ALYESKA PIPELINE SERVICE CO

Incident Narrative

AT 0810 ON 4/15/2015 A LEAK FROM THE FAST LOOP PUMP WAS DISCOVERED INSIDE THE PUMP STATION ONE (PS01) SCRAPER BUILDING. THE LEAK WAS STOPPED BY POWERING DOWN THE PUMP AND ISOLATING VALVES ON EITHER SIDE OF THE SPILL LOCATION. ORIGINALLY, THE SPILL QUANTITY WAS ESTIMATED TO BE LESS THAN 5 GALLONS. THE AREA WAS EVACUATED PER ALYESKA SAFETY DUE TO VAPOR READINGS IN THE BUILDING. ONCE RE-ENTRY WAS PERMITTED IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE SPILL VOLUME WAS LARGER THAN PREVIOUSLY DETERMINED AS CRUDE HAD REACHED A GRATE THAT DRAINED TO THE BASEMENT OF THE FACILITY. AT THIS TIME THE NRC WAS NOTIFIED OF THE SPILL. SPILL CLEAN-UP RESPONSE WAS INITIATED BY STAFF ON-SITE WITH APPROXIMATELY 1 DOZEN ABSORBENTS PAD, A VAC TRUCK, AND PRESSURE WASHING WITH SOAP (HOTSY). ALL OIL WAS RECOVERED AND RE-INJECTED INTO THE PIPELINE WITH IMMEASURABLE AMOUNTS ON PPE AND ABSORBENTS BEING HANDLES AS WASTE. THE FAILURE HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE DUE TO INGESTION OF SMALL BITS OF DEBRIS WHICH RESULTED IN SEVERE SCOURING AND BREECHING OF THE CANISTER WALL RELEASING 800 PSIG CRUDE INTO THE PUMP SUPPORT COVER (NON-PRESSURE RETAINING) THEN TO THE SCRAPER BUILDING FLOOR. THE LEAK DETECTING SENSOR ASSOCIATED WITH THE PUMP (NOT SCADA OR CPM) DID NOT ALARM AS REQUIRED DURING THE RELEASE EVENT AND DID NOT SHUT OFF THE PUMP OR ISOLATE THE CRUDE VIA PNEUMATIC VALVES. GAS DETECTORS IN THE BUILDING ALARMED WITHIN SECONDS OF THE RELEASE. FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS WILL FOCUS ON THE PUMP AND LEAK DETECTION SENSOR.