EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — May 11, 2019
Incident Information
| Incident Date | May 11, 2019 |
| Operator | EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.04111, -95.36683 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON MAY 11TH, 2019 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:50 PM A PIPELINE TECHNICIAN RESPONDED TO A CALL FROM THE CONTROL CENTER REGARDING A POWER OUTAGE AT THE DOW ETHYLENE METER AT STRATTON RIDGE AND NOTICED A SMALL FLAME ON THE RELIEF TUBING TO THE ANALYZER. THE RELIEF TUBING WAS BLOCKED IN BY CLOSING THE BLOCK VALVE DOWNSTREAM OF THE WELKER PROBE ELIMINATING THE FUEL SOURCE AND CAUSING THE FLAME TO EXTINGUISH. THERE WAS A THUNDERSTORM IN THE AREA AND IT IS BELIEVED THAT A STATIC CHARGE BUILD UP IN THE AREA DUE TO A LIGHTNING STRIKE CAUSED THE SMALL TUBING LEAK TO IGNITE. PRIMARY ROOT CAUSE - THE RELIEF VALVE ON THE TUBING LEAKED CONTRIBUTING FACTOR - LIGHTING STRIKE IN THE AREA, POTENTIAL STATIC CHARGE OTHER FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LEAK - THE WELKER PROBE REGULATOR IS PRONE TO HAVING ISSUES WITH POSITIVE SHUTOFF PLAN TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: THE VALVE IN QUESTION IS A 1/2' TUBING RELIEF VALVE MANUFACTURED BY WELKER FOR USE ON THE LOW PRESSURE SIDE OF THE REGULATOR, AND IT IS SET AT 50 PSIG. WE ARE REPLACING THE RELIEF VALVE TO PREVENT REOCCURRENCE.
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.