LA Bucket Brigade : Refinery Accident Database

CITGO Petroleum (1250), Lake Charles

Causal Factor: Piping or Tubing

LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date	Point Source(s)	Notes	Amount of Release
84791 2005-12-23	B-Topper Unit B-7 Flare	Cause: Piping leak at the B-Topper Unit. Due to the temperature of the naphtha steam and the elevation of the line relative to the ground, the leaking material evaporated and did not reach the ground. Followup: Yes Notes: Original letter states that the phone call to report this incident occurred on December 24, 2005, while the follow up letter states the incident occurred on December 23, 2005 at 23:45 hours. Claims all pollutants were released as liquids but vaporized before reaching the ground. Heavy naphtha release was below reportable quantities. The pumparound piping from which the leak was coming was shutdown and isolated for repair when the Unit was shutdown. A Failure Analysis was scheduled for this incident. Second attached letter states that upon re-start up of the B-Unit Topper on December 29, H2S and SO2 were possibly released but below reportable quantities	Naphtha: 2,072.0 Benzene: 15.0 Xylene: 304.0
84111 2005-11-27	Alkylation Unit	Cause: Pinhole leak on 8" pipe at Alkylation Unit. Followup: No Notes: Claims emission was below RQ
83843 2005-11-12	Alkylation Unit	Cause: Leak in line of butane at the Alkylation Unit. Followup: No Notes: Claims emission was below RQ. Repairs planned and made.
81267 2005-08-14	K16 pump house	Cause: Leak on dresser coupling in an area called the K-16 pump house. Followup: Yes Notes: Claims emission was below RQ. Leak was secured and gasoline cleaned up a small undetermined amount.
81227 2005-08-12	No Information Given	Cause: Leak on dresser coupling which released C Reformate inside a concrete pit. Followup: No Notes: C Reformate contains benzene. Air monitoring was done near the spill site. Draining the line and closed roads inside the plant, foam applied to contain any vapors and prevent ignition. No offsite impact.	C Reformate: 84.0 gallons
79957 2005-06-18	Leaking Flange on Dusosol extract line	Cause: Leaking flange from abandoned line Followup: No Notes: Line should have been isolated. It will be isolated and air gapped.	650 Extract Heavy Oil: 273.0 gallons
79738 2005-06-10	No Information Given	Cause: hole in the 10 inch refinery fuel gas pipeline Followup: No Notes: Claims emission was below RQ
78378 2005-04-19	No Information Given	Cause: leak coming from a line that was out of service Followup: No Notes: CITGO saw something leaking out of the ground. Took sample. Will excavate the area and repair the line	Methanol: 3.0 gallons
77616 2005-03-15	B-101 Furnace Coker I Unit	Cause: furnace fire caused by a tube rupture Followup: No Notes: Heater box fire put out by steam. Claims that no RQs were exceeded
77551 2005-03-13	F5 fresh sulfuric acid storage tank in Acid Plant	Cause: leak on a 3 inch discharge line that comes off 12 inch tank sump Followup: No Information Provided Notes: An existing leak that had neem previously clamped migrated past the sealing surface of the clamp. The geometry of the clamp and the sump are such that the inspectino dept. could not monitro metal thickness or metal loss under the clamp. F5 Sumps are being upgraded to stainless steel	Sulfuric Acid: 782,754.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported 2005-03-11	Kirby Barge transfer hose	Cause: transfer hose leaked onto barge surface Followup: No Information Provided Notes: Did not impact surface water	Virgin Gas Oil: 1.0 gallons
76801 2005-02-08	MTBE Unit	Cause: malfunction of a tube bundle on the MTBE production unit skid put Butane in the sewer system Followup: No Notes: Flushed out the sewer system and directed into the secondary treatment facility
92861 2006-12-27	Unicracker Unit	Cause: Leak on a split tee connection on a stopple on the E-1 Debutanizer Tower reflux line that caused the shutdown of Unicracker Unit Followup: No Notes: Claims emission was below RQ
91973 2006-11-09	Line feeding ALCOH Unit	Cause: leak in the line feeding ALCOH unit Followup: No Notes: The line was replaced	Naphtha: 17,800.0 pounds
91428 2006-10-17	B-104 Furnace in the B-Topper Unit	Cause: furnace tube leak Followup: No Notes: Claims emission was below RQ
90765 2006-09-21	leaking nipple fitting JC504A Recycle Compressor at the C-Reformer Unit	Cause: The flammable gas was released from a leaking nipple fitting on the discharge of the JC504A recycle Compressor at the C-reformer Unit. The failure mechanism has been reported to be metal fatigue caused by vibration. The source of the vibration is the reciprocating compressor directly upstream of the leak. Followup: No Notes: Good engineering practices was followed in setting the inspection frequency of the piping. The fatigue due to vibration is now being studied. The Unit was immediately shutdown to isolate the leak. The failed nipple was replaced and a gusset was installed at the connection.	Flammable Gas: 2,882.0 pounds
86306 2006-03-08	A Reformer Unit	Cause: piping leak at the A-Reformer Unit Followup: No Notes: No Information Given
No LDEQ Reported 2006-01-05	B-Topper Unit	Cause: During B Topper Unit restart after repairs, the heavy naphtha reflux piping was found to be ope Followup: No Notes: Bleeder valve was closed. Failure Analysis underway.	Benzene: 156.0 pounds Heavy Naphtha: 25,306.0 pounds
101823 2007-12-19	Cooling Tower 4	Cause: ruptured tube suspected as source of leak Followup: No Notes: Hydrocarbon leak in the c-711 Stabilizer Trim Condenser at the Isomerization Unit is cause of emissions.
101370 2007-11-30	Cooling Towers 1 and 2	Cause: tube leak in E-12 overhead condenser, C-175D at the C-4 Recovery Un Followup: No Notes: COMMON INCIDENT - see 101177 of 11/20/2007 and 100067 of 10/09/2007
No LDEQ Reported 2007-11-29	D-Dock	Cause: drip pan askew below a section of piping under construction Followup: No Notes: All work in the dock area was reviewed for spill / release potentials. The sheen was unrecoverable.
101177 2007-11-20	Cooling Towers 1 and 2	Cause: tube leak in E-12 overhead condenser, C-175D at the C-4 Recovery Un Followup: No Notes: The backpressure controller set point was changed from 217 to 210 PSIG. The alarm settings will be changed to a lower setting to prevent Operations from running the tower at such an elevated pressure.	Sulfur Dioxide: 6,517.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds: 89.0 pounds Nitrogen Oxide: 43.0 pounds Carbon Monoxide: 236.0 pounds
100826 2007-11-07	Tank 187 Peabody Acid Line	Cause: mechanical failure causes leak in fiber reinforced plastic pipe area of Tank 187 Peabody Acid Line Followup: No Notes: Procedures for placing lines into service to prevent recurrence are being reviewed. Vacuum trucks used to pick up the liquid and R&R Construction was contracted for soil remediation	Sodium Hydroxide: 2,128.0 pounds
100461 2007-10-23	JC-36 Topper Tail Gas Compressor	Cause: Hairline crack in small diameter piping on a pressure tap at the JC-36 Topper Tail Gas Compressor Followup: No Notes: CITGO letter states that no RQ's were exceeded
93409 2007-01-21	piping in the C-4 Recovery unit	Cause: th e piping was cut to remove it from service. What was thought to be a blind at one end of the pipe was an orifice; the pipe de-pressured upon being cut. Followup: No Notes: CITGO has initiated a failure analysis review to determine how this incident occurred and what controls need to be implemented to prevent a recurrence. Was this the same pipe from 07-1067?	Flammable Gas: 1,350.0 pounds
93266 2007-01-14	Tank 15	Cause: Followup: No Notes: Line taken out of service and depressurized; water blanket placed over leaking flange
93277 2007-01-14	flange on C-4 recovery unit	Cause: flange leak during a blind installation for a planned turnaround of the C-4 Recovery Unit Followup: No Notes: No information given
108133 2008-08-17	Tank 213	Cause: leak from the slop oil line near Tank 213 Followup: No Notes: Leaking flange isolated	Slop Oil: 953.0 gallons
107384 2008-07-21	Tank 215	Cause: see notes Followup: No Notes: Thermal Area slop line leaking from 1/2 inch orifice tap. Repairs will be conducted on the half inch orifice tap piping	Gas Oil: 7,230.0 pounds
106827 2008-06-30	Unicracker Unit	Cause: flange leak Followup: No Notes: Pipeline flange was inspected and repaired	Slop Oil: 84.0 gallons
106398 2008-06-12	Cooling Towers 1 and 2	Cause: Followup: No Notes: COMMON INCIDENT: see also 104519, 104069, 104696, 106057, 106241; C-175/D Heat Exchanger Bundle Leak at C4 Recovery Uni
106241 2008-06-06	Cooling Towers 1 and 2	Cause: Followup: No Notes: COMMON INCIDENT: see also 104519, 104069, 104696, 106057; C-175/D Heat Exchanger Bundle Leak at C4 Recovery Unit; tubing isolated for repa
106057 2008-06-02	Cooling Towers 1 and 2	Cause: Followup: No Notes: COMMON INCIDENT: see also 104519 and 104069 and 104696; C-175/D Heat Exchanger Bundle Leak at C4 Recovery Unit; tubing isolated for repair
104698 2008-04-11	K-16 Area	Cause: see notes Followup: Yes Notes: Reformate was released into a pit due to a faulty dresser coupling. The bolts in the coupling released. Dresser coupling replaced with hard piping.	Benzene: 1,490.0 pounds Toluene: 12,631.0 pounds Ethylbenzene: 1,042.0 pounds m-Xylene: 2,598.0 pounds o-Xylene: 1,433.0 pounds p-Xylene: 1,135.0 pounds Flammable Gas: 21,275.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds: 21,275.0 pounds
103438 2008-02-26	Tank 138 fill line	Cause: see notes Followup: No Notes: Small leak near the pipe support for the Tank 138 fill line. 20 feet of the line will be changed out to avoid future problems.	Gas Oil: 126.0 gallons
103292 2008-02-21	CLAW 650 Transfer Pipeline	Cause: leaking flange on the CLAW 650 Transfer Pipeline Followup: Yes Notes: Pipeline taken out of service and repaired	Slop Oil: 25.0 gallons
102799 2008-02-04	Sour C3 Mix Pipeline	Cause: leak in the Sour C3 Mix Pipeline and the blowdown of the pipeline to the flare Followup: Yes Notes: According to first letter, RQ for flammable gas likely exceeded and RQ for Sulfur Dioxide possibly exceeded. Follow-up says all was B
119867 2009-12-05	No information given	Cause: Line developed hole, it could not be isolated, so the unit was shut down causing a release of pentane. Followup: Yes Notes: No RQs were exceeded, so no information was given.
115421 2009-06-03	pipeline	Cause: Pipeline was leaking in the Oil Movement Area O-00978-6. Followup: No Notes: Pipeline was isolated.	Topper Light Gas Oil: 294.0 gallons
114984 2009-05-15	Tank 36	Cause: Oil was leaking from the bottom of tank 36. source of leak was the drain line, which drains water from the external floating roof, and runs internal the tank. The line developed a leak and was losing oil. Followup: No Notes: Drain line closed, and clean-up initiated.	Benzene: 278.0 pounds Xylene: 222.0 pounds Slop Oil: 83,748.0 gallons Volatile Organic Compounds: 15,517.0 pounds
114303 2009-04-18	D-dock pipeline	Cause: Historical leak in D-Dock pipeline which resulted in oil sheen on the surrounding waters. Followup: No Notes: Booms deployed to the area in an effort to the river and along the shoreline. Failed pipeline was removed. Immediate pipeline area was excavated to remove the soils. Repairs are "ongoing".	Light Cycle Gas Oil: 0.0 gallons
113294 2009-03-10	unknown pipeline	Cause: Pipeline leak Followup: No Notes: Flange gasket replaces and the flange was tightened. Vacuum trucks were used to recover the spilled oil (60.2 barrels). Affected soil was removed.	Light Cycle Oil: 2,528.4 gallons
126108 2010-09-02	Transfer line nar the C Dock area	Cause: Refinery letter states that "during transfer operations near C-Dock, a leak was discoverd in the transfer pipe. The leak resulted in the release of Sulfuric Acid to the ground. The leak was due to a hole in the transfer pope." OFF-SITE IMPACT: LDEQ & State Police reports state that some of the acid lead to the 004 outfall and were released into the Calcasieu River. Refinery letter states that there were no off-site impacts. Followup: No Notes: RQ. Reportable quantities were exceeded during this incident. LDEQ report states that "the Sulfuric Acid transfer was shut down and emergency response personnel began containment and cleanup efforts. The transfer pipe was repaired to prevent reoccurrence. Soda ash was applied to the affected area to neutralize the acid." Sulfuric Acid is extremely hazardous.	Sulfuric Acid: 1,774.0 pounds
125415 2010-08-05	E103 tower overhead	Cause: Tubing leak in the Unicracker unit, E103 tower overhead. Leak was discovered during a routine maintenance check of equipment. Followup: No Notes: Blocked tubing, depressurized line.
125324 2010-08-02	F16 propane salt dryer	Cause: 3/4 " pipe nipple broke that was used to bleed down the line. SECONDARY CAUSE: Maintenance because a employee was taking the "control valve" out of service at the same time on the F16 propane salt dryer. Followup: No Notes: BRQ. Refinery letter states that no reportable quantities were exceeded. LDEQ report states, "an unknown amount of propane was released until the line was isolated and [depressurized]. A new nipple was installed after the line had bled down." Air monitoring was also performed but no readings were indicated.
120675 2010-01-09	flange in the Coker II Unit	Cause: Flange leak of sour water in the Coker II unit. No RQs were exceeded, so no further information was given. Followup: No Notes: No RQs were exceeded, so no information was given.
135315 2011-11-16	valves on marpol line of MV Chembulk New Orleans	Cause: On November 16, 2011 at 16:30, Terminal personnel witnessed bubbles coming to the surface of the water in the vicinity of a vessel in port. Discharge appeared to be coming from under the bottom of the vessel under a slop tank storage compartment. It was creating a light sheen and a strong odor in the area of the discharge along a dock area. The slop tank was pumped into another compartment that appeared to slow the leak. Vessel personnel stated that the vessel was doubled hulled and the xylene was not coming from the vessel. Kevin Natali was notified by Diana LeBlanc with Citgo on 11/17/11 that 4 valves on the Marpol line (which discharges overboard) on board the vessel was found to be leaking. Followup: No Notes: Hard booms were deployed around the vessel by CITGO and ES&H. The slop tank was pumped into another compartment that appeared to slow the leak. After discovering the leaking valves, the leak was secured approximately at 4 AM on November 17, 2011. The vessel was inspected by the US Coast Guard before it was released. VOC amount released manually tested with results reading 4.0 PPM. Rough calculation was done by Citgo engineering and determined the release was over 1000 lbs. CITGO LCMC will provide an update to this Courtesy Notification Letter with information from the United States Coast Guard MSU Lake Charles in regards to the citation issued to the MV Chembulk New Orleans as the information becomes available. This incident is linked with incident #135306.	Xylene: 1,000.0 pounds
129988 2011-03-17	Sour Gas Line	Cause: State police report states that there was a leak in a three inch line under a relief valve at the vacuum unit. Product of the release was sour gas and went off-site. Followup: No Notes: BRQ. Line was blocked and repaired. Air monitoring was performed in the plant area, and no readings were indicated.
144515 2012-11-07	fin fan in the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Hydrotreater unit	Cause: A tubing leak released materials from a fin fan in the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Hydrotreater unit at the CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex. Followup: No Notes: The LDEQ initially reports that a tubing leak in a unit released Hydrogen, Hydrogen Sulfide, and Diesel. However on 11/12/12, the facility reported a false alarm and reported that only water was leaking from the unit in question. The facility shut down the unit and investigated the root cause of the leak. No further action was taken after the false alarm was reported.
139986 2012-05-24	Steel tubing in Unit C	Cause: A pinhole leak developed in some steel tubing in Unit C. Followup: No Notes: The leak was secured and plans were made to fix it.
157301 2014-07-09	A-Reformer line leak	Cause: There was a leak of flammable gas from the A-Reformer line in the CITGO Lake Charles Manufacturing Complex. Followup: No Notes: No Reportable Quantities were exceeded.
156031 2014-05-17	B-1 Heater (C Topper Unit)	Cause: A Fire occurred inside of the B-1 Heater (C Topper Unit) due to tube leak. Followup: No Notes: The fire was quickly secured. No reportable quantities or permit limits were exceeded during the release.
153706 2014-02-05		Cause: A release of hydrogen sulfide and flammable gas from a flange leak in the Coker II unit was reported on February 5, 2014. Followup: No Notes: Only information available about this accident is from refinery letter.

Louisiana Refinery Accident Database

CITGO Petroleum (1250), Lake Charles

Causal Factor: Piping or Tubing