CONOCOPHILLIPS

hazardous_liquid Incident — — June 8, 2010

Incident Information

Incident DateJune 8, 2010
OperatorCONOCOPHILLIPS
CommodityREFINED AND/OR PETROLEUM PRODUCT (NON-HVL) WHICH IS A LIQUID
Pipeline Typehazardous_liquid

Location

State
Coordinates30.23955, -93.27772

Cause

CauseMATERIAL FAILURE OF PIPE OR WELD
SubcauseDESIGN-, CONSTRUCTION-, INSTALLATION-, OR FABRICATION-RELATED

Casualties

Fatalities0
Injuries0

Costs

Property Damage$61,269
Emergency Response$15,000
Other Costs

Location Map

Incident Narrative

AT APPROXIMATELY 3:50PM ON 6/8/2010, LCPL CONTROL ROOM WAS NOTIFIED OF A LEAK WITHIN THE REFINERY THAT MAY INVOLVE THE 16"" LINE FROM LCR TO LCPL. THE LINE WAS IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN AND PIPELINE EMPLYEES WERE DISPATCHED TO THE REFINERY TO INVESTIGATE. THE CREW VERIFIED THAT THE SOURCE OF THE LEAK WAS THE LCPL 16"" LINE AND BEGAN CLEANUP EFFORTS WITH HELP FROM THE REFINERY. CONCLUSION: THE CRACKING FOUND IN THE LC-01 PIPELINE WAS CAUSED BY FATIGUE CRACKING. THE CRACKING WAS FOUND NEXT TO THE FILLET WELD ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PIPELINE THAT WELDED THE END TO THE PIPE LINE. FATIGUE CRACKING IN THE PIPELINE RESULTED FROM CYCLICAL STRESSES IN THE PIPING. THE CYCLICAL STRESSES COULD BE CAUSED FROM A NUMBER OF SOURCES SUCH AS STARTS FROM THE PUMPS, FLOW VIBRATION, THERMAL GRADIENTS, POOR SUPPORT, ETC. THE EXACT SOURCE OF THE STRESSES COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AND WOULD REQUIRE FURTHER ANALYSIS/EXAMINATION OF THE PIPING SYSTEM. GOING FORWARD COP WILL DO A SURGE ANALYSIS AND WILL ADJUST IT'S OPERATING PROCEDURES ACCORDINGLY FOR THIS SYSTEM.

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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