ENTERPRISE CRUDE PIPELINE LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — September 26, 2012
Incident Information
| Incident Date | September 26, 2012 |
| Operator | ENTERPRISE CRUDE PIPELINE LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 29.34855, -94.93914 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | "FAILURE OF EQUIPMENT BODY (EXCEPT PUMP), TANK PLATE, OR OTHER MATERIAL" |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $1,000 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
"CONTRACTOR WALKING BY CMS METER HEARD A HIGH PITCHED POPPING SOUND. CONTRACTOR LEAVING THE AREA NOT KNOWING WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT BE NOTICED A STEADY STREAM OF CRUDE OIL EXITING THE BOTTOM OF PIPE. CONTRACTOR NOTIFIED FACILITY SUPERVISOR MAKING HIM AWARE OF ISSUE. SUPERVISOR SAFELY APPROACHED AND FOUND A STREAM OF CRUDE OIL EXITING OUT OF A 12"" THERMAL RELIEF RUPTURE DISK BODY. APPROXIMATE 1 BARREL OUT CONTAINED INSIDE A 15' X 15' AREA. LINE WAS STATIC THEREFORE CAUSED THERMAL PRESSURE TO BUILD UP. PIPE BEING BARE(CURRENTLY BEING PAINTED DUE TO NEW CONSTRUCTION)WITH DIRECT SUNLIGHT THROUGH THE DAY BUILT UP PRESSURE. AN AFTERNOON RAINSHOWER HIT THE PIPE AND IS BELIEVED TO HAVE CREATED A VACUUM IN THEN CAUSING THE 12"" OSECO THERMAL RUPTURE DISK TO BURST. WHEN DISK BURSTED IT CAUSED CRUDE OIL TO EXIT (1) OF THE 1/4"" HOLES ON DISC BODY. DISK BODY HAS (2) 1/4"" NPT THREADED HOLES IN BODY. (1) OF THE 1/4"" HOLES WAS ALL THREAD WHERE PLUG WAS MISSING. THE OTHER THREAD WAS USED FOR LIFTING EYE. LOCAL CREWS DISPATCHED AND AREA CLEANED UP. 1/4"" STAINLESS PLUG WAS INSTALLED, DISK REPLACED AND RETURNED TO SERVICE."
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.