WEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE CO
hazardous_liquid Incident — — August 8, 2016
Incident Information
| Incident Date | August 8, 2016 |
| Operator | WEST TEXAS GULF PIPELINE CO |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.52991, -100.83040 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $157,000 |
| Emergency Response | $50,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 8, 2016 DELIVERY FROM TANK 15 WAS COMPLETED AT APPROXIMATELY 02:35. CONTROL CENTER RECEIVED TANK CREEP ALARMS AND CONTACTED FIELD OPERATIONS PERSONNEL TO INVESTIGATE. AT APPROXIMATELY 06:25 FIELD PERSONNEL DISCOVERED RELEASE FROM TANK 15 MIXER AREA. ADDITIONAL FIELD PERSONNEL AND RESOURCES WERE DISPATCHED TO LOCATION WHILE TANK 15 WAS PUMPED OUT TO BELOW TANK MIXER LEVEL TO STOP RELEASE. ALL FREE CRUDE OIL WAS RECOVERED VIA VACUUM TRUCK AND CONTAMINATED SOIL WAS REMEDIATED ON SITE. TOTAL VOLUME RELEASED WAS 700 BARRELS. APPROXIMATELY 250 BARRELS WERE RECOVERED. AN ESTIMATED 145 BARRELS WAS ENTRAINED IN THE SOIL AND AN ESTIMATED 305 BARRELS VOLITALIZED. IT WAS DETERMINED IN THE FIELD THAT THE MIXER ASSEMBLY HAD FAILED CAUSING THE RELEASE OF CRUDE OIL FROM THE TANK. THE MIXER ASSEMBLY WAS REMOVED AND SENT FOR 3RD PARTY FAILURE ANALYSIS. ANALYSIS CONCLUDED THAT THE CAUSE WAS THE FAILURE OF THE UPPER C-CLIP OF THE MIXER MOTOR ASSEMBLY, CAUSING EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND ULTIMATE FAILURE OF THE MIXER HINGE. OTHER MIXERS OF SAME DESIGN AND MANUFACTURER IN THE SPLP SYSTEM HAVE BEEN INSPECTED AND REPAIRED OR RETROFITTED WITH MANUFACTURER HINGE PIN REPLACEMENT KITS.
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.