BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP
hazardous_liquid Incident —
Incident Information
| Report Date | — |
| Operator | BUCKEYE PARTNERS, LP |
| Commodity | — |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 42.95773, -76.52739 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | — |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | — |
| Lost Commodity | — |
| Public/Private Damage | — |
| Emergency Response | — |
| Environmental Remediation | — |
| Other Costs | — |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON MONDAY JUNE 15, 2015 AT 23:01 THE HAZARD GAS ALARM LOCATED IN THE SAMPLE SHED, LOCATED NEAR THE 802 LINE METER AND INJECTION PUMP UNIT AT AUBURN STATION IN AUBURN NY SOUNDED, SHUTTING DOWN THE STATION. A BUCKEYE EMPLOYEE ARRIVED AT THE STATION AT 23:30 AND DISCOVERED THAT A 1"" NIPPLE ON THE INJECTION PUMPING UNIT HAD CRACKED RESULTING IN THE RELEASE OF APPROX. 5.7BBLS OF TRANSMIX. THE SCHEDULE 80 NIPPLE HAD BEEN REPLACED IN JANUARY OF 2015. THE JANUARY REPLACEMENT WAS DUE TO A CRACK IN THE NIPPLE THAT CAUSED A SMALL, NON-DOT REPORTABLE, RELEASE. BECAUSE TWO LIKE NIPPLE FITTINGS CRACKED ON THE SAME UNIT WITHIN SIX MONTHS, PUMPS AND INJECTION LINES OF SIMILAR CONSTRUCTION AT THE STATION WERE DISCONNECTED SO THAT ENGINEERING COULD CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS OF THE UNIT. EXCESSIVE EQUIPMENT VIBRATION OCCURRING DURING THE PRIMING OF THE PUMP WAS FOUND TO BE THE PRINCIPAL CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO THIS RELEASE ENGINEERING'S REPAIR AND START UP RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED THROUGHOUT THE AUBURN FACILITY UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 24, 2015 PROCEDURES FOR PUMP STARTUP HAVE BEEN UPDATE. ROUTINE INSPECTION AND MAINTENANCE ENHANCEMENTS SUCH AS INSPECTION OF TUBING AND THE REMOVAL AND CLEANING OF THE SCRAPER BASKET HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE PROCEDURE.
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.