CENTURION PIPELINE L.P.

Incident Narrative

ON MARCH 17, 2021, AT APPROXIMATELY 08:00 CST, A CENTURION PIPELINE L.P. (CPL) EMPLOYEE DISCOVERED A LEAK IN CPL'S MIDLAND STATION NEAR MIDLAND, TEXAS IN MIDLAND COUNTY, TEXAS. CPL DETERMINED THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK TO BE THE BLENDING PUMP 4"" DISCHARGE PIPING AND IMMEDIATELY ISOLATED THE LEAK. HOWEVER, 12 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WERE RELEASED, OF WHICH, 10 BARRELS WERE PROMPTLY RECOVERED IN LIQUID FORM. CPL REMEDIATED THE CONTAMINATED SOIL ON SITE. NO INJURIES, FATALITIES, OR FIRES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS INCIDENT. CPL REPORTED THE LEAK TO THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION, OFFICE OF PIPELINE SAFETY AT 08:48 CST ON MARCH 17, 2021 AND WAS ISSUED INCIDENT NUMBER 2391 IN REFERENCE TO THE INCIDENT. AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING, CPL IS IN THE PROCESS OF CONDUCTING THE ROOT CAUSE FAILURE ANALYSIS. THE RESULTING INFORMATION RELATED TO THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK, PREVENTATIVE AND MITIGATIVE MEASURES (P&M), AND ANY ADDITIONAL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH REPAIRING THE PUMP DISCHARGE PIPING WILL BE SUBMITTED VIA SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT(S). SUPPLEMENTAL FINAL FILED ON 06/30/2021: UPDATED PARTS A-14B, D-8C, D-8G, D-8E, G1-7, G1-8, AND G1-9. DURING THE ROOT CAUSE FAILURE ANALYSIS, CPL DETERMINED THAT UNDER-DEPOSIT MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION (MIC) CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CONTRIBUTING FACTORS INCLUDE WATER DROP-OUT, SOLID DEPOSITS, AND PARAFFIN ACCUMULATION AT THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION OF THE PUMP DISCHARGE PIPING. A PREVIOUS PERIOD OF STAGNANT CONDITIONS IN THE PIPING ALLOWED WATER, SOLIDS, AND PARAFFIN TO DEPOSIT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPE, AND A BACTERIA COLONY FORMED A MICROBIOLOGICALLY INFLUENCED CORROSION PIT. THE CORROSION RATE WITHIN THE PIT INCREASED DUE TO A GALVANIC COUPLE BETWEEN THE IRON SULFIDE AND IRON MAGNETITE COMPOUNDS, VERIFIED BY LAB ANALYSIS, AND THE STEEL PIPE. THE PARAFFIN ACCUMULATION PREVENTED THE INCOMING OIL THAT WAS TREATED WITH CORROSION MITIGATION AND BIOCIDE CHEMICALS FROM REACHING THE BACTERIA COLONY AND THE IRON SULFIDE AND IRON MAGNETITE DEPOSITS, THEREBY PREVENTING THE NORMAL ACTION OF THE CHEMICALS. IT MUST BE CONCLUDED THAT THIS CORROSION ON THE DISCHARGE PIPING WAS NOT RELATED TO THE CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF THE CRUDE OIL OR TO ANY UNEXPECTED CORROSIVENESS OF THE CRUDE OIL. RECORDS SHOW THAT THE CRUDE OIL WAS UNIFORMLY TREATED WITH CORROSION CONTROL CHEMICALS AND BIOCIDES, BUT THE INCIDENT INSPECTION AND LAB ANALYSIS PROVED THAT THE CORROSION CONTROL CHEMICALS WERE PREVENTED FROM REACHING THE BIOFILM BY A LAYER OF WAXY PARAFFIN. A REVIEW OF THE BLEND PUMP HISTORY REVEALED THAT STAGNANT CONDITIONS EXISTED IN THE 4'' PUMP DISCHARGE LINE FOR A TWO-YEAR PERIOD OF PRIOR TO A 2019 SEAL FAILURE. FOLLOWING THE 2019 SEAL FAILURE, CPL IMPLEMENTED A PM TASK TO FLUSH THE PUMP, AND EFFECTIVELY THE DISCHARGE PIPING, WITH CHEMICALLY TREATED OIL EVERY THREE MONTHS. GIVEN THAT THE MIC FAILURE OF THE DISCHARGE PIPING OCCURRED AS A DELAYED RESULT OF THE PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED STAGNANT PERIOD AND CPL REMOVED THE RESULTING DAMAGED PIPE CONTAINING THE UNDER-DEPOSIT CORROSION, CPL BELIEVES THE CURRENT PUMP AND DISCHARGE FLUSHING SCHEDULE WILL PREVENT SIMILAR FAILURES.