PHILLIPS 66 PIPELINE LLC

Incident Narrative

AFTER HEAVY RAINS OPERATIONS WERE INVESTIGATING THE SOURCE OF MATERIAL THAT STAINED ROCKS IN THE TRANSFER HEADER AREA. THE STAINED PRODUCT LOOKS TO BE OLD AND COULD HAVE RESULTED FROM OPEN DRAINS TO THE SUMP. WHILE EXCAVATING NEAR UNCOVERED PIPING OPERATOR OBSERVED FRESH PRODUCT NEAR A BURIED FLANGE. DUE TO UNSTABLE SOIL BANKS IT WAS DETERMINED TO BACK FILL PART OF THE DITCH AND INSTALL SHORING BOXES WHILE EXCAVATING. BURIED FLANGE WAS UNCOVERED AGAIN AND NOTED THAT THE FLANGES WERE MISALIGNED BUT NO LEAKING CONDITIONS WERE OBSERVED. OPERATIONS PERFORMED A PRESSURIZED LEAK TEST AND PRODUCT BEGAN TO LEAK AT 17 PSI. INTEGRITY GROUP EVALUATED THE CONDITION OF THE FLANGE GASKET AND DEEMED IT AS SAFE TO USE. FLANGE WAS PROPERLY ALIGNED AND THE BOLTS WERE REPLACED, RETIGHTEN ACCORDING TO POLICY AND PRESSURE TESTED. ANOTHER PRESSURIZED LEAK TEST WAS PERFORMED AND PASSED. OPERATIONS WILL ALSO INSTALL A CLAMP OVER THIS FLANGE AND INSERT AN EPOXY TO FILL THE CLAMP CAVITY BETWEEN THE PIPING AND FLANGE. UPDATE: CLARIFICATION REQUEST FROM JODY KERI. 1/23/2014 HEAVY RAINS DID NOT CAUSE THE MOVEMENT OF THE PIPE OR THE LEAK. AFTER A DRY SUMMER THE LAND MOVEMENT WAS DUE TO DROUGHT CONDITIONS AND LOOSE BOLTS WHICH CAUSED A SHIFT IN THE ALIGNMENT OF THE FLANGES CAUSING A SMALL LEAK. DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINS THE LEAK MIGRATED TO THE SURFACE CAUSING US TO INVESTIGATE THE FREE STANDING PRODUCT. AFTER THE WORK WAS COMPLETED A STAND UP TEST WAS PERFORMED AT 100 PSI. THE FLANGE RATING IS 275#. THE ENTIRE EXCAVATION AREA WAS BACKFILLED WITH WASH SAND TO HELP PREVENT LAND MOVEMENT IN THIS AREA.