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Accident # | 131491 |
State Police # | 11-03105 |
Accident Date | 2011-05-27 |
Report Date | 2011-06-03 |
Follow-up Date | 2011-07-22 |
Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
Sulfur Dioxide | 2 h | 1600 TOX | NO | YES | NO | 973.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity
Due to failure of a pressure relief device, the refinery's 1600 TOX tripped and resulted in elevated sulfur dioxide levels. They estimate that the reportable quantities for sulfur dioxide were exceed around 10:45 am on 5/27/11. Based upon a failure analysis conducted by the manufacturer, it is believed that the device experienced an instantaneous pressure increase which cause the device to burst below the marked burst pressure.
This incident was not reasonably preventable. There was no clear recommendation or requirement from the rupture disk manufacturer that required operators to open valves at a particular rate. there are not being established as a result of this incident.
Operators blocked in the process line with the malfunctioned device and restarted the TOX. The following corrective actions have been identified to prevent recurrence of this incident: (1) Develop Installation Guidelines, based upon manufacturer recommendations, to ensure devices are properly installed in the field (2) Develop Operating Guidelines, based upon manufacturer recommendations, for controlling the pressurization rate seen by the device through proper valve operation (3) Conduct training with Maintenance and Operations personnel on the two above established guidelines. The permitted maximum hourly sulfur dioxide rate and reportable quantity were exceeded. The concentration limit (250 ppm/ 12 h) was not exceeded.
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