NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — March 5, 2018
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 5, 2018 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 39.18809, -89.46314 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
WHILE ATTEMPTING TO BLOW DOWN THE STOPPLE TOWER, THE TDW TECHNICIAN OPENED THE 2 INCH BLOW DOWN VALVE. THE TECHNICIAN HEARD A LOUD POP AND AMMONIA WAS RELEASED FROM THE 2 INCH VALVE. AMMONIA VAPORS WERE RELEASED FOR APPROXIMATELY 25 MINUTES CREATING A LARGE VAPOR CLOUD. PIPELINE WAS SHUT DOWN AND MAINLINE VALVES WERE CLOSED AND PRESSURE WAS REDUCED AT THE STOPPLE SITE SO THE 2 INCH VALVE COULD BE CLOSED TO STOP THE RELEASE. APPROXIMATELY 248 LBS. OF AMMONIA WAS RELEASED. TDW'S INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THE WRONG O-RING WAS USED WHEN THE STOPPLE WAS INSTALLED CAUSING THE COMPLETION PLUG TO SEIZE UP NOT ALLOWING THE PLUG TO BE REMOVED.
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.