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Phillips 66 (2538), Lake Charles

Causal Factor: Start Up, Shut Down

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date
Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
77739

2005-03-21
FLARE (South Flare EP-31)
Cause: SFGR compressors shut down on high flare header pressure. FCC steaming for turnaround elevated flare header pressure (along with 2CTU gas) and when No. 2 Coker went to the blowdown at normal time (not early), it spiked the header pressure up high enough

Followup: No

Notes: Cut FCC steaming back and started SFGR compressors. No excess emissions above permit limits, therefore notification only as courtesy.
Sulfur Dioxide: 420.0 pounds
76181

2005-01-13
FLARE (South Flare EP-31)
Cause: incident involved release of sulfur dioxide from the south flare due to a shutdown of the South Flare Gas recovery (SFGR) System. The SFGR compressor was shutdown in order to replace a faulty pressure indicator.

Followup: No

Notes: Upon completion of the replacement, the compressor was resorted and the release ended. According tot he facility's report the incident was preventable, however there were no excess emissions above reportable quantities and the notification was madeas
Sulfur Dioxide: 624.0 pounds
91237

2006-10-09
Area A-North Flare (EP-64)
Cause: A relief valve on the stripper is the 6HDS lifted due to a process upset caused by a hydrogen compressor shutdown & consequent unit upset.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: A management environmental review will develop a plan to identify leaking RVs and troubleshoot the flare system during relied events/upsets so that future releases do not exceed permit limits. HAZMAT#0606318
Sulfur Dioxide: 861.0 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide: 3.0 pounds
90166

2006-08-21
Area A- North Flare (EP-64)
Cause: Compressor was shutdown due to an external trip. The cause of the trip is unknown and is currently being investigated to prevent future occurence

Followup: Yes

Notes: The cause of the trip will be identified using the RCFA process and the area will take action - using engineering controls if possible - to ensure that trip never happens again. HAZMAT#0605264
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,721.0 pounds
88547

2006-06-13
South Flare
Cause: Release caused by a Flare Gas Recovery shutdown, associated with Turnaround activitie

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: No information given

88297

2006-06-04
Area A- North Flare (EP-64)
Cause: A refinery process unit (#7 HDS) was being depressured and steamed to the flare as part of a pre-turnaround shutdown procedure.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: Letter from CP indicates that an instrument malfunctioned causing an incorrect reading that indicated an excessive release of SO2
<10
87832

2006-05-15
None Reported
Cause: The South Flare Unit was shutdown to peform mechanical work on the SFGR Compressor. During this event emissions were release

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: No Information Given
86154

2006-03-02
Area C- North Flare (EP-64)
Cause: The No. # Crude Unit shut down for turnaround resulted in excess emissio

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: No Information given.
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,120.0 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide: 13.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 12.0 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds: 67.0 pounds
85804

2006-02-14
FCC Stack (EP-41)
Cause: Exceedance of CO from the FCC Stack due to start-

Followup: Yes

Notes: The permit exceedance will be reported in the next quarterly New Source Performance Standard/Best Available Control Technology Report.

99837

2007-09-28
North Flare
Cause: multiple units were being shut down for turnaround, and caused steam to build to flare resulting in the analyzer being water logge

Followup: No

Notes: Steam purging rate reduced to lower emissions.
Sulfur Dioxide: 8,881.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2008-09-07

Cause: Facility start up released SO2 and H2S to flare.

Followup: Yes

Notes: No information given.


No LDEQ Reported

2008-09-07

Cause: Facility start up released SO2 and H2S to flare.

Followup: Yes

Notes: No information given.


108898

2008-09-07
North Flare
Cause: courtesy notification pollutants released during facility start

Followup: No

Notes: Letter concerns possible flare outage, states that accumulation of steam concealed flare and no pilot outage occurred. Courtesty notification onl


108894

2008-09-06
None Reported
Cause: SO2 released as result of start

Followup: No

Notes: During startup of the No. 2 Coker a valve opened sending Hydrogen Sulfide gas to flare. During restart following Gustav No 2 Vacuum tower pressured up
105820

2008-05-21
#10 Reformer West flare
Cause: release occurred during shut down; no further info giv

Followup: No

Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ.

104365

2008-03-30
North Flare
Cause: release occurred during #3 CTU start

Followup: No

Notes: Steaming the unit out slower would have reduced the environmental impact. DEQ report indicates that steaming the unit out slower would not have made a difference
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,406.0 pounds
103362

2008-02-22
Area C - 2 Vac Unit
Cause: start up of the 2 vac Unit X-20102 / 201

Followup: No

Notes: Report states that 2 to 3 barrels were lost. Also states that 20 to 30 gallons entered water - why the discrepancy? REMEDIAL ACTION: booms and floor dry were deployed by Operations personnel. Mechanical support and Vac truck called to remedy the situation
Crude Oil: 126.0 gallons
108607

2007-07-05
Excel Paralubes Sulfur Recovery Unit Stack
Cause: start up post-Gustav causes flari

Followup: No

Notes: Abnormally high concentration of light hydrocarbons in the Reaction Furnace. The change in feed composition reduced the unit's effectiveness at converting H2S to sulfur. As a result, the concentration of H2S went beyond the hourly permit limits fromthe SRU sta
Sulfur Dioxide: 276.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 6.0 pounds
103590

2007-07-05
West Flare
Cause: shut down for turnaround and steamed to fla

Followup: No

Notes: V. little info given in DEQ report. NO info on pollutants released or amounts.

115992

2009-06-25
#10 reformer unit
Cause: A leak began after the start up of exchanger X-16106 in the #10 reformer unit.

Followup: No

Notes: Operating rate of the unit was decreased to get pressure of the exchanger. The exchanger head was tightened and the leak stopped.
Gasoline: 25.0 gallons
115150

2009-05-21
#4/5 Sulfur Recovery Unit
Cause: While starting up the unit after a turnaround, problems were encountered. An instrument use for operating the unit was not responding properly resulting in a unit upset.

Followup: No

Notes: No information given.
Sulfur Dioxide: 354.0 pounds
114646

2009-05-03
#64/65 SRU stack
Cause: In the process of shutting down the #64 sulfur train,a loss of steam to the amine regenerator occurred. This caused an increase of SO2 released from the #64/65 SRU stacks.

Followup: No

Notes: Exceeds RQ. No additional information given.
Sulfur Dioxide: 22.0 pounds
112925

2009-02-23
#1/2 SRU
Cause: A boiler had an emergency shutdown due to a steam imbalance across the site. Various units that depend on steam to operate had rates rapidly reduced, and a release from #1/2 Sulfur Recovery Unit(SRU) was caused.

Followup: No

Notes: No information given
Sulfur Dioxide and Sulfur Trioxide: 69.6 pounds
111828

2009-01-07
North Flare
Cause: Net gas compressor in No. 10 reformer was shutdown due to high vibrations. The shut down caused high volumes of gas and liquids to the North Flare. This resulted in a surge of high pressure on the flare header line to the North Flare.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Immediately after the discharge, Conoco Phillips shut down Old Spanish Trail Roadway, and the North Flare was taken out of service. A Conoco personnel did a FLIR camera monitoring of the flare header line for VOC leakage. No leaks were found. LDEQ personnel were dispatched to the site later in the day after the discharge. They collected a summa canister air sample offsite and downwind of the North Flare. The canister did not detect any readings. Samples of ditch water was collected by Conoco Phillips on the north side of Old Spanish Trail on Sasol property. The water samples of SO2 was detected to be 0.7-4.0ppm, while H2S and VOCs levels were not detectable. During the collection, the inspectors described a pungent, sulfuric odor. CITIZEN COMPLAINT (T111853)- Ms. Debra Ramirez stated concern over the Conoco Phillips discharge. The LDEQ inspector's observations stated that the release was caused by a malfunction of the net gas compressor in the No. 10 reformer, which relieves to the North Flare. In an attempt to mitigate the release, operations began cutting charge rates to the units and diverting vent streams from the North Flare to the South Flare system.