LA Bucket Brigade : Refinery Accident Database

Valero (1238), Meraux

LDEQ Accident Report

Accident #	138647
State Police #	12-02129
Accident Date	2012-04-10
Report Date	2012-04-17
Follow-up Date	2012-06-08
Follow-up:	Yes

Pollutants Released

Pollutant	Duration	Point Source	Greenhouse Gas	Criteria Pollutant	Ozone forming chemical	Amount of Release
Carbon Monoxide	3d 22h 30m	North Flare & South Flare	NO	YES	NO	BRQ
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)	3d 22h 30m	North Flare & South Flare	NO	NO	YES	BRQ
NOx	3d 22h 30m	North Flare & South Flare	NO	NO	YES	BRQ
Sulfur Dioxide	94h 30m	North Flare, South Flare, #2 SRU Incinerator, #3 SRU Incinerator	NO	YES	NO	15,199.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide	94h 30m	North Flare & South Flare	NO	NO	NO	135.0 pounds

Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity

Cause of Problem: Power Failure

The root cause of the event was found to be equipment failure at the Entergy substation adjacent to the refinery. Due to a total power interruption at the refinery, units underwent safety shutdowns, which included venting high rates of gases to the North Flare and the South Flare. There were periods of excess opacity at both flares, as there was no controlling steam available. The boilers were also affected by the power outage. As startups proceeded, the refinery experienced some noise from relief valves and some additional sulfur dioxide emissions at the North Flare. Entergy reported that the power interruption was caused by a severe electrical fault at a 13.8 kV tie breaker at the Meraux Substation. Entergy found no evidence to support a definitive root cause. There was some evidence of bird nesting in the immediate area of the fault.

Discharge Preventable - No

The release was not preventable by the refinery because the root cause was an equipment failure at the power utility provider's facility.

Notes/Remedial Actions