PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC

Incident Narrative

SHELL/MOTIVA CALLED PHILLIPS 66 BARTLESVILLE CONTROL CENTER AND NOTIFIED THEM OF A LEAK ON PHILLIPS 66 PIPING INSIDE THEIR TEXACO VALVE FACILITY. THE LEAK WAS VENTING PROPANE TO ATMOSPHERE. PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINER RESPONDED CONFIRMING THE LEAK ON PHILLIPS 66 FILTER UNIT. SHELL/MOTIVA FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED AND SPRAYED WATER ON THE LEAK LOCATION UNTIL THE LEL LEVELS DROPPED FOR SAFE INGRESS/EGRESS TO ACHIEVE ISOLATION. THE SOURCE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FAILED NIPPLE DUE TO HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE. THE RELEASE VOLUME WAS 1.01 BBLS OF PROPANE. INITIAL THOUGHTS WERE THAT THE LEAK WAS DUE TO A FAILED GASKET AND UNDER THE $50K. ONCE THE AREA WAS SAFE AND SECURED WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINE ACTUAL CAUSE OF THE FAILED NIPPLE. DETERMINATION AT THAT TIME WAS THAT IT COULD EXCEED THE $50K THRESHOLD AND AN NRC CALL WAS MADE. THE ACTUAL INVESTIGATION ISN'T COMPLETED, ONCE IT IS A SUPPLEMENTAL/FINAL REPORT WILL BE ISSUED. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 07/10/2019 UPDATE: LAB ANALYSIS RESULTS THE PIPE NIPPLE CRACKED DUE TO HIGH-CYCLE FATIGUE INITIATING AT THE LAST ENGAGED THREAD, MOST LIKELY DUE TO VIBRATION IN THE EQUIPMENT NEARBY. THE METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS REVEALED: THE STRAIGHT, NON-CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC, AND NON-BRANCHING CRACKS CONFIRMED FAILURE DUE TO FATIGUE. BEACH MARKS AND FINE STRIATIONS ON THE PIPE FRACTURE SURFACE CONFIRMED HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE. THE CRACK MORPHOLOGY RULED OUT STRESS-CORROSION CRACKING AND INTERNAL CORROSION.