COLONIAL PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

ON 9 FEBRUARY 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 15:00 LOCAL TIME, AN ALLIANCE REFINERY EMPLOYEE DISCOVERED AN ACTIVE PRODUCT RELEASE ON A FLANGED CONNECTION OF THE UNIT 1 SUCTION VALVE AT BELLE CHASSE STATION. THE EMPLOYEE INITIALLY BELIEVED THE RELEASE WAS FROM REFINERY PIPING AND STARTED NOTIFICATION PROCESSES. THE REFINERY FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED AND APPLIED A BLANKET OF FOAM OVER THE AFFECTED AREA TO SUPPRESS VAPORS. ADDITIONAL REFINERY PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON SCENE AND DETERMINED THE RELEASE WAS FROM CPC PIPING AND SUBSEQUENTLY CONTACTED COLONIAL'S CONTROL CENTER WHO SHUT DOWN THE LINE AT 15:39 LOCAL TIME. CPC AND CONTRACTOR RESOURCES WERE DEPLOYED TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE AND INITIATE REPAIRS. AT APPROXIMATELY 16:20 LOCAL TIME, CPC ESTIMATED RESPONSE AND RECOVERY COSTS WOULD LIKELY EXCEED $50,000 AND A NRC NOTIFICATION WAS MADE. THE REPAIR WAS COMPLETED AND PRESSURE TESTED BY 03:40 ON 2-10-2020. THE STATION WAS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATIONS. PRODUCT RECOVERY IS COMPLETE AND WORK IS UNDERWAY TO RESTORE THE AREA TO PRE-RELEASE CONDITION. FINAL REPORT UPDATE: THE INCIDENT ANALYSIS INDICATED THAT THE CAUSE OF FAILURE RELATIVE TO THE GASKET WAS LIKELY DUE TO A PRESSURE SPIKE DURING LINE STARTUP. THE PRESSURE SPIKE OCCURRED WHEN THE REFINERY STARTED THEIR PUMP AGAINST A CLOSED CONTROL VALVE, CREATING A PRESSURE TRANSIENT BACK TO THE FAILURE LOCATION THAT WEAKENED THE GASKET WHICH ULTIMATELY FAILED. THEREFORE, BASED ON CORRECTIVE ACTIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED GENERATED IN THE IA PROCESS, A CONTROLS PROGRAMMING CHANGE WAS MADE TO THE CONTROL VALVE TO ENSURE THE VALVE IS OPEN PRIOR TO START-UP. COLONIAL IS ALSO CONDUCTING FURTHER STUDIES AND ANALYSIS OF THIS SYSTEM TO DETERMINE IF ADDITIONAL ACTIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. SUPPLEMENTAL/FINAL DATED 3/8/2022, WAS DUE TO INTERNAL PEER REVIEW NOTING VOLUME RELEASED WAS 14 BARRELS, NOT 5 BARRELS.