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Valero (1238), Meraux
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 108144 |
| State Police # | 08-05089 |
| Accident Date | 2008-08-19 |
| Report Date | 2008-12-30 |
| Follow-up Date | 0000-00-00 |
| Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Sulfur Dioxide | 16h 15m | FLARE - # 3 TGT Quench Tower Water Pump | NO | YES | NO | 1,700.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As:
Cause of Problem: Human Factors
the damage to the quench pump was a result of inadequate monitoring of the caustic addition system and the miscommunication that allowed the quench water pHto of off specification. MOUSA adjusts the pH if the circulating quench water by adding caustic to the loop. At the time of this incident, the caustic tote ran empty (the tote did not have any external level indication devices on it). Due to a miscommunication, MOUSA idd not refill the tote in a timely manner, leading to an 18-hour period of lowpH quench water that resulted in corrosion damage to the quench water pump
Discharge Preventable - Yes
Notes/Remedial Actions
The final report from Murphy states that remedial measures include: In October, MOUSA replaced the TGT catalyst as part of a planned maintenance turnaround on the #3 SRU complex. MOUSA plans to install a second tote as a spare, and add sight glasses to both for quick verification of liquid levels. MOUSA will conduct preventative maintenance inspections on the quench water system. MOUSA will issue a Safety Alert to educate employees of this episode and its causes. NOTE: LDEQ investigations intoidents 108144 and 108122 both revealed control facilities not installed and/or properly maintained. The facility has been referred to the LDEQ Enforcement Divisio
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