KOCH PIPELINE COMPANY, L.P.

Incident Narrative

ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2014, KOCH PIPELINE COMPANY, L.P. ""KPL"" PERSONNEL WERE PERFORMING DAILY ROUNDS AT THE CLEARBROOK TERMINAL. KPL OPERATING PERSONNEL NOTICED THAT BOOSTER CAN PUMP 701A APPEARED TO BE WEEPING CRUDE. APPROXIMATELY .24 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WAS RELEASED TO THE GROUND AROUND THE BOOSTER PUMP AREA. THE OPERATOR NOTIFIED MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO RESPOND. THE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL ISOLATED PUMP 701A, DRAINED THE PIPING, AND INSTALLED A NEW PUMP SEAL. AN OIL SPILL RESPONSE CONTRACTOR WAS DEPLOYED TO ASSIST WITH CLEAN UP. DURING STARTUP, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE SHAFT HAD EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT WHICH INDICATED WORN INTERNAL PUMP COMPONENTS. THE PUMP WAS THEN ISOLATED AND LOCKED OUT. THE MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL PROCEEDED TO REPLACE THE PUMP WITH A REBUILT SPARE OUT OF INVENTORY. THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF SOIL REMEDIATED WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 CUBIC YARDS. *ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LEADING UP TO THE EVENT: ON MARCH 7TH 2012, WHILE MAKING DAILY ROUNDS, A POTENTIAL MAINTENANCE CONCERN WITH THE 701A PUMP WAS IDENTIFIED. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE NOTIFIED AND AFTER FURTHER ASSESSMENT, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A NO-FLOW OVERHEATING EVENT HAD TAKEN PLACE. THIS OCCURRENCE WAS A RESULT OF ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE AT A THREE PUMP RATE. PUMP 701A WAS UNABLE TO PUT UP ENOUGH DISCHARGE PRESSURE TO MOVE OIL AGAINST THE DISCHARGE PRESSURE OF THE OTHER TWO PUMPS. AS A RESULT A NEW SEAL, UNIT DISCHARGE VALVE, AND CHECK VALVE WERE REPLACED ALONG WITH ALL FLANGE GASKETS AND BOLTS. A NEW TYPE OF SEAL WAS INSTALLED WITH A SECONDARY ISOLATOR MADE OF BRASS. THE UNIT WAS COMMISSIONED TO SERVICE ON MAY 7TH, 2013 AND MONITORED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. ROUTINE INSPECTIONS REVEALED VIBRATION IN THE UNIT. VIBRATION LEVELS INCREASED AND A DECISION WAS MADE TO REPLACE THE UNIT. HOWEVER, APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE SCHEDULED PUMP REPLACEMENT, THE SEAL FAILED ON THE PUMP CAUSING A RELEASE OF 0.24 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL. INVESTIGATION OF THE EVENT REVEALED THAT MOVEMENT OF THE SHAFT DUE TO SHAFT VIBRATION CAUSED THE BRASS SECONDARY SEAL INTERNAL CLEARANCE COMPONENTS TO START RUBBING CAUSING THE UNIT TO HEAT UP, EXPAND AND LOCK IN PLACE. THIS CREATED A SITUATION WHERE THE SEAL SLEEVE AND SECONDARY SEAL STOPPED ROTATING WITH THE SHAFT. THE PUMP SHAFT CONTINUED TO ROTATE, CAUSING THE INTERNAL SEAL SLEEVE ELASTOMER O-RING TO FAIL, RESULTING IN A RELEASE OF CRUDE OIL TO THE SOIL. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE PUMP WAS STILL OPERATIONAL AFTER THE SEAL FAILURE, HOWEVER, A DECISION WAS MADE TO ACCELERATE THE ALREADY SCHEDULED PUMP REPLACEMENT FROM INVENTORY, RATHER THAN SIMPLY REPLACING THE SEAL, AND THEN REPLACING THE ENTIRE PUMPING UNIT THE FOLLOWING WEEK.