SUNOCO PIPELINE L.P.

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 12:15 ON 11/12/18 A COMPANY TRUCK DRIVER WAS UNLOADING AT THE ADJACENT RULE FACILITY AND NOTICED CRUDE OIL IN THE BAR DITCH ON THE SIDE OF STATE HIGHWAY 6 NEAR RULE, TX. THE DRIVER CONTACTED THE CONTROL CENTER AND THE LINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUTDOWN. LOCAL OPERATIONS PERSONNEL RESPONDED TO THE LOCATION AT APPROXIMATELY 12:32. AFTER INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT COSTS WOULD LIKELY EXCEED $50,000. NRC WAS NOTIFIED AT 13:39 LOCAL TIME AND REPORT 1230168 WAS ISSUED. THE TX RAILROAD COMMISSION WAS NOTIFIED AND INCIDENT 1879 WAS ASSIGNED. ALL FREE PRODUCT WAS RECOVERED VIA VACUUM TRUCK AND CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED FOR REMEDIATION AT COMPANY FACILITY. THE AREA WAS EXCAVATED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FIRST GIRTH WELD OUTSIDE OF THE CASED CROSSING OF STATE HIGHWAY 6 HAD FAILED. THIS WELD WAS AN ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION WELD (1927) AND DID NOT HAVE A WELD REINFORCEMENT COLLAR INSTALLED. THE SECTION OF LINE WAS DRAINED DOWN AND 39.9' OF PIPE WAS CUT OUT AND REPLACED. THE NEXT WELD DOWNSTREAM WAS EXPOSED AND WAS FOUND TO HAVE A WELD REINFORCEMENT COLLAR INSTALLED. ILI DATA INDICATED THAT THE NEXT GIRTH WELD DOWNSTREAM ALSO HAD A WELD REINFORCEMENT COLLAR INSTALLED. THE THREE UPSTREAM GIRTH WELDS ARE INSIDE THE CASED CROSSING OF STATE HIGHWAY 6 AND DO NOT HAVE WELD REINFORCEMENTS. AFTER THIS INVESTIGATION CLEAN BACKFILL WAS BROUGHT IN, THE LINE WAS STATIC PRESSURE TESTED AND RETURNED TO SERVICE ON 11/14/18. 48 HOUR NRC UPDATE REPORT WAS FILED ON 11/14/18 AND REPORT 1230352 WAS ISSUED. THE DISCHARGE PRESSURE AT THE TIME OF DISCOVERY FROM THE ADJACENT RULE FACILITY WAS 55 PSI. A SLIGHT PRESSURE DROP WAS NOTED IN SCADA HOWEVER THIS CONDITION WAS NOT CONSIDERED OUT OF NORMAL OPERATING PARAMETERS AT THE TIME BECAUSE A DOWNSTREAM INJECTION PUMP WAS CYCLING WHICH CAN INFLUENCE UPSTREAM PRESSURES. ADDITIONALLY, NO SCADA ALARMS OCCURRED BECAUSE DURING TRANSIENT CONDITIONS THE PRESSURE AND FLOW ALARMS ARE TEMPORARILY DISABLED TO REDUCE NUISANCE ALARMS UNTIL DOWNSTREAM INJECTION PRESSURES STABILIZE. THE LEAKWARN SYSTEM DID NOT ALARM BECAUSE IT DID NOT MEET THRESHOLDS OF ANY OF THE CURRENT ALARMING WINDOWS. THE SECTION OF PIPE WITH THE FAILED WELD WAS SENT TO A 3RD PARTY LABORATORY FOR ANALYSIS. THIS ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THAT THERE WERE NUMEROUS DEFECTS IN THE WELD INCLUDING POROSITY, SLAG, INCOMPLETE FUSION AND PENETRATION WITH BRITTLE FRACTURING AT THE EXTERNAL SURFACE OF THE WELD. THE DEFECTIVE WELD FRACTURED AS A RESULT OF THESE DEFECTS COMBINED WITH EXTERNAL OVERLOADING. THE SURROUNDING SOIL WAS OVERLY SATURATED DUE TO HIGH LEVELS OF RAINFALL WHICH CAUSED INSTABILITY. THIS INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH THE LOADING INCURRED DUE TO THE ADJACENT STATE HIGHWAY WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE WELDS WITHIN THE CASING THAT DO NOT HAVE WELD REINFORCEMENT COLLARS ARE NOT AT RISK DUE TO BEING CASED AND NOT SUBJECTED TO THE SAME STRESS INDUCED ON THE DOWNSTREAM WELDS THAT ARE NOT CASED. THE TWO DOWNSTREAM ORIGINAL WELDS FROM THE FAILURE HAVE WELD REINFORCEMENT COLLARS INSTALLED. THE TIE IN WELDS FOR THE REPLACEMENT PIPE ARE OF SUPERIOR, MODERN METHOD AND WERE BOTH NON DESTRUCTIVELY TESTED AFTER COMPLETION. THE NEW WELDS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE TWO REINFORCED DOWNSTREAM WELDS WILL AID TO PREVENT RECURRENCE OF THE RELEASE AT THIS LOCATION.