EXPLORER PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — August 25, 2020
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 25, 2020 |
| Operator | EXPLORER PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 31.92174, -95.81762 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | PUMP OR PUMP-RELATED EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $18,000 |
| Emergency Response | $5,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON TUESDAY AUGUST 25, 2020 AT 20:12 THE EXPLORER PIPELINE CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED A VAPOR MONITOR ALARM AT THE PALESTINE, TEXAS PUMP STATION. THE PIPELINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND THE PUMP STATION WAS ISOLATED FROM THE MAINLINE PIPELINE. LOCAL PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT 20:57 AND CONFIRMED THAT THE UNIT 3 INBOARD PUMP SEAL HAD FAILED CAUSING A RELEASE. THE LOCKING WASHER KEYWAY TAB ON THE INBOARD PUMP SEAL BROKE AND ALLOWED THE LOCK NUT TO LOOSEN ON THE SHAFT. THE END THRUST OF THE PUMP EXCEED TOLERANCE DAMAGING THE INBOARD PUMP SEAL THAT IS COMPOSED OF A CARBON-BASED MATERIAL. A TOTAL OF 200 GALLONS OF GASOLINE WAS RELEASED FROM THE PUMP SEAL BUT WAS CONTAINED ON THE PROPERTY WITHIN A CHECK VALVE VAULT ADJACENT TO THE PUMP."
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.