"SHELL PIPELINE CO., L.P."
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 6, 2021
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 6, 2021 |
| Operator | "SHELL PIPELINE CO., L.P." |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.85368, -94.91039 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $5,000 |
| Emergency Response | $500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON 12/6/2021, A TECHNICIAN WAS TROUBLESHOOTING VESSEL 104 INABILITY TO DRAIN WATER OFF OF THE DEHYDRATION PROCESS. THE DRAIN LINE FROM THE VESSEL WAS COMPLETELY BLOCKED IN, INCLUDING THE 1-1/2INCH VALVE AT THE HEAD OF THE DRAIN LINE COMING FROM THE VESSEL. WITH THE LINE COMPLETELY BLOCKED, A QUARTER TURN VALVE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE DRAIN LINE WAS OPENED AND A FEW PIECES OF DEBRIS WERE RELEASED. AFTER SOME DEBRIS HAD CLEARED, WATER IMMEDIATELY BEGAN DRAINING OUT OF VESSEL 104 THROUGH THE QUARTER TURN VALVE. IT WAS CLEAR THE 1-1/2INCH VALVE AT THE VESSEL WAS NOT HOLDING. THE TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO CLOSE OFF THE QUARTER TURN VALVE, BUT DEBRIS WAS BLOCKING IT FROM CLOSING. WITHIN SECONDS, THE WATER DRAINED OUT OF THE VESSEL ALLOWING ETHYLENE TO BE RELEASED TO ATMOSPHERE. THERE WAS NO CPM SINCE IT WAS FACILITY PIPING. IMMEDIATE ACTION: TECHNICIAN IMMEDIATELY TRIGGERED THE ETHYLENE ESD, NOTIFIED OPERATIONS, AND EVACUATED THE FACILITY."
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.