WESTERN REFINING LOGISTICS, LP

Incident Narrative

22:04 - CONTROLLER RECEIVED A P-187 SEAL LEAK ALARM, WHICH S/D THE UNIT AND CLOSED THE SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES. 22:16 - CONTROLLER RECEIVED A CALL FROM FUEL DISPATCH (PETE ROMERO) THAT A TRUCK DRIVER CALLED HIM AND 911 AND SAID THERE WAS A FIRE AT MASON STATION. NOTIFIED OC SPECIALIST AND BEGAN S/D THE STATION. OC SPECIALIST IMMEDIATELY CHECKED LEAK DETECTION. NO LEAK DETECTION ANOMALIES WERE APPARENT. 22:17 - OC SPECIALIST STARTED TRENDING METER AND BEARING TEMPS OF ALL PUMPS AT THE SITE TO SEE IF ANYTHING WAS UNUSUALLY HIGH. 22:18 - CONTROLLER SHUT DOWN THE BOBCAT OUTGOING SEGMENT FROM MASON STATION. 22:18 - CONTROLLER SHUT DOWN TEE STATION INCOMING TO MASON STATION. 22:24 - OC SPECIALIST NOTIFIED OC SUPERVISOR OF THE INCIDENT AND SUBSEQUENT PIPELINES THAT WERE DOWN AS A RESULT OF THE REPORT. WHILE SPEAKING WITH THE OC SUPERVISOR. 22:28 - OPERATIONS SUPERVISOR WAS CONTACTED ABOUT SITUATION AND DISPATCHED AN OPERATOR TO MASON TO CONFIRM FIRE. 22:30 - HURLEY TO MASON SEGMENT WAS SHUT DOWN. AT THIS TIME, ALL FLOW INTO & OUT OF MASON STATION HAS BEEN SECURED. 22:58 - OC SPECIALIST CONTACTED FUEL DISPATCH TO GET NAME OF DRIVER THAT REPORTED THE FIRE TO SEE IF THEY WERE ON SITE. THIS WAS DONE IN AN ATTEMPT TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION OR VISUAL VERIFICATION WHILE OUR FIELD PERSONNEL WERE IN ROUTE. 23:00 - SPOKE TO DRIVER WHO WAS STILL ON SITE AND HE HELPED US CLARIFY WHERE ON OUR SITE THE FIRE WAS LOCATED. 23:21 - LOCAL OPERATOR CALLED WITH VISUAL VERIFICATION OF THE FIRE AT MASON. THE TRANSFER PUMPS TO KINDER MORGAN WERE ACTIVELY BURNING. AT THAT TIME THE LOCAL FIRE DEPT WAS ON SITE EXTINGUISHING FIRE. 23:27 - FIRE IS OUT, AND THE FIRE DEPT HELD THE SCENE ISOLATED 00:00 - FACILITY SUPERVISOR WAS ALLOWED ACCESS TO THE SCENE, TO EVALUATE IF THERE WERE ADDITIONAL LEAKS, OR EXPOSED ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS. THE FACILITY WAS LOCKED DOWN FOR THE NIGHT, SO IT COULD BE SAFELY EVALUATED WITH DAYLIGHT. PUMP FAILURE ROOT CAUSE: THE INVESTIGATION TEAM CONCLUDED THAT INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION CAUSED THE P-187 MOTOR RADIAL BEARING TO SEIZE FROM INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION IS AN INCORRECT OIL LEVEL AFTER AN OIL CHANGE PERFORMED A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT. A RECENT CHANGE BY THE OIL MANUFACTURER FROM A TINTED FORMULATION TO A CLEAR FORMULATION MADE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE THE OIL LEVEL. NO EVIDENCE WAS FOUND INDICATING AN OIL LEAK WAS THE CAUSE OF THE INSUFFICIENT LUBRICATION, IT COULD NOT BE DEFINITIVELY RULED OUT AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS ARE BEING RECOMMENDED FOR EARLY DETECTION OF OIL LEAKS TO AVOID CATASTROPHIC FAILURES. THE VIBRATION CAUSED BY THE SEIZED BEARING RESULTED IN A CATASTROPHIC SEAL FAILURE AND A CRUDE OIL RELEASE. TWO IGNITION SOURCES WERE PRESENT: 1) THE FAILED AND EXTREMELY HOT RADIAL BEARING WHICH WAS LOCATED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE SEAL, AND 2) METAL-ON-METAL CONTACT BETWEEN THE ROTATING COUPLING AND SEVERAL IMPELLER AXIAL CLEARANCE JACK BOLTS WHICH HAD BACKED OUT DUE TO HEAT AND VIBRATION. THE INVESTIGATION WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THE TWO IGNITION SOURCES IGNITED THE OIL.