NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — October 7, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 7, 2019 |
| Operator | NUSTAR LOGISTICS, L.P. |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 27.81748, -97.40699 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $15,000 |
| Emergency Response | $6,089 |
| Other Costs | $4,667 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
A LEAK WAS DISCOVERED INSIDE NUSTAR'S CORPUS CHRISTI CRUDE TERMINAL BY NUSTAR OPERATIONS PERSONNEL, WHO NOTICED AN ODOR WHILE WORKING INSIDE THE FACILITY. THE LEAK ORIGINATED AT A BELOW-GRADE 10-INCH STEEL PIPE THAT WAS DESIGNED TO ASSIST WITH THE CIRCULATION OF CRUDE OIL WITHIN TK 400M-1. THE SEGMENT CONTAINING THE LEAK WAS IMMEDIATELY ISOLATED BY NUSTAR OPERATIONS PERSONNEL USING VALVES AT AN ADJACENT MANIFOLD ON TK 400M-1. A SECTION OF PIPE CONTAINING THE LEAK HAS BEEN REMOVED AND WILL BE SENT FOR ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. UPDATE - THE FAILURE OCCURRED DUE TO THROUGH WALL CORROSION CAUSED BY CORROSION CELLS ASSOCIATED WITH SOLIDS DEPOSITS ON THE PIPE ID. STAGNANT CONDITIONS ALLOWED SOLIDS AND WATER TO ACCUMULATED ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPE. CHLORINE AND SULFUR WERE PRESENT AS CORROSION PROMOTERS.
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.