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ExxonMobil Chemical Plant (286), Baton Rouge
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 128380 |
| State Police # | 10-07354 |
| Accident Date | 2010-12-29 |
| Report Date | 2011-01-05 |
| 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 |
| Ethylene | 1 h 42 m | knockout drum KD-05 on Ethylene Clarification unit | NO | NO | YES | 304.0 pounds |
| 1,3-Butadiene | 1 h 42 m | knockout drum KD-05 on Ethylene Clarification unit | NO | NO | YES | 13.0 pounds |
| Benzene | 1 h 42 m | knockout drum KD-05 on Ethylene Clarification unit | NO | NO | YES | 16.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Reportable Quantity
Cause of Problem: Process Upset
A knockout drum KD-05 on the Ethylene Clarification unit was experiencing high liquid levels. This increase in material in the quench water drum resulted in a disruption of quench water flow and led to increasing unit temperatures. Compressor HC-01 then tripped due to high temperature which caused unit material to be routed to the flare system, by design, until the compressor could be restarted.
Discharge Preventable - Yes
Notes/Remedial Actions
To reduce the liquid levels quickly, operations personnel opened a bypass valve and routed material to a downstream quench water drum, HD-02. The RQs for ethylene, benzene, and 1-3 butadiene were exceeded. There was a light precipitation at the time of the event. This incident and responses to potential future incidents will be reviewed with operations personnel.
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