WEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE CO

Incident Narrative

HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TESTING PROJECT WAS UNDERWAY ON THE COLORADO CITY TO ABILENE SEGMENT OF THE WEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE SYSTEM. ON OCTOBER 13, 2018 THE INITIAL PRESSURE TEST WAS STOPPED DUE TO PRESSURE LOSS. AFTER PATROLLING THE TEST SEGMENT A PINHOLE FROM AN EXTERNAL CORROSION ANOMALY WAS DISCOVERED AT MP 25.1 ON OCTOBER 15, 2018. THE AREA WAS EXCAVATED AND A PLIDCO CLAMP WAS INSTALLED OVER THE PINHOLE. A SMALL AMOUNT OF RESIDUAL PRODUCT WAS DISCOVERED AT THIS TIME. THE EXCAVATION WAS LEFT OPEN FOR MONITORING OF THE CLAMP DURING SUBSEQUENT HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TESTING ACTIVITIES. DURING SUBSEQUENT PRESSURE TEST ACTIVITIES CREWS CONTINUED TO MONITOR THIS LOCATION AND PATROL THE REMAINDER OF THE TEST SEGMENT. THE AREA WAS EXPERIENCING HEAVY RAINFALL DURING THIS TIME PERIOD AND A VACUUM TRUCK WAS ROUTINELY REMOVING RAIN WATER FROM THE OPEN EXCAVATION WHERE THE CLAMP WAS APPLIED. FOR SAFETY REASONS PERSONNEL WERE NOT PERMITTED TO BE IN THE EXCAVATION DURING THE SUBSEQUENT PRESSURE TEST ATTEMPTS SO THE CLAMP WAS MONITORED FOR LEAKAGE FROM THE TOP OF THE EXCAVATION TO THE DEGREE POSSIBLE. THIS CIRCUMSTANCE COMBINED WITH THE CONSTANT COLLECTION OF RAINWATER IN THE EXCAVATION MASKED THE ESCAPE OF DYED HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TEST WATER AND RESIDUAL PRODUCT FROM WHAT WAS ULTIMATELY DISCOVERED TO BE WEEPING OF THE CLAMP. ON OCTOBER 20TH AT APPROXIMATELY 16:00 CREWS DETERMINED THAT THE CLAMP WAS WEEPING AND THAT RESIDUAL PRODUCT HAD BEEN RELEASED. DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL AND ANTICIPATED TOTAL COSTS EXCEEDING $50,000 THE NRC WAS NOTIFIED ON OCTOBER 20, 2018 (REPORT 1228043) WITH FOLLOW UP NRC (REPORT 1228252) ALSO COMPLETED. IN ORDER FOR THE CREW TO ENTER THE EXCAVATION PRESSURES WERE REDUCED TO A SAFE LEVEL AND THE EXCAVATION WAS CONTINUALLY VACUUMED TO PREVENT COLLECTION OF RAINWATER. ONCE ABLE TO ACCESS THE CLAMP THE CREW LOOSENED THE BOLTS, REPOSITIONED THE CLAMP AND TORQUED THE BOLTS BACK TO MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS. THIS ACTIVITY ALLOWED THE CLAMP TO FULLY SEAL AND HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TEST ACTIVITIES RESUMED ULTIMATELY ACHIEVING A SUCCESSFUL TEST ON OCTOBER 29, 2018. TOTAL AMOUNT OF CRUDE OIL RELEASED WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 BBLS. RELEASED HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE TEST WATER AND RESIDUAL CRUDE OIL MIXTURE WAS RECOVERED FROM THE EXCAVATION AREA BY VACUUM TRUCK AND CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS TRANSPORTED TO A COMPANY FACILITY FOR REMEDIATION. DUE TO COMPLEXITY OF THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE AND THE ELAPSED TIME PERIOD FROM INITIAL CLAMP INSTALLATION NONE OF THE PERSONNEL INVOLVED WITH THE INSTALLATION WERE DIRECTED TO UNDERGO DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING. THERE WERE NO INDICATIONS THAT THE PERSONNEL HAD NOT FOLLOWED PROCEDURES AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE INITIAL INSTALLATION OF THE CLAMP.