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Motiva Enterprises (1406), Norco

LDEQ Accident Report

Accident #128035
State Police #10-06998
Accident Date2010-12-08
Report Date 2010-01-06
Follow-up Date 0000-00-00
Follow-up: No

Pollutants Released

Pollutant Duration Point Source Greenhouse Gas Criteria Pollutant Ozone forming chemical Amount of Release
Sulfur Dioxide6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NOYESNO2,989.5 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NOYESYES46.4 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NONOYES36.0 pounds
1,3-Butadiene6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NONOYES0.0 pounds
Benzene6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NONOYES3.5 pounds
Particulate Matter6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NOYESNO8.7 pounds
Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOCs)6h 33mFLARE: Coker WGC (K-2178), Coker Flare (EPN 2-84)NONONO15.0 pounds

Accident Classified As:

Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure

Refinery letter states that Motiva experienced a flaring release caused by an unexpected shutdown of the Coker Wet Gas compressor due to power loss. Power loss is attributed to fault in MCC breaker and 4160V buss.

Discharge Preventable - No

"Motiva has determined that this event is not preventable due to the design configuration and failure mechanism."

Notes/Remedial Actions

RQ. Coker Unit shutdown and restarted when flaring stopped. Re-evaluated relay settings and adjusted as needed to reduce potential for future trips.