PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC

Incident Narrative

ON MAY 11, 2017 AT APPROXIMATELY 1:10 PM (CENTRAL TIME), MAINTENANCE CREWS HAD EXCAVATED A HALF SOLE REPAIR TO PERFORM AN ENHANCED INTEGRITY EVALUATION ON MX-30 AT MP 55.8. ONCE THE DITCH WAS OPENED, THE CREW NOTICED A SMELL OF NGL, SO THEY DID A SOAP TEST ON THE PIPELINE AND FOUND THE LINE WEEPING ABOUT 3"" UPSTREAM OF THE HALF SOLE. THE CREW CLEARED OUT OF THE EXCAVATION, AND THE PIPELINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUTDOWN. PLANS WERE MADE AND EXECUTED TO DE-PRESSURE THE LINE AND REPLACE THE SECTION OF THE PIPELINE WHICH WAS WEEPING ALONG WITH THE HALF SOLE REPAIR WHICH WAS BEING EVALUATED. THE NEW SECTION OF PIPE WAS INSTALLED AND THE LINE WAS RESTARTED ON MAY 15, 2017. THE SECTION OF PIPE WHICH WAS REMOVED WAS SENT TO THE P66 LAB IN BARTLESVILLE, OK FOR ANALYSIS ON MAY 15, 2017. TO DATE, THE CAUSE OF THE LEAK HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. ONCE THE ANALYSIS IS COMPLETE, THIS REPORT WILL BE UPDATED AND FINALIZED. UPDATE - AUGUST 21, 2017. ANALYSIS OF THE FAILURE DETERMINED THAT THE LEAK WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE PUDDLE WELD. THE WELD WAS TORCHED THROUGH THE PIPE WALL AND THEN FILLED IN AND WAS FOUND TO HAVE HIGH POROSITY AND MANY VOIDS. THERE IS NO RECORD OF THIS REPAIR BEING PERFORMED, SO IT IS UNKNOWN WHEN THE REPAIR WAS DONE. PUDDLE WELDS ARE CURRENTLY NOT ALLOWED BY P66 PROCEDURES, SO IT IS LIKELY THIS REPAIR WAS DONE SOMETIME IN THE PAST, WHEN THESE TYPE OF WELDS WERE ALLOWED.