PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — June 13, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | June 13, 2020 |
| Operator | PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.48425, -91.19239 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | NON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $8,000 |
| Emergency Response | $26,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON THE MORNING OF SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020, EXXONMOBIL PERSONNEL DISCOVERED PRODUCT LEAKING FROM THE SCRAPER TRAP DOOR OF THE DOCK LINE #3 (DL3) PIPELINE AT PLANTATION PIPE LINE COMPANY'S DOCK STATION (UNMANNED FACILITY INSIDE THE EXXONMOBIL REFINERY). REFINERY PERSONNEL NOTIFIED THE ALPHARETTA CONTROL CENTER AND ACTIONS WERE INITIATED TO SHUT DOWN THE DL3 PIPELINE. IT WAS CALCULATED THAT 78.6 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL WERE RELEASED ONTO GROUND SURFACE. THE O-RING ON THE TDW D-2000 CLOSURE FAILED WHICH COMPROMISED THE ABILITY OF THE CLOSURE TO SEAL. THE O-RING FAILURE WAS RESULTED FROM TWISTING OF THE O-RING AND EVENTUALLY LED TO A COMPLETE LOSS OF INTEGRITY. SPECIFIC CONDITIONS THAT LED TO THE TWISTING ARE BELIEVED TO BE: THE ACCUMULATION OF SOLIDS AGAINST THE CLOSURE DOOR WHICH EVENTUALLY INFILTRATED INTO THE O-RING GROOVE, MINOR CORROSION IN THE O-RING GROOVE, AND REPEATED PRESSURE FLUCTUATIONS CAUSED BY THE OPERATION OF THE 600 HP PUMP THAT IS A FEW HUNDRED FEET UPSTREAM OF THE CLOSURE. THESE FACTORS AND THE TWO-YEAR TIMESPAN THAT THIS O-RING WAS IN SERVICE, EVENTUALLY LED TO ITS FAILURE.
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.