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Motiva Enterprises (1406), Norco
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 85967 |
| State Police # | 06-1080 |
| Accident Date | 2006-02-21 |
| Report Date | 2006-02-23 |
| Follow-up Date | 2006-04-07 |
| Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Benzene | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | YES | 1,532.0 pounds |
| n-Hexane | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | NO | 4,197.0 pounds |
| Toluene | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | NO | 1,266.0 pounds |
| Xylene | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | NO | 614.0 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | YES | 60,571.0 pounds |
| Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOCs) | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | NO | 1,885.0 pounds |
| Flammable Gas | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | YES | 60,583.0 pounds |
| Ethylbenzene | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | YES | 124.0 pounds |
| 1,3-Butadiene | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | YES | 6.0 pounds |
| Hydrogen Sulfide | 3d 8h 35m | DU-5 Unit | NO | NO | NO | 0.2 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity
Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing
An atmospheric leak of light naphtha gasoline material was identified in Motiva's Distilling unit due to a piping failure on the crude column overhead line. Initially, operations personnel identified the line dripping in two locations, and vaporizing before reaching grade.
Discharge Preventable - No
The release was not preventable due to an unpredictable piping failure on the crude column overhead line. The line was inspected during the 2004 DU-5 turnaround, and there were no indications that the line would fail prematurely before the next scheduled inspection.
Notes/Remedial Actions
Operations developed a plan to safely remove insulation so that the leak could be stopped. Operations installed barricade tape around affected area and monitored the leak for benzene. A catch tray was fabricated and mounted directly to the crude overhead piping to contain atmospheric emissions while the associated insulation was removed from the crude overhead line. Once the insulation was removed, a pipe clamp was installed to permanently stoped the leak. The overhead piping will be replaced during the next unit turnaround in October 2006.
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