANGE/SPEC BLIND. DESPITE THERE BEING NO VAPORS DETECTED USING LEL MONITORS PRIOR TO WELDING AND DURING GRINDING ACTIVITIES, THE SMALL VAPOR RELEASE FROM THE FLANGE IGNITED DURING GRINDING CAUSING THE SMALL FIRE.
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.