NUSTAR PERMIAN TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE, LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — July 7, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | July 7, 2019 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PERMIAN TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE, LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.29165, -101.37327 |
Cause
| Cause | CORROSION FAILURE |
| Subcause | INTERNAL CORROSION |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $10,000 |
| Emergency Response | $6,000 |
| Other Costs | $5,014 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
DURING AN INSPECTION OF NUSTAR'S BIG SPRING TERMINAL FACILITY, A LEAK WAS DISCOVERED ON A BELOW-GRADE PIPE SEGMENT BETWEEN BREAKOUT TANKS 2400 AND 2300. THE PIPE SEGMENT WAS ISOLATED USING A VALVE AT TANK 2300. A SECTION OF PIPING CONTAINING THE FAILURE WAS REMOVED FOR ANALYSIS. UPDATE: THE FAILURE OCCURRED DUE TO THROUGH-WALL CORROSION CAUSED BY A LOCALIZED CORROSION CELL ON THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE PIPE. LOW FLUID VELOCITY WITH INTERMITTENT STAGNANT CONDITIONS ON THE PIPE SEGMENT ALLOWED SOLIDS AND WATER TO ACCUMULATE ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPE. CHLORINE AND SULFUR WERE PRESENT AS CORROSION PROMOTERS, AND EVIDENCE OF MICROBIOLOGICALLY INDUCED CORROSION WAS FOUND.
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.