PLAINS PIPELINE, L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | PLAINS PIPELINE, L.P. |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.94075, -89.93670 |
Cause
| Cause | INCORRECT OPERATION |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
APPROXIMATELY 0.6 BBLS OF CRUDE OIL WERE RELEASED AS A RESULT OF A VALVE MALFUNCTION ON A METER SKID AT PLAINS VALERO METERING STATION, CAUSING THE THERMAL RELIEF VALVES TO DISCHARGE INTO THE SUMP AND THE SUMP TO OVERFILL. IT WAS DISCOVERED LATER THAT THE THERMAL RELIEF VALVES WERE SET INCORRECTLY. PLAINS HAS SINCE REPLACED THE THERMAL RELIEF VALVES WITH THE CORRECT SETTINGS AND VERIFIED ALL ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT FOR PROPER WORKING CONDITION. SUPPLEMENTAL NARRATIVE: TO CLARIFY, THE EQUIPMENT WAS INSTALLED CORRECTLY AND THE THERMAL RELIEF VALVE OPERATED PROPERLY, HOWEVER, THE PRESSURE SETTING WAS INCORRECT. THE EQUIPMENT WAS PURCHASED FROM AND INSTALLED BY A VENDOR/CONTRACTOR, THE WOOD GROUP. PLAINS DETERMINED THE ROOT CAUSE TO BE THE SETTING OF THE THERMAL RELIEF. IF THIS HAD BEEN SET CORRECTLY AT 275, INSTEAD OF 150, EXCESSIVE PRODUCT WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO THE SUMP. PLAINS HAS CHECKED THE OTHER THERMAL RELIEF VALVES AT THE STATION TO VERIFY THEY ARE SET CORRECTLY. PART G HAS BEEN UPDATED FROM EQUIPMENT FAILURE TO INCORRECT OPERATION.
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.