VALERO REFINING-TEXAS L.P.

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 1:00 PM A DIESEL TRUCK (WITHOUT A TRAILER) STRUCK THE VALERO 6"" PROPYLENE PIPELINE HEADER ON THE FEEDER ROAD ALONG THE WEST BOUND SIDE OF STATE HIGHWAY 225. THE DRIVER TRAVELED APPROXIMATELY 300 FEET OFF THE WEST BOUND HIGHWAY, ACROSS THE FEEDER AND INTO THE HEADER. THE DRIVER DID NOT SURVIVE THE CRASH. THE HEADER / ACCIDENT LOCATION WAS BETWEEN ALLEN GENOA ROAD AND GOODYEAR DRIVE JUST SOUTH OF THE WEST BOUND FEEDER SHOULDER. THE COLLISION CAUSED A 2"" VALERO VALVE TO FAIL, RELEASING LIQUID PROPYLENE FROM THE HEADER. SIMULTANEOUSLY SHELL PIPELINE CONTROL SAW A PRESSURE DROP ON THE LINE FROM THE SCADA SYSTEM AND NOTIFIED VALERO. THE LINE WAS BLOCKED IN REMOTELY WITHIN MINUTES BY BOTH VALERO AND SHELL. AS BOTH SHELL AND VALERO RESPONDED TO THE INCIDENT THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS SPRAYED WATER TO AID IN DISPERSING THE FLAMMABLE LIQUID THAT WAS VAPORIZING AS IT ENTERED THE AIR. BOTH DIRECTIONS OF STATE HIGHWAY 225 AND FEEDER ROADS WERE CLOSED TO TRAFFIC WHILE EFFORTS WERE MADE TO DEPRESSURIZE THE LINE. ALTHOUGH THE LINE WAS ISOLATED THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES OF PIPING FULL OF PROPYLENE THAT WAS VENTING FROM THE 2 "" PIPE. AT APPROXIMATELY 7:00 PM THE LEAK WAS STOPPED AND THE PIPE WAS PLUGGED. THE LINE WAS THEN PURGED TO REMOVE REMAINING LIQUID. BOTH SHELL AND VALERO REPAIRED THE DAMAGED PIPE AT THE HEADER.