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Marathon Ashland Petroleum (3165), Garyville

Causal Factor: Maintenance/Procedures

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date
Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
81231

2005-08-10
Outfall #002
Cause: BTEX (Benzene,Toluene,Ethylbenzene,Xylene) sample taken prior to discharging test water showed non-detect levels. However, a follow-up sample collected during the discharge disclosed levels above permitted levels of BTEX in water.

Followup: No

Notes: Facility is "working with the lab to avoid any reoccurrances". BTEX Levels equaled 401 ppb. Limit is 250 ppb. 151 ppb in excess.




91854

2006-11-03
Relief Valve 56-PSV-7008
Cause: Computer Process Controls going on at this time are believed to have been the initial cause of the Relief Valve relieving to the atmosphere.

Followup: No

Notes: Does not have an additional report of the actual totals of what was spilled. Steam up on relief valve to minimize emissions. BELOW REPORTABLE QUANTITY.
Distillate: 14.0 pounds
94388

2007-03-06
South Flare
Cause: Compressors in Unit 22 Sturates Gas Plant shutdown for maintenance and gas feed to Unit decreased. As a result temperature of gas feed cooler effluent decreased in turn increasing amount condensed.

Followup:

Notes: Claims emission was below RQ. Claims alternative (shutting down the compressor and a subsequent Unit shutdown) would have allowed for a more substantial release of emissions to the environment.
Sulfur Dioxide: 0.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 0.0 pounds
110736

2008-11-10
Diesel Pump in Unit 56 Diesel Hydrotreater
Cause: Strainer removed from pump results in high temperature diesel release by a motor operated valve. Caused a small flash fire.

Followup: No

Notes: Steam hose placed on fire to extinguish it immediately.
Diesel Fuel: 1.0 gallons
103973

2008-03-14
North Flare (EQT162 / EIQ 83-70)
Cause: Shell off-gas compressors had to be shut down for emergency maintenance resulting in a buildup of sweet refinery fuel gas which had to be flared.

Followup: No

Notes: Marathon also flared non-olefinic fuel gas to minimize flaring.
: 119.5 pounds
: 20.5 pounds
: 46.5 pounds
115595

2009-06-11
Hydrocarbon feed exchanger
Cause: While cleaning the exchanger a piece of tubing blew out causing a release of naptha to the exchanger pad.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Residual naphtha was washed into the oily sewer. The exchanger was isolated.
Benzene: 1.1 pounds
Naphtha: 100.0 gallons
Hydrogen Sulfide: 13.4 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 414.0 pounds
Naphtha: 100.0 gallons
122763

2010-04-13
no information given
Cause: "Had to depressurize the unit from a previous problem...The FCCU had to reduce rates in sympathy with the Alkylation Unit shutdown. While reducing charge rate, an adequate carbon balance was not maintained, causing elevated CO in the flue gas." Did not exceed 24-hr time period RQ's but did exceed one-hr RQ's for two consecutive hrs.

Followup: No

Notes: BRQ. LDEQ report states that "no reportable quantities were exceeded during this incident." Refinery letter states that "once the problem was recognized, oxygen injection rates were adjusted to improve feed rate and quality."
Carbon Monoxide: 500.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2012-02-22
unit 46, propylene splitter
Cause: fire occurred when residual material in a line was ignited during the removal of a valve

Followup: No

Notes: Personnel in the area used fire extinguishers to put out the fire. Blinds were installed on the line to contain the material leaking by the block valve. There was a subsequent release of propylene after the initial release that was not known at the time of the verbal report with a combined quantity of 65 lbs.
Propylene: 65.1 pounds
152298

2013-11-12
None Reported
Cause: During Unit 22 startup activities, operations personnel utilized sour fuel gas to sweep nitrogen from the unit to flare. It was determined the emissions were related to unit startup, therefore, no unpermitted release resulted from this event.

Followup: No

Notes: Unit startup continued per procedure. Where asked 'which specific pollutants were emitted and how much of each compound was released' report states 'No compounds were released above permitted emission limits' but does not include specific pollutants released. Accident classified under the start-up exemption.
159472

2014-10-14
Unit 59 South Flare
Cause: During the crude unit shutdown condensate was routed to the south stick flare, caused a release of sulfur dioxide. Release was initially thought to be over facility's permit limit, update states that no permit limits were exceeded.

Followup: No

Notes: No remedial actions taken

157764

2014-07-23
Slop Tank 500-6
Cause: While repairing a Reboiler steam leak in Unit 212, light hydrocarbon material was sent to Slop Tank 500-6 from Unit 212 Debutanizer bottoms with no Crude sponging from Unit 210. The light vapors caused the roof of Tank 500-6 to dome, and some vapors were released into the atmosphere, resulting in exceeding the reportable quantity for compressed flammable gasses. Resulted in the release of approximately 4,204.53 pounds of compressed flammable gas from the tank farm. Update: The root cause was identified as a lack of Crude sponging to the slop material.

Followup: Yes

Notes: The area was cleared and the roof and dike drains were blocked in. An incident investigation was conducted to determine the cause or causes of the incident. Per this investigation, the root cause was identified as a lack of crude sponging to the slop material. Multiple recommendation items have been identified to help prevent a recurrence of this event. The Operations Department at MPC has created a written work procedure for taking the U212 Debutanizer offline. The Product Controls department has also been tasked with creating guidelines for sending material to the slop tank, which includes information on sponging and quenching slop material (anticipated completion on 12/31/14). In addition, the Engineering Department will evaluate the quench valves located in Unit 10 and 210 to ensure proper quenching/sponging of material being sent to the slop tank.
Compressed Flammable Gas: 4,204.5 pounds
157236

2014-07-07
Desalter Effluent Water Air Cooler (210-1335-02)
Cause: During a planned maintenance activity, a plug was mistakenly pulled from the Desalter Effluent Water Air Cooler (210-1335-02), which allowed sour water to be released into the slab (secondary containment).

Followup: No

Notes: Plug was reinstalled on Desalter Effluent Water Air Cooler (210-1335-02). Release was contained. An incident investigatino will result in recommendations designed to prevent the recurrence of this event.

155650

2014-04-29
U26 (Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit Gas Con Unit)
Cause: While swapping the bottoms pump around pumps in U26 (Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit Gas Con Unit) after maintenance, BPA flow was lost for approximately 20 minutes resulting in flaring from the debutanizer. The flaring event began on April 29, 2014 at 10:47 adn stopped at 11:15.

Followup: Yes

Notes: To contain the release, refinery workers attempted to start second pump, reduced the rate of the Crude Unit, Heavy Gas Oil Hydrotreater, HF Alkylation Unit, Gasoline Desulfurization and the Diesel Hydrotreater units until incident was under control. An incident investigation was conducted to determine the causes of the incident. Per this investigation, root causes were identified as Management System/SPAC Not Used/Enforcement Needs Improvement. Multiple recommendation items were identified to help prevent a recurrence of the event, including: 1) Update the generic pump switching guideline in each Operating Manual to include specific run verification steps (Complete by 11/2014), 2) Develop a "lessons learned" bulletin for the incident. Discuss how the causal factors lines up to result in the environment incident (Completed), 3) Review the "lessons learned" bulletin with operating personnel via a start-of-shift tool box meeting (Completed). Report on 9/9/14 states that an initial follow-up report was submitted on 5/6/14. This report is not available on the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's Electronic Data Management System (EDMS) as of 1/7/2015.
Sulfur Dioxide: 737.0 pounds
153442

2014-01-18
Unit 59 South Flare
Cause: During pump maintenance activities, operations personnel depressured the Unit 46 propylene charge pump to flare to repair the pump seal. The emissions were related to permitted maintenance activities; however, the permit limit was exceeded during the event.

Followup: No

Notes: There were no remedial actions taken. Facility submitted a permit application to LDEQ to modify emission limits.
Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds (HRVOCs): 191.0 pounds