TC OIL PIPELINE OPERATIONS INC
hazardous_liquid Incident — — June 23, 2010
Incident Information
| Incident Date | June 23, 2010 |
| Operator | TC OIL PIPELINE OPERATIONS INC |
| Commodity | CRUDE OIL |
| Pipeline Type | hazardous_liquid |
Location
| State | |
| Coordinates | 43.96535, -97.69431 |
Cause
| Cause | EQUIPMENT FAILURE |
| Subcause | THREADED CONNECTION/COUPLING FAILURE |
Casualties
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
Costs
| Property Damage | $250 |
| Emergency Response | $5,000 |
| Other Costs | $0 |
Location Map
Incident Narrative
THE LOCATION OF THE RELEASE IS A PUMP STATION OWNED AND OPERATED BY TRANSCANADA KEYSTONE PIPELINE, LP (TRANSCANADA). THE PUMP STATION IS IN A RURAL AREA LOCATED AT APPROXIMATELY THREE MILES SOUTH OF ROSWELL, SOUTH DAKOTA. THE RELEASE OF PETROLEUM WAS ENTIRELY CONTAINED ON TRANSCANADA PROPERTY. THE RELEASE OCCURRED FROM A LOOSE FITTING ON AN ABOVE GROUND DAMPER SYSTEM ASSOCIATED WITH AN INJECTION PUMP. OIL WAS RELEASED FROM THE LOOSE FITTING FOR AN APPROXIMATE 3 SECOND PERIOD UNTIL THE SYSTEM WAS MANUALLY SHUT DOWN. AN ESTIMATED 100 GALLONS OF OIL SPRAYED OVER AN AREA OF APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET BY 110 FEET WITHIN THE PUMP STATION LOCATION. TRANSCANADA PERSONNEL WERE ONSITE AT TIME OF THE OIL RELEASE, THE INJECTOR PUMP WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND CONTAINMENT AND RECOVERY ACTIVITIES INITIATED. A MAINTENANCE TEAM MOBILIZED TO THE SITE UPON NOTIFICATION OF THE RELEASE ON JUNE 23, 2010 AT 12 NOON CDT. THE PULSATION DAMPENER ON THE INJECTION PUMP WAS REMOVED AND VISUALLY INSPECTED. THE INSPECTION REVEALED THE THREADED NIPPLE WAS NOT INSTALLED PROPERLY AND WAS NOT THE CORRECT LENGTH. THE THREADED NIPPLE ON THE PULSATION DAMPENER WAS REPLACED.
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.