HOLLY ENERGY PARTNERS - OPERATING, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | HOLLY ENERGY PARTNERS - OPERATING, L.P. |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.80760, -104.44690 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
AFTER 22:00 THE CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED INTERMITTENT VAPOR MONITOR ALARMS SHOWING HIGH LEL CONCENTRATION. THE CONTROLLER SHUT DOWN THE PIPELINE, ISOLATED THE PUMP STATION, CONTACTED I & E FOREMAN WHO DISPATCHED A TECHNICIAN. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ""SEAL FAILED"" ON EL PASO 6"" PIPELINE, UNIT 2 GISSLER PUMP STATION, RELEASING AN ESTIMATED 15 GALLONS OF ISO-BUTANE THAT WAS FROZEN TO THE PUMP SKID, PUMP, AND SURROUNDING GROUND. THE ROOT CAUSE WAS DETERMINED TO BE CARBON PARTICLES THAT HAD COLLECTED BEHIND THE SEAL SPRINGS, PREVENTING THE SEAT FROM TOUCHING THE SEAL, CREATING THERMAL STRESS, AND FRACTURING THE SEAL MATERIAL. UNIT 2 WAS COMPLETELY ISOLATED, LOTO, PURGED, AND THE TECHNICIANS, REMOVED THE FAULTY SEAL. THE ""CARBON SILICON SEAL"" WAS REPLACED WITH A ""TUNGSTEN CARBIDE SEAL"" WHICH IS LESS LIKELY TO FRACTURE UNDER THERMAL STRESS. THE SURROUNDING GROUND AREA, INCLUDING PUMP & PUMP SKID WERE CLEANED, UNIT 2 WAS REASSEMBLED, CHECKED FOR LEAKS, STARTED, BROUGHT UP TO NORMAL WORKING PRESSURE. THE TECHNICIANS CONTINUED ONSITE MONITORING UNIT 2 UNTIL SATISFIED THE REPAIR WERE COMPLETE
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.