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Chalmette Refining (1376), Chalmette
Causal Factor: Maintenance/Procedures
| LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date |
Point Source(s) | Notes | Amount of Release |
| 78980 2005-05-11 | K3304 | Cause: Leak on the Hydrodesulphurization (HDS) Unit Off0gas Compressor K-3304 Followup: No Notes: Sweet streams (lower Sulfur content) were routed to the flare to minimize sour gas flaring. Process unit output was adjusted in order to minimize the total amount of waste gas being sent to the flare. No mention of pollutant other than Nitric Oxide in official report, but attached Summary of Emissions lists multiple pollutants. | Carbon Monoxide: 388.0 pounds Hydrocarbon: 251.0 pounds Nitric Oxide: 64.0 pounds Particulate Matter 10: 16.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 31.0 pounds |
| 91457 2006-10-17 | AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 29 | Cause: release occurs during major turn around of refinery. Planned system outages created higher than usual operating pressure on the WGS and AMU. Additionally, on 10/13, the stream was re-routed (misaligned) through a line with an unidentified check valve. Subsequent attempts to push liquid through the AMU line resulted in increased pressure on the WGS. Followup: No Notes: Investigation ongoing. PSV set pressure was raised to allow for higher head pressure events at WGS without flaring. Detailed investigation ongoing. | Sulfur Dioxide: 30.0 pounds Nitrogen Oxide: 8,293.0 pounds |
| 91099 2006-10-04 | Fract Tank | Cause: vacuum tower was rinsed with hydrotreated light crude Oil to thin out the crude residue and then rinsed with water and detergent to remove the Oil and crude. The Oil was floating at the top of the fract tank at the tim of overfill. A containment berm had been set up around the fract tank to contain unforeseen leaks. Some Oil still landed outside the berm Followup: No Notes: rac tank has bee removed other tank levels will be monitored during transfers for the remainder of the turnaround. An environmental bulletin will be developed and discussed during crew talks to increase awareness fo the remporary containment issues and extra precautions needed during trunaround activities in order to prevent spills. | Oil: 423.0 pounds |
| 91023 2006-10-01 | #2 Flare - AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 29 | Cause: FCCU PGC was tripped during maintenance activities resulting from a fire on Sept. 25, 2006 (incident number 06-06025). When replacing burnt conduit, PGC shut down and resulted in an increased back pressure on the Naphtha stripper tower. PSV lifted to flare 2. Followup: No Notes: refinery has initiated an investigation into the cause | Nitrogen Dioxide: 30.0 pounds |
| 89056 2006-07-05 | No information given | Cause: leak occurred during feed composition change on #1 Pretreater Followup: No Notes: DEQ report with no corresponding letter from CRLLC. Channel bolts tightened. The exchanger gasket surface will be repaired in August during the next schedule pretreater catalyst change-out. | Xylene: 55.0 pounds Benzene: 12.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds: 3,259.0 pounds |
| 99009 2007-08-29 | None Reported | Cause: in process of unloading catalyst from reactor É regenerator had excess of spent catalyst fines coming from hopper Followup: No Notes: Letter states that no RQ's were exceeded | |
| 98002 2007-07-20 | None Reported | Cause: release to flare when setting control system to flare Followup: No Notes: Letter states that no RQ's were exceeded | |
| 97144 2007-06-15 | None Reported | Cause: initiated backflush procedure on amine exchange on tail gas section of sulfur plant Followup: No Notes: Letter states emissions were BRQ | |
| 96736 2007-06-04 | # 2 Flare | Cause: while lining up tower to vent, they opened up & a pocket of light hydrocarbons got into flare line Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 6/4 concerning release of SO2 | |
| 96304 2007-05-16 | Bullet #6 | Cause: DEQ report states that the flaring is required, indicating that it is part of normal procedures Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 5/16 concerning release of SO2 | Sulfur Dioxide: 30.0 pounds |
| 95843 2007-05-03 | No information given | Cause: small fire starts when hot coke ignites during coking process Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 5/3concerning release of VOC | Sulfur Dioxide: 18.0 pounds |
| 94461 2007-03-08 | Tank 66 | Cause: CRLLC inspects Tank 66 and discovers compacted material and holes at the bottom. Performs investigation. Followup: Yes Notes: File contains report from Arcadis, firm hired by ExxonMobil to perform soil assessment. Results of investigation indicate that releases were BRQ. DEQ letter of 10/24/07 states that the Tank 66 investigation will supplement results of an additional RFI assessment and will be evaluated. It is unclear what happens after this letter is received. | Under Investigation |
| 93247 2007-01-12 | Coker 2 B Drum | Cause: CRLLC was cutting the pilot hole in the coke w/in Coker 2 B Drum and the high pressure water hit some coke. A mixture of steam and coke dust came out of the top and blew off site. Followup: No Notes: Under investigation. Measures will be taken based on results of investigation. | Petroleum Coke: 3,900.0 pounds |
| 103126 2008-02-17 | Flare | Cause: conducting functionality test for acid evacuation system. On of vent valves opened to flare. Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ. | Hydrogen Sulfide: 1.0 pounds Nitrogen Oxide: 11.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds: 31.0 pounds Carbon Monoxide: 60.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 231.0 pounds Particulate Matter: 3.0 pounds |
| 102455 2008-01-19 | Flare | Cause: taking a flare out of service because they have to burn product out so they can install blinds Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ. | |
| 102436 2008-01-18 | Flare | Cause: taking a flare out of service because they have to burn product out so they can install blinds at the FCC Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ. | |
| 117581 2009-08-25 | Tank 301 | Cause: Cinatra (3rd party contractor) was performing a tank (301) cleaning procedure that involved the circulation of oil with high pressure nozzles. The coupling failed on a supply line that was located on the tank's roof where it spilled oil. Followup: Yes Notes: Stopped circulating oil through the cleaning system and roof drain was closed. Spilled material contained in dike area and recovered by a vacuum truck for reprocessing. Impacted soil was removed. | Sweet Crude Oil: 8,283.0 gallons Sweet Crude Oil: 1,499.0 gallons Benzene: 15.0 pounds |
| 116878 2009-07-29 | abandoned line | Cause: Abandoned piece of line fell to the ground. Followup: Notes: RQ not exceeded. | |
| 113358 2009-03-12 | Tank 1406 | Cause: Tank 1406 was overfilled during tank movements. Followup: No Notes: Level alarms in Tank 1406 modified to include audible alarms. Slop oil recovered via vacuum truck. Contaminated soil removed and processed. | Slop Oil: 4,674.6 gallons |
| 127974 2010-12-04 | No Information Given | Cause: Planned and controlled release to shutdown Alky Unit.
LDEQ repor states that "according to the 7-day notification report submitted by the facility, no reportable quantities were exceeded as a result of this release. The release is considered a courtesy notification. No further action at this time." Followup: No Notes: BRQ. Release is considered a courtesy notification. | |
| 125331 2010-08-02 | no information given | Cause: SO2 release when system depressurized for maintenance
"permitted release, and not a reportable incident" Followup: No Notes: no information given | |
| 123040 2010-04-27 | flare #1 | Cause: Compressor inadvertently tripped while executing Emergency Block Valve Prevention Maintenance Program procedure on it--sent material to flare. Followup: No Notes: Operations team secured the unit and started up the compressor, full evaluation and troubleshooting will be addressed during next shutdown. Will not perform EBV maintenance program in the meantime. | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,359.0 pounds |
| 135259 2011-11-14 | No. 1 Flare | Cause: On November 14, 2011, the high pressure side waste gas compressors were down for scheduled piping replacement. At approximately 1705 hours, the Flare Gas Management (FGM) system compressors stalled, at which time gas that would have been routed to the FGM contractor, was instead routed to the No 1 Flare. The FGM system would have contained the release; however, the FGM seal water was contaminated with hydrocarbon, which is believed to have been a potential result of the Alky Feed PSV overpressure on November 5, 2011 reported under separate cover. The result was intermittent flaring at the No. 1 Flare through November 15, 2011, at 22:01 hours, consequently resulting in emissions of sulfur dioxide in excess of the reportable quantity of 500 lbs. Followup: No Notes: The seal water on the FGM compressors was changed out. CRLLC is investigating the root cause of the release. Based on the results of the Refinery's investigation, appropriate measures will be taken to minimize the likelihood of a recurrence. | Sulfur Dioxide: 5,296.0 pounds |
| 132776 2011-07-29 | Flare 1 | Cause: On 01/28/11, at approximately 9:00am, the amine unit was being taken out of service for a planned maintenance activity. During the course of the shutdown, the DGA circulation in the contactor decreased. The reduced flow occurred concurrent with the loss of the LPG compressor. As a result, there was an H2S breakthrough to the refinery fuel gas system at approximately 1 minute. This event resulted in 86 lbs of excess SO2 emissions. Followup: No Notes: Fuel Gas incident- The shift leader recognized the problem within 15 minutes of the start of the event and immediately increased circulation to stop the H2S breakthrough and mitigate the SO2 emissions potential. Updated procedures to ensure shutdown activities include awareness of circulation rate and interaction with other unit operators. Refresher training will be conducted with unit personnel on revised procedure. In a separate event at 12:58am, the flare gas management compressors briefly shutdown due to elevated molecular weight (MW) gas which resulted in increased SO2 emissions from the fired combustion units of 481 lbs excess SO2 | Sulfur Dioxide: 567.0 pounds |
| 132743 2011-07-28 | No Information Given | Cause: According to the LDEQ report, "spill resulted from a dewatering operation near a gasoline pump." Followup: No Notes: BRQ According to SPOC report, standing liquids were removed with a with a vacuum truck. Soil remediation was planned. | Gasoline: 42.0 gallons Benzene: 10.0 pounds |
| 144301 2012-10-30 | Flare # 1 | Cause: On 10/30/12, Chalmette Refining conducted a planned maintenance activity to test a high integrity protective system. The activity resulted in a release at Flare #1.
Release at Flare # 1 resulting from a planned and controlled maintenance activity. According to the follow-up notification letter submitted by Chalmette Refining, this was a courtesy notification. Followup: Yes Notes: Follow-up report states that refinery has completed the installation of the new low-molecular-service PSV. The original incident report committed the refinery to this implementation. | |
| 138541 2012-04-03 | #1 Flare | Cause: A high molecular weight gas was routed to the flare gas management system, which prevented the compressor from being able to pump the gas and caused the flare to open. Followup: Yes Notes: To stop the discharge, feed rate to the unit was reduced, reducing pressure, and eventually ending the release. A representative from Chalmette Refining contacted LDEQ Emergency Response on 4/4/12 when an all-clear was called, also providing the total release quantity of sulfur dioxide. No fire, injuries, or fatalities resulted from this incident | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,022.0 pounds |
| 151403 2013-10-07 | No Information Given | Cause: On Monday, October 7, 2013 at approximately 09:03 hours, the flare gas management (FGM) compressors overpressured from a planned maintenance shutdown of the waste gas system (WGS) resulting in the intermittent staging of the #1 Flare. The WGS was being taken temporarily out of service for maintenance of the electrical switchgear. During the WGS outage, the waste gas is routed to the FGM compressors for recovery. The increased flow of the waste gas to the FGM compressors caused an overpressure of the recovery system and staged the #1 Flare.
According to the 01/10/14 follow up letter the WGS was being taken temporarily out of service for maintenance of an electrical switchgear. During WGS outage, waste gas is routed to the flare gas management (FGM) system compressors for recovery system, resulting in the intermittent staging of the # 1 Flare. Followup: Yes Notes: The maintenance of the electrical switchgear was completed and the compressors were returned to service to eliminate the gas being routed to the recovery system. All three flare gas recovery compressors were online to minimize flaring during the event. The planned maintenance activity for the WGS will increase the reliability of the system and reduce the likelihood of waste gas being routed to the flare gas recovery system. According to the LDEQ incident report "this event is considered reasonably unforeseeable, therefore qualifies as an upset in accordance with LAC 33:507J Upset Conditions" | Sulfur Dioxide: 2,442.0 pounds |
| 150004 2013-07-29 | Flare #1 | Cause: On Thursday, July 29, 2013, at approximately 1352 hours, the flare gas management (FGM) compressors over pressured from a planned maintenance shutdown of the waste gas compressor (K406) resulting in the staging of the #1 Flare. K406 was being taken temporarily out of service to repair piping on the sight glass and bottom drain piping for the cooling water day tank. During the K406 outage, the waste gas is routed to the FGM compressors for recovery. The increased flow of the waste gas to the FGM compressors caused an overpressure of the recovery system and stages the #1 Flare.
On 8/28/2013 LDEQ conducted "onsite discussions" with Chalmette supervisors about three accidents relating to the WGC and FGC unit between 7/25-7/28 (149927, 149989, 150004). Followup: No Notes: K406 was repaired and returned to service to eliminate the gas being routed to the recovery system. The planned maintenance activity for K406 will increase the reliability of the waste gas system and reduce the likelihood of waste gas being routed to the flare gas recovery system. | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,666.0 pounds |
| 149561 2013-07-10 | Flare | Cause: On Wednesday, July 10, 2013, at approximately 0422 hours, the flare gas management (FGM) compressors began to lose suction intermittently due to mechanical issues. The root cause of the mechanical issues was determined to be residual high molecular wight material entrained in the flare gas compressor circulating water from the reported events on July 7, 2013. To mitigate long term issues, the circulating water was changed out in the system which resulted in the staging of the flare during the process. Followup: No Notes: Emissions were minimized as much as possible and the FGM compressors were returned to normal operation as soon as possible. To mitigate long term issues, the circulating water was changed out in the system which requires the staging of the flare during this process. CRLLC claimed that no reportable quantities were exceeded during this event although they did release over 500 pounds of sulfur dioxide which is RQ. | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,396.0 pounds |
| 148731 2013-05-15 | FGM compressors | Cause: On Wednesday, May 15, 2013, at approximately 13:53 hours, the flare gas management (FGM) compressors were shut down due to high molecular weight materials being purged to the system during the Alky Unit startup. There was the potential to cause long-term damage if the FGM compressors continued to be used during this process which would result in the recovery system being out of service for an extended period of time. Followup: No Notes: The compressors were returned to service immediately after equipment preparation and maintenance activities were completed. Emissions were minimized as much as possible and the FGM compressors were returned to normal operation as soon as possible. | Sulfur Dioxide: 20,020.0 pounds |
| 146908 2013-02-24 | Alkylation Unit | Cause: On February 22, 2013, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was notified that Chalmette refining would be performing a permitted flaring associated with the shutdown of the Alkylation Unit on February 24, 2013. It was noted that US Risk would be performing air monitoring for Chalmette Refining during this event. Followup: No Notes: The event did not exceed a reportable quantity. It was not disclosed what chemical was released during the permitted flaring, though it is stated that there will be air monitoring during the permitted flaring for SO2, H2S, and VOCs. | |
| 155017 2014-04-03 | Alkylation Unit | Cause: Flaring at the No. 1 Flare during maintenance on the Alkylation Unit. Maintenance required the refinery to de-inventory the unit. Report states that the flaring is authorized for safe operation of refinery processes and all emissions are permitted. Followup: No Notes: No incident date was given, only the date of the courtesy notification. Notification was not required as per NSR Consent Decree Paragraph 56.c. | |
| 154166 2014-02-26 | None Reported | Cause: Chalmette provided a courtesy notification to your office on February 26th 2014, regarding the anticipated flaring at the No. 1 Flare during maintenance of the Alkylation Unit. As per NSR Consent Degree Paragraph 56.c, flaring is authorized for safe operation of refinery processes, and all emissions are permitted in the operating permit for this event. The maintenance work and accompanied flaring was completed within about 5 hours on February 26th, 2014 Followup: No Notes: |
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