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Shell Chemical East (26336), Norco
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 140715 |
| State Police # | 12-03969 |
| Accident Date | 2012-06-22 |
| Report Date | 2012-08-02 |
| 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 | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | BRQ |
| Toluene | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | NO | 0.2 pounds |
| Hexane | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | NO | 4.4 pounds |
| Benzene | 8h 15m | NO | NO | YES | 2.9 pounds | |
| 1,3-Butadiene | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | 14.2 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | 5,893.9 pounds |
| Sulfur Dioxide | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | NO | 43.2 pounds |
| Particulate Matter | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | NO | 352.9 pounds |
| Nitrogen Oxide | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | YES | 1,874.7 pounds |
| Carbon Monoxide | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | NO | 10,200.8 pounds |
| Propylene | 8h 15m | Motiva West Operations Ground Flare (EPN 9-84); GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | BRQ |
Accident Classified As: Below Reportable Quantity (BRQ)
Cause of Problem: Instrument Failure
On June 22, 2012 Shell Chemical's GO-1 flared at the GO-1 Elevated Flare. The flaring was a result of a malfunction in the computer control system. On June 22, 2012 Shell Chemical's GO-1 experienced a unit upset which led to flaring at Motiva's West Operations Elevated Flare (EPN 9-84). The flaring was a result of a malfunction in the computer control system.
Discharge Preventable - Yes
This incident was preventable by Shell Chemical
Notes/Remedial Actions
GO-1 operations took the necessary steps to safely return the unit to normal operating conditions and the flaring stopped. The follow-up later was sent more than 7 days after the incident occurred. Maintenance worked with the manufacturer of the DCS and discovered there was an issue with a card in the system. Upon filing the cards memory, a dumping of memory and resetting of the card occurs. This process led to the unexpected shutdown of equipment and the upset in the GO-1. The manufacturer had identified the problem with these cards, but no action to correct the issue had occurred. Maintenance has replaced the card with the issue in order to prevent a reoccurrence of this incident. Motiva did not exceed any reportable quantities or maximum permitted limits during this event. Shell Chemical East did not exceed any reportable quantities, but they did exceed their maximum permitted limits for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and volatile organic compounds. The pollutant totals were determined by adding together the releases from both Shell Chemical LP - East, GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) and Motiva West Ops Elevated Flare (EPN 9-84) together.
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