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Motiva Enterprises (1406), Norco
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 92519 |
| State Police # | 06-07453 |
| Accident Date | 2006-12-09 |
| Report Date | 2006-12-15 |
| Follow-up Date | 2009-10-05 |
| Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Carbon Monoxide | 1h | OL-5 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | NO | 165.0 pounds |
| Nitrogen Oxide | 1h | OL-5 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | YES | 30.0 pounds |
| Particulate Matter | 1h | OL-5 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | NO | 6.0 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 1h | OL-5 Elevated Flare | NO | NO | YES | 60.0 pounds |
| Carbon Monoxide | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | NO | 3,610.0 pounds |
| Nitrogen Oxide | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | YES | 663.0 pounds |
| Particulate Matter | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | NO | 125.0 pounds |
| Sulfur Dioxide | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | YES | NO | 17,463.0 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | NO | YES | 917.0 pounds |
| Hexane | 12h | GO-1 Elevated Flare | NO | NO | NO | 1.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity
Cause of Problem: Process Upset
Incident began at Shell Chemical's facility. Boil #9 at Shell Chemical shut down when wet steam was supplied to the pumps from the steam header. Wet steam caused the pumps to slow down, shutting down the boiler. To prevent shutdown of the plant, a planned sequence shut certain units down, causing a larger flaring incident. The root cause of the wet steam is stated as under investigation as of 10/05/09.
Discharge Preventable - No
The Boil #9 shutdown was unexpected.
Notes/Remedial Actions
Flaring continued until Boiler #9 could be returned to service and steam production returned to normal. The process units were then safely returned to normal operation conditions once steam capacity was back to normal. An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the wet steam and appropriate preventative measures will be put in place. Flaring occurred at both the Motiva Norco facility and Shell Chemical facility. Flaring was not continuous throughout the incident start and end dates.
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