BUCKEYE DEVELOPMENT & LOGISTICS, LLC

Incident Narrative

ON TUESDAY, 01/14/2020 AT APPROXIMATELY 10:30 AM A PIPELINER WITH BUCKEYE WAS PERFORMING A NORMAL MAINTENANCE INSPECTION ON THE TPC 4-2 PIPELINE IN TEXAS CITY, TEXAS. DURING THE INSPECTION THE PIPELINER NOTED AN LPG ODOR COMING FROM THE CASING VENT AND VERIFIED THE PRESENCE OF HYDROCARBON UTILIZING AN LEL METER. THE PIPELINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND LOCAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE (NRC CASE #1268675). AN INSPECTION OF THE AREA SURROUNDING THE CASING VENTS WAS PERFORMED AND NO SIGNS OF LEAK WERE NOTED. IT IS CURRENTLY BELIEVED THAT THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK IS FULLY CONTAINED WITHIN THE PIPELINE CASING. FOLLOWING THE PIPELINE SHUTDOWN THE BUCKEYE MONT BELVIEU CONTROL CENTER (MBCC) HAS BEEN MONITORING PIPELINE PRESSURES WITH NO PRESSURE LOSS SINCE SHUTDOWN. BUCKEYE HAS HAD A CONTINUAL PRESENCE AT THE SUSPECTED LEAK SITE SINCE ITS DISCOVERY AND IS MONITORING LEL LEVELS IN THE CASING VENTS ON AN HOURLY BASIS. A PLAN WAS DEVELOPED AND EXECUTED TO REMOVE THE CASED SECTION OF PIPE AND REPLACE WITH NEW, PRE-TESTED PIPE. THE PIPELINE WAS RESTARTED ON TUESDAY 01/22/2020 AT 07:07. THE REMOVED SECTION OF PIPE WAS SENT TO A THIRD PARTY FOR ANALYSIS AND DETERMINATION OF THE LEAK SOURCE. THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT THE METALLURGICAL CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS EXTERNAL CORROSION, WHICH WAS LOCATED ON THE TOP OF THE CARRIER PIPE WITHIN A CASING. THE MOST LIKELY CAUSE OF THE EXTERNAL CORROSION WAS LEAKING OF THE END SEALS OF THE CASING, WHICH ALLOWED GROUND WATER TO ENTER THE CASING. LIKELY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS FOR THE CORROSION WERE ENVIRONMENTAL CYCLING BETWEEN WET AND DRY CONDITIONS, AND HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF CHLORIDES, WHICH WERE FOUND IN THE CORROSION PRODUCTS AND DEPOSITS ON THE PIPE AT AREAS OF COATING DAMAGE WITHIN THE CASING. BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL CYCLING AND CHLORIDES CAN INCREASE EXTERNAL CORROSION RATE ON THE CARRIER PIPE.