NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — November 20, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | November 20, 2016 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P. |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 44.37889, -98.46278 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $250 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 11/20/16 AT 16:01 DURING A ROUTINE FACILITY INSPECTION OF THE WOLSEY TERMINAL, THE TERMINAL OPERATOR FOUND A HIGH POINT AIR BLEED VALVE TO BE LEAKING D GRADE FROM TANK 50-3 PIPING. THE TWO PIECE FLANGED BALL VALVE HAD SPLIT WHERE IT BOLTS TOGETHER. 15 GALLONS OF DIESEL FUEL WAS RELEASED. THE VALVE CONTAINED RESIDUAL WATER FOLLOWING HYDRO-TESTING OF THE PIPE. ON 11/19/2016 THE TEMPERATURE DROPPED ENOUGH TO FREEZE THE WATER IN THE BLEEDER VALVE, CAUSING THE VALVE BODY TO SPLIT. ON 11/20/2016 THE TEMPERATURES WARMED UP AND TOGETHER WITH THE SUN SHINING ON THE VALVE ALLOWED THE ICE TO MELT, AND PRODUCT TO FLOW OUT OF THE SPLIT. THE TANK PUMP SUCTION AND DISCHARGE VALVES WERE CLOSED TO STOP THE LEAK. PROPER NOTIFICATIONS WERE MADE, AND ABSORBENT PADS AND FLOOR DRY WERE USED TO CLEAN THE AREA. THE CRACKED VALVE WAS REPLACED AND OTHER VALVES INVOLVED IN THE HYDROSTATIC TEST WERE INSPECTED FOR RESIDUAL WATER.
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.