FLINT HILLS RESOURCES, LC

Incident Narrative

UPDATED PART G: G6 EQUIPMENT FAILURE AND SUB-CAUSE UPDATED PART H: NARRATIVE ON FEBRUARY 27, 2020 AT 10:30, FLINT HILLS RESOURCES (FHR) OPERATIONS PERSONNEL DISCOVERED A CRUDE OIL RELEASE DURING A STATION WALK THROUGH AT THE CLEARBROOK FACILITY AND PUMP STATION. THE TANK 13 MIXER #2 SEAL FAILED. AS A RESULT OF THE MIXER SEAL FAILURE, PRODUCT TRAVELED PAST THE SEAL AND THROUGH THE MIXER SHAFT TO THE GEAR BOX. THE PRODUCT IN THE GEARBOX DRAINED INTO THE SEAL LEAK DETECTION DEVICE AS DESIGNED. THE FLOAT SWITCH IN THE SEAL LEAK DETECTION DEVICE FAILED TO TRIP AND DID NOT SEND THE ASSOCIATED SEAL LEAK ALARM. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VISCOSITY OF THE PRODUCT ALONG WITH THE LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE CAUSED THE FLOAT SWITCH TO STICK AND FAIL TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. PRODUCT EVENTUALLY FILLED THE MIXER GEAR BOX AND APPROXIMATELY TEN GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED. AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY, THE MIXER WAS NOT RUNNING, AND EQUIPMENT WAS NOT ACTIVELY LEAKING CRUDE OIL. FHR CONTROL ROOM PERSONNEL WERE CONTACTED AND TAGGED OUT THE MIXER FROM THE PIPELINE CONTROL CENTER CONSOLE. LOCAL PERSONNEL WERE ON SITE TO CLEAN UP THE IMPACTED SOIL AND A CONTRACTOR WAS ALSO USED TO ASSIST WITH CLEAN UP. TANK 13 WAS PUMPED DOWN TO MINIMIZE HEAD PRESSURE, THE MIXER SHAFT WAS ISOLATED, AND THE MIXER SEAL AND GEARBOX WERE REPLACED. THE MIXER SEAL AND GEARBOX WERE SENT TO THE THIRD-PARTY VENDOR FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. AFTER FURTHER ANALYSIS, THE VENDOR VERIFIED THAT THE FAILED MIXER SEAL WAS COMPATIBLE WITH THE EQUIPMENT AND WAS APPROPRIATE FOR THE COMMODITY TRANSPORTED. THERE WERE NO MANUFACTURING DEFECTS FOUND. THE ANALYSIS OF THE MIXER SEAL FAILURE WAS INCONCLUSIVE. IN AN EFFORT TO PREVENT A SIMILAR EVENT, FHR HAS IDENTIFIED TANKS THAT CONTAIN HIGHER VISCOSITY PRODUCT AND PLANS TO REPLACE SEAL LEAK DETECTION DEVICES FROM A LEVEL SWITCH TO THOSE THAT UTILIZE A TUNING FORK STYLE. IN THE INTERIM, OPERATIONS PERSONNEL WILL PERFORM WEEKLY INSPECTIONS OF SEAL DETECTION DEVICES ON THE AFOREMENTIONED TANKS DURING THE COLDER MONTHS OF OCTOBER THROUGH MARCH. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: MIXER TYPE: JENSEN 680 SERIES FIXED ANGLE