ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 7, 2018
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 7, 2018 |
| Operator | ENTERPRISE PRODUCTS OPERATING LLC |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 30.16920, -96.68734 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $36,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"ON 12/7/18 AN ENTERPRISE CONTRACTOR INSTALLED A PIPELINE PIG PASSAGE INDICATOR (PIG SIG) INTO A 2 INCH THREAD-O-RING (TOR) FITTING CONNECTED TO A 14 INCH PIPELINE AT A PUMP STATION. THE PIG SIG WAS THEN INSPECTED FOR LEAKS AND A FEW SMALL BUBBLES WERE OBSERVED. BEFORE THE CONNECTION COULD BE TIGHTENED COMPLETELY, THE PIG SIG LAUNCHED FROM THE TOR OPENING AND LANDED APPROXIMATELY 67 FEET FROM THE INSTALLATION SITE. THIS OCCURRED AT 08:33 LOCAL TIME. THE ENTERPRISE TECHNICIAN ON-SITE IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND EVACUATED THE PUMP STATION, CONTACTED PIPELINE CONTROL, AND ISOLATED THE PIPELINE. THE NRC (NRC # 1232319) WAS NOTIFIED ON 12/7/18 AT 14:20 LOCAL TIME AS SOON AS THE DETERMINATION WAS MADE THAT THE COST WAS EXPECTED TO EXCEED $50,000. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TOR THREADS WERE DAMAGED DURING THE INSTALLATION PROCESS. THE LEAK WAS REPAIRED BY CAPPING THE 2 INCH TOR, AND THE LINE WAS RETURNED TO NORMAL OPERATION ON 12/8/18 AT 15:00 LOCAL TIME. TO PREVENT RECURRENCE, FUTURE JOB PLANS FOR INSTALLING PIG SIGS SHALL INCLUDE VERIFYING THAT THE TOR THREADS ARE NOT DAMAGED BY HAND INSERTING A PIG SIG INTO UNINSTALLED TORS TO ENSURE THAT THREADS ENGAGE PROPERLY. 48 HOUR NRC UPDATE # 1232458"
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.