NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P.
hazardous_liquid Incident — — December 5, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | December 5, 2010 |
| Operator | NUSTAR PIPELINE OPERATING PARTNERSHIP L.P. |
| Commodity | HVL OR OTHER FLAMMABLE OR TOXIC FLUID WHICH IS A GAS AT AMBI |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 41.51718, -92.00372 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | NON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $0 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
ON 12/5/10 AT 13:00 A HUNTER NOTIFIED NUSTAR CONTROL CENTER REGARDING AN AMMONIA ODOR NEAR VALVE 6-14. THE PIPELINE WAS SHUTDOWN AT 13:15. ON 12/5/10 AT 14:00 A NUSTAR TECHNICIAN ARRIVED ON-SITE AND CONFIRMED THAT AN AMMONIA ODOR WAS PRESENT. ON 12/6/10 AT 8:00 NUSTAR RESOURCES ARRIVED ON-SITE TO BEGIN EXCAVATION OF THE STOPPLE TEE. ON 12/6/10 AT 14:00 NUSTAR UNCOVERED THE LEAK SITE AND WAS ABLE TO CAPTURE ANHYDROUS AMMONIA DRIPS IN A 15 SECOND INTERVAL AND EXTRAPOLATED THAT AMOUNT. BASED ON THE FIELD CALCULATION IT WAS DETERMINED THE LEAK WOULD EXCEED THE REPORTABLE QUANTITY. AT 15:05 ON 12/6/10, NUSTAR CONTACTED THE NRC TO MAKE NOTIFICATION OF A REPORTABLE LEAK INCIDENT. ANHYDROUS AMMONIA WAS LEAKING FROM A FAILED O-RING IN A THREADED FITTING FROM THE STOPPLE TEE. THE REPAIR WAS MADE BY WELDING IN THE SEGMENT PLUGS.
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.