DCP MIDSTREAM

Incident Narrative

AFTER POWER OUTAGE AT THREE RIVERS PUMP STATION, OPERATOR HAD RESTARTED PRODUCT PUMPS AND NOTICED A PINHOLE LEAK ON THE BALANCE TUBE OF PUMP #2, WHEN MAKING EQUIPMENT ROUNDS AFTER RESTART. THE PINHOLE LEAK WAS ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE BALANCE TUBE AS THE LEAK THAT OCCURED ON 11-29-16 ON THE SAME BALANCE TUBE/PUMP. NGL WAS LEAKING OUT OF THE PINHOLE LEAK IN THE WELD AREA WHERE THE BALANCE TUBE IS WELDED TO THE BODY OF THE PUMP, AND IMMEDIATELY VAPORIZING TO ATMOSPHERE DUE TO THE EXTREMELY SMALL LEAK RATE. OPERATIONS MANNED THE PUMP AROUND THE CLOCK WHILE A REPAIR PLAN WAS BEING DEVELOPED. THE PUMP WAS SHUTDOWN, ISOLATED, AND PRESSURE RELIEVED WITH NO CHANGE IN LEAK RATE OF THE PINHOLE. ANALYSIS OF THE PINHOLE LEAK DIMENSIONS ARE BEING CONDUCTED. INITIAL NRC TELPHONIC REPORT WAS FOR 5 GALLONS OF PRODUCT. ENGINEERING ESTIMATIONS AT THIS TIME SHOW 20 GALLONS OF PRODUCT BEING RELEASED TO ATMOSPHERE FOR THE ENTIRE EVENT. PUMPS OF SIMILAR DESIGN HAVE SINCE BEEN REDESIGNED TO ALLOW BETTER WELDING PRACTICES OF THE BALANCE TUBE TO THE PUMP BODY. UPDATE AND FINAL 8-4-17: UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE EQUIPMENT, INFORMATION IN THIS ORIGINAL REPORT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED TO BE ACCURATE AND FINAL CONCERNING FAILURE ANALYSIS, CORRECTIVE ACTION, AND RELEASE ESTIMATES.