CITGO PIPELINE CO

hazardous_liquid Incident — — July 26, 2010

Incident Information

Incident DateJuly 26, 2010
OperatorCITGO PIPELINE CO
CommodityCRUDE OIL
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates30.14577, -94.40404

Cause

CauseEQUIPMENT FAILURE
SubcauseNON-THREADED CONNECTION FAILURE

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$0
Emergency Response$24,904
Other Costs$0

Location Map

Incident Narrative

THE INTERNAL DRAIN PIPING WITHIN A STORAGE TANK FAILED ALLOWING CRUDE OIL TO ENTER THE PIPING AND BE RELEASED DURING THE DRAINING OF WATER OFF THE ROOFTOP. UNTIL THE TANK IS TAKEN OUT-OF-SERVICE AND CLEANED, THE EXTENT AND CAUSE OF THE FAILED DRAIN PIPING IS UNKNOWN. THE INTERNAL DRAIN SYSTEM CONSISTS OF PIPING, FLANGES AND THE PIVOT MASTER JOINT THAT CONSISTS OF GALVANIZED SIDE PLATES WITH SPIRAL WOUND GASKETS AND BOLTING HARDWARE. THE EVALUATION OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE CONSTRUCTED SYSTEM DEPICT THAT IT IS LIKELY THAT A GASKET ON THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED. THIS DRAIN PIPING HAS BEEN ISOLATED BOTH ONTOP OF THE TANK ROOF AND AT THE VALVE NEAR THE SHELL NOZZLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TANK ELIMINATING THE POSSIBILITY THAT CRUDE OIL CAN BE RELEASED FROM IT TO THE GROUND GOING FORWARD. THIS DRAIN SYSTEM WILL BE REPLACED WHEN THE TANK IS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE FOR API 653 INTERNAL INSPECTION.

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.

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