BKEP PIPELINE, LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — March 24, 2014
Incident Information
| Incident Date | March 24, 2014 |
| Operator | BKEP PIPELINE, LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 32.47599, -94.71869 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $350 |
| Emergency Response | $65,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON MARCH 24, 2014 AT APPROXIMATELY 3:15 AM, A BKEP EMPLOYEE DISCOVERED CRUDE OIL LEAKING ON THE GROUND FROM A VALVE USED FOR COUPONS AND WATER DRAW DURING A LINE PURGE AT THE BKEP LONGVIEW STATION. THE EMPLOYEE STOPPED THE LEAK BY CLOSING A LINE VALVE. AT APPROXIMATELY 3:30 AM, THE EMPLOYEE AND TWO CONTRACTORS BEGAN CONTAINMENT AND SPILL RESPONSE OF LEAKED CRUDE OIL. NOTIFICATION OF THE INCIDENT WAS MADE TO THE NRC AND THE TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION . IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT 650 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WERE RELEASED DURING THE LEAK AND APPROXIMATELY 590 BARRELS OF CRUDE OIL WERE RECOVERED. AN INVESTIGATION WAS COMPLETED BY BKEP AND THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE LEAK WAS A CRACK ON THE THREADED CONNECTION OF THE TRAP VALVE. IN ADDITION, THE FAILED VALVE WAS SENT TO A LABORATORY FOR METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. THE LABORATORY ANALYSIS REPORT POINTED TO MANUFACTURER CASTING DEFECTS WHICH RESULTED IN THE VALVE FAILURE.
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.