PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — October 2, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | October 2, 2016 |
| Operator | PLANTATION PIPE LINE CO |
| Commodity | REFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 31.63511, -89.51914 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | FAILURE OF EQUIPMENT BODY (EXCEPT PUMP), TANK PLATE, OR OTHER MATERIAL |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $2,500 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
THE LOCAL TANK FARM O&M HEARD A LOUD NOISE FROM THE CONTROL ROOM AND IMMEDIATELY WALKED OUTSIDE TO DISCOVER PRODUCT SPRAYING FROM THE TOP OF THE CNG PROVER. THE O&M CALLED THE ALPHARETTA CONTROL CENTER AND REQUESTED A SHUTDOWN OF THE CNG PIPELINE. ONCE THE PIPELINE WAS SHUTDOWN, THE SPRAYING PRODUCT STREAM WAS REDUCED BUT DID NOT STOP. THE O&M THEN REQUESTED TO HAVE THE TANK VALVE CLOSED WHICH STOPPED THE SPRAY OF PRODUCT. AFTER INVESTIGATION, THE CAUSE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A FAILED VENT VALVE CONNECTED TO THE TOP OF THE CNG PROVER. THE VALVE FRACTURED LENGTHWISE THROUGH THE VALVE BODY. THE BRITTLE FRACTURE WAS THE RESULT OF USING A VALVE BODY MANUFACTURED FROM RESULFURIZED, REPHOSPHORIZED COLD-FINISHED HEXAGONAL BAR STOCK AND STRESS CONCENTRATIONS FROM WRENCH SLOTS IN THE VALVE BODY. THE FRACTURE ORIGINATED IN BOTH MACHINED SLOTS FOR A WRENCH. THE VALVE BODY THICKNESS AT THE MACHINED SLOTS WAS 25% OF THE SURROUNDING THICKNESS. THE REDUCTION IN THICKNESS AT THE WRENCH SLOTS REPRESENTS A STRESS CONCENTRATION. SINCE THE REPHOSPHORIZED AND RESULFURIZED CARBON STEEL IS BRITTLE AND HAS LOW ELONGATION TO FRACTURE, THE STEEL COULD NOT DEFORM AT THE STRESS CONCERTATION FROM THE WRENCH SLOTS TO RE-DISTRIBUTE THE LOAD.
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.