"NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P."

hazardous_liquid Incident — — April 21, 2023

Incident Information

Incident DateApril 21, 2023
Operator"NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P."
CommodityCRUDE OIL
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates33.91307, -98.43535

Cause

CauseCORROSION FAILURE
SubcauseINTERNAL CORROSION

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$6,586
Emergency Response$15,661
Other Costs$8,200

Location Map

Incident Narrative

"NUSTAR OPERATIONS PERSONNEL DISCOVERED A LEAK INSIDE NUSTAR'S WICHITA FALLS TERMINAL FACILITY. THE LEAK ORIGINATED FROM A 6-INCH RELIEF LINE PIPE SEGMENT BETWEEN THE PIPELINE RECEIVER TRAP AND THE TANK MANIFOLD INSIDE THE TERMINAL. THE LEAK WAS ISOLATED USING VALVES INSIDE THE TERMINAL FACILITY, AND A SEGMENT OF PIPE CONTAINING THE FAILURE HAS BEEN REMOVED FOR ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE RELEASE. UPDATE - THE FAILURE WAS THE RESULT OF UNDER DEPOSIT CORROSION CAUSED BY A SEQUENTIAL PROCESS OF EVENTS THAT CAUSED CONTINUAL LOCALIZED CORROSION AND WALL-LOSS OVER TIME, LEADING TO EVENTUAL FAILURE. THE PROCESSES WERE INTERNAL AND STRONGLY DRIVEN BY THE PRESENCE OF SULFIDES AND CHLORIDES IN THE CRUDE, WHICH LED TO THE CORROSION OF THE IRON FROM THE WALL SECTION. THE ATTACK WAS ALSO DRIVEN BY EROSION CORROSION FROM INTERMITTENT FLOW THROUGH THE LINE WHICH REMOVED LOOSELY ADHERENT CORROSION PRODUCTS FROM THE WALL INTERIOR SURFACE TO ALLOW FOR CONTINUED CORROSION ATTACK AND LOSS OF WALL THICKNESS."

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.

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