EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 9, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 9, 2017 |
| Operator | EQUISTAR CHEMICALS, L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.04111, -95.36683 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $7,000 |
| Emergency Response | $1,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
3RD PARTY CUSTOMER NOTIFIED OPERATOR OF A VAPOR RELEASE COMING FROM OPERATOR'S METER SKID AREA WITHIN CUSTOMER'S FACILITY AT APPROXIMATELY 06:20; OPERATOR DISPATCHED TECHNICIANS TO INVESTIGATE THE REPORTED RELEASE. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT WAS NOTIFIED BY 3RD PARTY CUSTOMER AND LAW ENFORCEMENT ELECTED TO CLOSE LOCAL ROAD AS A PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE PRIOR TO EQUISTAR PERSONNEL ARRIVING ON-SITE. TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED SOURCE OF THE RELEASE AT APPROXIMATELY 08:05 TO BE A PRODUCT QUALITY ANALYZER SAMPLE SYSTEM, AND BLOCKED-IN THE AFFECTED EQUIPMENT AT APPROXIMATELY 08:49. THE SAMPLE SYSTEM'S PRESSURE REGULATOR FAILED OPEN DUE TO THE COLD WEATHER, CAUSING THE SAMPLE SYSTEM'S RELIEF VALVE TO LIFT AND RELEASE ETHYLENE TO THE ATMOSPHERE. THE AFFECTED PIPELINE AND METER SKID WERE IDLE (NOT FLOWING) AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND NO SCADA OR CPM LEAK DETECTION ALARMS WERE RECEIVED BY THE CONTROLLER.
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.