ENTERPRISE CRUDE PIPELINE LLC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — November 16, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | November 16, 2010 |
| Operator | ENTERPRISE CRUDE PIPELINE LLC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 28.93510, -95.31980 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | OTHER EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $500 |
| Emergency Response | $0 |
| Other Costs | $28,685 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
VALVE WOULD NOT OPERATE SEVERAL MONTHS AGO AND OPERATIONS LEFT THE VALVE PARTIALLY OPENED WHILE AFTER ATTEMPTING TO OPERATE IT, THEY DID NOT REALIZE THEY LEFT IT PARTIALLY OPENED. TWO MONTHS LATER, A LIGHTER CRUDE WAS PUT THROUGH THE VALVE, THIS PRODUCT ATE AWAY AT THE PLUG OF HEAVIER CRUDE THAT HAD CLOGGED UP THE VALVE CAUSING THE LIGHTER PRODUCT TO FLOW THROUGH THE VALVE THAT WAS PARTIALLY LEFT OPENED DUE TO THE CLOG AND TO SUBSEQUENTLY LEAK; THEN TO OVERFILL THE SUMP. OPERATED THE VALVE TO FULLY CLOSED. VALVE APPEARED TO BE CLOSED BECAUSE WHEN OPERATIONS TRIED TO OPEN THE VALVE WHICH WAS UNDERGROUND, NO PRODUCT WENT THROUGH IT AND CONTINUED TO HOLD PRODUCT BACK FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. OPERATIONS CONCLUDED THAT THE VALVE WAS CLOSED AND DID NOT REALIZE IT WAS VERY MINUTELY OPEN UNTIL THE LIGHTER CRUDE WASHED OUT THE HEAVIER CRUDE PLUG. THIS WAS THE BALL VALVE DRAINS THE TERMINAL PIPING INTO THE SUMP. 8-22-2011 - THE DRAIN BALL VALVE IS WORKING PROPERLY - NEW HANDLE WAS BUILT AND INSTALLED ON VALVE.
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.