SINCLAIR TRANSPORTATION COMPANY

Incident Narrative

SINCLAIR'S LOCAL AREA OPERATOR RECEIVED A CALL FROM AN AMPLIFY EMPLOYEE AT 06:19 ON 3/18/2020 ABOUT A POSSIBLE LEAK AT THE AMPLIFY (THIRD PARTY PRODUCER) LACT PRODUCTION FACILITY. SINCLAIR DISPATCHED PERSONNEL TO CONFIRM THE LOCATION OF THE LEAK. UPON ARRIVAL AT 07:20 SINCLAIR PERSONNEL CONFIRMED A SMALL LEAK WAS SURFACING IN THE VICINITY OF THE SINCLAIR 6"" PIPE. AMPLIFY HAD ALREADY CALLED OUT A VAC TRUCK AND HYDROVAC TRUCK. ONCE EMERGENCY ONE-CALLS WERE SUBMITTED AND SINCLAIR'S LINE WAS LOCATED THE SITE WAS HYDRO-EXCAVATED AND THE PIPE WAS VISUALLY IDENTIFIED. A TRACK-HOE WAS THEN USED TO EXCAVATE THE SITE. A PINHOLE EXTERNAL CORROSION LEAK WAS OBSERVED - LEAK RATE WAS LESS THAN 1 GALLON PER HOUR. A HALF SOLE PATCH AND U-BOLT REPAIR CLAMP WAS INSTALLED ON THE LEAKING PIPE (LEAK CLAMPED AT 10:00) AND THE SITE WAS SECURED UNTIL SUCH TIME THAT PERMANENT REPAIRS CAN BE MADE. THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE EXTERNAL CORROSION FAILURE IS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. THE PIPE-TO-SOIL READING AT THE LEAK LOCATION WAS -1.005. THE PIPE HAD A COMBINATION OF COAL TAR COATING WITH COLD TAPE WRAP IN THE AREA OF THE LEAK. IT WAS NOT EVIDENT WHETHER THE TAPE WRAP WAS DIS-BONDED PRIOR TO THE LEAK OR WHETHER THE LEAKING OIL CAUSED THE TAPE WRAP TO BECOME DIS-BONDED. THE SITE IS CONGESTED AND SHIELDING MAY HAVE BEEN A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR. THE SECTION OF PIPE OF UNKNOWN MANUFACTURE WAS REPLACED BY NEW PIPE AND THE NEW FABRICATION WAS LOCATED AS TO AVOID THE CONGESTED AREA. THE REPLACED PIPE WAS EXAMINED TO TRY TO DETERMINE CAUSAL FACTORS TO THE LEAK. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE LEAKING SECTION OF PIPE WAS .156"" WALL PIPE THAT WAS WELDED BETWEEN STANDARD WALL (.280"") PIPE SECTIONS. THE LEAK OCCURRED NEAR THE UPSTREAM WELD AND THE WELD AREA HAD BEEN COATED WITH TAPE. THE REMAINING .156"" WALL PIPE WAS COATED WITH COAL TAR AND WAS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE PIPE WAS SENT TO A LAB TO DETERMINE PIPE WALL, GRADE, SEAM TYPE, AND MANUFACTURING SPECIFICATION. SINCLAIR HAS DETERMINED THAT: ALTHOUGH ADEQUATE CP LEVELS WERE TAKEN AT THE LEAK SITE AND HISTORICAL CP RECORDS INDICATED ADEQUATE PROTECTION, THE TAPE COATING AND CONGESTED AREA CONTRIBUTED TO SHIELDING OF THE CP CURRENT CAUSING THE LOCALIZED CORROSION AND THE PINHOLE LEAK.