BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.39667, -78.18250 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON NOVEMBER 18, 2019 BUCKEYE PERSONNEL ARRIVED ON MOUNTAIN ROAD AT TUSSEY MOUNTAIN TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE ACTIVITIES ON LINE 720 AND NOTICED A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR. THEY IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED THE CONTROL CENTER. THE LINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND ISOLATED. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE. EMERGENCY PERSONNEL WAS DEPLOYED TO THE SITE. INCIDENT COMMAND WAS SET UP AT A NEARBY FIRE STATION. BUCKEYE REMOVED A 160-FEET SECTION AND SENT IT TO A LABORATORY TO CONDUCT METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. LINE 720 WAS REPAIRED AND PUT BACK IN SERVICE ON NOVEMBER 28. UPDATE MAY 2020: THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ON NOVEMBER 15, 2019, A REPAIR INVOLVING AN A-SLEEVE WAS INCORRECTLY PERFORMED. UPDATE AUGUST 2020: THE RESULTS OF THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THAT THE GIRTH WELD FAILED BY DUCTILE AND BRITTLE OVERLOAD INITIATING AT THE HYDROGEN ASSISTED COLD CRACK (HACC), RESULTING IN AN THROUGH-WALL CRACK FROM THE 11:28 TO 12:42 ORIENTATION (6 INCHES IN CIRCUMFERENTIAL LENGTH). THE HACC WAS SMALL AND LATENT FOR MANY DECADES, UNTIL SIGNIFICANT EXTERNAL FORCE, LIKELY ASSOCIATED WITH SOIL CONDITIONS AND EXCAVATION AND INSTALLATION OF THE SLEEVE, WAS SUFFICIENT TO OVERLOAD THE REMAINING PIPE MATERIAL. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF CRACK GROWTH BY FATIGUE.
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.