PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC

Incident Narrative

AN ODOR COMPLAINT, FROM A FIBER OPTIC INSTALL CREW WORKING CLOSE TO MP 670, CAME TO P66 AT 10:45 ON 3/28/19. THE LINE WAS SHUT DOWN DUE TO SCHEDULING AT 04:06, 3/28/19 AND REMAINED DOWN THROUGH THIS EVENT. THE GOLD LINE, WHICH RUNS PARALLEL TO BLUE WAS SHUT DOWN AND BLUE AND GOLD LINES WERE PRESSURE TESTED. BOTH PASSED THE TESTS. SMALL EARTHEN HOLES WERE OPENED, AIR SAMPLES COLLECTED AND TESTED. RESULTS INDICATED HIGH LEVELS OF PROPANE WITH A TRACE OF MERCAPTON, LEAVING THE POSSIBILITY OF A THIRD-PARTY SOURCE. TO CONTROL ATMOSPHERIC VAPOR, LINE PRESSURE WAS REDUCED, PIGS LAUNCHED AND PUSHED WITH NITROGEN, TO DISPLACE THE PROPANE TO A FLARE BEFORE EXPLORATORY EXCAVATION COMMENCED. LINE RECORDS INDICATED THREE WELD+ENDS ON THE LINE IN THIS AREA. EXCAVATION UNEARTHED TWO WELD+ENDS. ONE REQUIRED A ""SNOOP"" LIQUID SOLUTION TO DETERMINE IT WAS WEEPING AND THE OTHER DISPLAYED AN ICE BALL. BOTH WERE REMOVED WITH APPROXIMATELY 50 FEET OF PIPE AND REPLACED WITH NEW LINE PIPE. BOTH WELD+ENDS WERE SENT FOR LAB ANALYSIS, WHICH IS NOT YET AVAILABLE. 5/23/2019 - UPDATE: LAB ANALYSIS RESULTS. THE FINAL LAB ANALYSIS REPORT FOR THE TWO SUSPECT WELD+ENDS REVEALED, IN GENERAL, INSUFFICIENT WELD SEALING OF METAL-TO-METAL SURFACES BETWEEN THE CARRIER PIPE, COUPLING AND THRUST SCREWS THAT BEGAN TO LEAK AFTER THE BUNA 'N', ELASTOMERIC SEAL DETERIORATED IN SERVICE. ONE COUPLING REVEALED FIVE LEAKS AND THE OTHER HAD ONE. THE INTERNAL PIPE SURFACE REVEALED NEGLIGIBLE CORROSION. THE ALLOY CONTENT OF THE PIPE SAMPLE WAS WITHIN SPECIFICATION FOR API 5L X52 PIPE. WELD EXAMINATION REVEALED LACK OF FUSION, SUCK-BACK, POROSITY AND COLD CRACKING. PLIDCO INDICATED THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF A BUNA 'N' MATERIAL SEAL IS BETWEEN 3 TO 5 YEARS. BELIEVING THESE COUPLINGS WERE INSTALLED IN 1982, THE SEALS LASTED MUCH LONGER THAN TYPICALLY EXPECTED.