MID - VALLEY PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — January 11, 2017
Incident Information
| Incident Date | January 11, 2017 |
| Operator | MID - VALLEY PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 40.70825, -84.12206 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | PUMP OR PUMP-RELATED EQUIPMENT |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000 |
| Emergency Response | $44,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
DURING A ROUTINE STATION INSPECTION ON 1/11/2017, LOCAL OPERATING PERSONNEL DISCOVERED CRUDE OIL ON AND AROUND PUMP UNIT #4. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A BOLT WHICH HOLDS THE THRUST END OF THE SHAFT ON THE PUMP HAD BROKEN. THE BREAK ALLOWED THE PUMP SHAFT TO SLIDE TOWARD THE MOTOR WHICH RELEASED THE PRELOAD ON THE SEAL FACES ON THE OUTBOARD END WHICH ALLOWED THE FACES TO OPEN AND PRODUCT TO ESCAPE OUT OF THE CONNECTING FACES. THE PUMP WAS ACTIVE AT THE TIME BUT WAS SHUTTING DOWN. ALL CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMOVED FOR OFFSITE DISPOSAL. UPON INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE FAILED BOLT WHICH HAD BEEN REPLACED AT AN UNKNOWN POINT IN THE PAST WAS INCONSISTENT WITH MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS. THE BROKEN BOLT WAS REPLACED WITH ONE MEETING PROPER SPECIFICATIONS, THE FAILED PUMP SEALS WERE REPLACED AND THE PUMP UNIT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE. ALL OTHER PUMP UNITS AT LIMA WERE INSPECTED FOR SIMILAR CONDITION AND BOLTS WERE REPLACED AS NECESSARY.
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.