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Valero (1238), Meraux

Causal Factor: Equipment Failure

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date
Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
82713

2005-10-01
Tank 200-1
Cause: Malfunction of the roof drain

Followup: No

Notes: The refinery is considering replacing the kickstand roof drains.
Volatile Organic Compounds: 122.0 pounds
Gasoline: 210.0 gallons
81118

2005-08-09
#3 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (#5-00)
Cause: A faulty solenoid in the main curner gas control valve caused the release

Followup: No

Notes: They replaced the part
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,164.0 pounds
80945

2005-07-31
North Flare 20-72
#2 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (1-93)
No information given
Cause: Malfunction in the power supply to the control panel's Process Logic Controller card

Followup: No

Notes: Followed procedures for emergency shutdown.
Sulfur Dioxide: 82,094.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 4,427.0 pounds

No LDEQ Reported

2005-07-11
Outfall 003
Cause: Loss of sump pumps in the wastewater treatment plant cooling tower and piping system problems. Opened Outfall 003 (Emergency Stormwater Outfall) to the 20 Arpent Canal. Wastewater storage capacity was not available due to prior storm events.

Followup: No

Notes: Murphy Oil set up temporary lines and pumps to bypass the plugged wastewater treatment plant biororeactor charge lines reworked sump pumps and returned lines and pumps to service. Chemicals in discharged stormwater and process water included ammonia, sulfides, phenol, oil and grease in undisclosed quanitities.
Process Water: 5,400,000.0 gallons
see above
see above
see above
see above
80466

2005-07-11
South Flare
Cause: Maintenace bypass switch on the UPS unit malfunctioned.

Followup: No

Notes: The report has conflicting information about duration of the event and the point source. Page 2 says it was the north flare and the SRU Incinerator, but the p. 4 emissions details say south flare. The info entered here is from the last page.
Sulfur Dioxide: 9,809.0 pounds
79999

2005-06-21
South Flare
No information given
Cause: Wire shorted

Followup: No

Notes: There was also a power failure - seem to be 2 causes of the problem. The release took place on two days - 6/21 and then 126 lbs on 6/23 when they re started. There were seven complaint calls.
Sulfur Dioxide: 38,664.0 pounds

79847

2005-06-15
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
Cause: Malfunction of the steam trap allowed condensate into the Amine unit reboiler, triggering a series of events resulting in the incident

Followup: No

Notes: Steam trap repaired
Sulfur Dioxide: 20,520.0 pounds
79446

2005-05-30
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
Cause: Blown fuses at the hydrotreater charge pump

Followup: No

Notes: Faulty fuses replaced
Sulfur Dioxide: 3,133.0 pounds
79082

2005-05-16
#3 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (#5-00)
Cause: Malfunctioning valve positioner on the main air valve

Followup: No

Notes: The valve positioner has been replaced. Appear to be 2 incident #'s. The second is. 05-03210
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,351.0 pounds
77899

2005-03-30
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
#3 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (#5-00)
Cause: Malfunction of the level transmitter on the #2 Amine Acid Gas Knockout Drum

Followup: No

Notes: Replaced level transmitter.
Sulfur Dioxide: 14,048.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 248.0 pounds
77748

2005-03-21
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
#3 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (#5-00)
Cause: A fuse was blown during the replacement of a faulty solenoid on the city gas control valve at the incinerator

Followup: No

Notes: There appear to be two state police #'s for this report. The other is 05-01888. Solenoid failure and fuse malfunction have been dealt with, as these were the cause of the problems.
Sulfur Dioxide: 11,067.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 159.0 pounds
77705

2005-03-20
#3 Sulfur Recovery Unit
Bypass of #2 Amine gas to the SOUTH FLARE
Cause: Faulty alarm in the Distributed Control System

Followup: No

Notes: Reviewed all of its alarm systems.
Sulfur Dioxide: 319.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 10,625.0 pounds
77339

2005-03-03
North Flare
North Flare 20-72
Cause: automatic shutdown of the Sour Gas Compressor in the Distillate Hydrotreater

Followup: Yes

Notes: Says they will submit a more complete report by Monday, March 14
Sulfur Dioxide: 705.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 705.0 pounds
77051

2005-02-21
#2 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (1-93)
Cause: When they tried to re start after the following problem, they found a number of "mechanical problems," like plugged packing and a leak in a valve

Followup: No

Notes: Two incidents were listed in one report
Sulfur Dioxide: 15,503.0 pounds
77058

2005-02-19
#2 Sour Gas Incinerator (emissions were routed there)
Cause: in the Tail Gas Treater. The notes say that there are maintenance problems, but that's because of troubles with the equipment.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Follow up report promised within five days.
Sulfur Dioxide: 125.0 pounds
76868

2005-02-11
No information given
Cause: Power failure due to Entergy's loss of power

Followup: Yes

Notes: Refinery wide power outage that damaged several units. More info is supposed to be provided in follow up report within ten days. See 3/11/05 for details.

No LDEQ Reported

2005-02-11
#2 Sulfur Recover Unit Incinerator (1-93)
#3 Sulfur Recovery Unit Incinerator (5-00)
North Flare 20-72
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
Cause: Power failure due to Entergy's loss of power

Followup: No

Notes: There are two state police numbers on this report thought only the 00969 one seems to be discussed. I have thus listed only that #. This is a follow up report for the power failure on 2/11. It does say smoke was intermittent, perhaps all releases were. The report also notes a re start date of 2/20 but there are no emissions listed for that date. The report on 4/4/05 details the emissions amounts for S02."

Sulfur Dioxide: 488.0 pounds

Sulfur Dioxide: 8,095.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 56,871.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2005-02-07
Loading line on Mississippi River dock
Cause: Valve in a loading line released the oil.

Followup: No

Notes: BELOW REPORTABLE QUANTITIES. They tightened down on the packing of the valve and it seemed to solve the problem.
Oil: 2.0 gallons
76189

2005-01-14
South Flare - EPN # 3 - 77
#3 Sulfur Recovery Unit Incinerator
Cause: in the #3 Sulfur Recovery Unit. There was a malfunction in the main air valve.

Followup: No

Notes: There were two separate incidents in this one report (see the next row). The refinery is installing redundant equipment to upgrade reliability of air valve.
Sulfur Dioxide: 45,996.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 8,854.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,262.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 759.0 pounds
76176

2005-01-12
#2 Sulfur Recovery Unit Incinerator #1-93
Cause: A hole developed in the chamber wall of the #2 Tail Gas Treater

Followup: No

Notes: The wall was patched.
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,647.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 540.0 pounds
89284

2006-07-16
North Flare (EPN #20-72)
#2 SRU incinerator (EPN #1-93)
South Flare #20-72
#3 SRU incenerator
Cause: Malfunction at the 450# bOiler Feed Water Discharge Check Valve leading to an automatics safety shutdown of SRU #2,3

Followup: No

Notes: SERC incident # 06-04451. Acid gas was routed to the flares and implimenting the refinery's Sulfur Shedding Plan
Sulfur Dioxide: 17,708.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 410.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 20,743.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 571.0 pounds
89141

2006-07-10
North Flare (EPN #20-72) and #2 SRU incinerator
Cause: Sulfur condenser Level Control Valve malfunctioned and a 1st attempt at repair did not correct the problem (malfunction and human error). Operations were able to be continued manually but operator had to go to another unit and the #2 SRU tripped on low water level in the condenser.

Followup: No

Notes: SERC Incident # 06-04286. routed acid gas to the N. Flare to reduce env. Impact Valve of SRU was repaired that day. Disciplinary actions were conducted to deal w/ human error.
Sulfur Dioxide: 2,960.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2006-07-07
South Flare EPN #20-72
Cause: SRU malfunction--Loss of steam to the Main Air Blower turbine due to malfunction in the Platform and BOiler TB-01 resulting in an automatic safety shutdown.

Followup: Under Investigation

Notes: SERC incidentReport #06-04249. Has one inconstent calculation of 29, 175 of Sulfur Dioxide being released. (pg. 3)
Sulfur Dioxide: 14,765.0 pounds
88939

2006-06-28
South Flare EPN #3-77
Cause: #3 SRU (Sulfur Recovery Unit) Bypass- Unintentional trip of the unit from a satellite monitoring location that was thought to have no active control. When SRU returned to service Sulfur Dioxide leaked from #3 TGT (Tail Gas Treater) until sufficient acid gas could sustain #3 TGT.

Followup: No

Notes: Plant followed operating procedures to mitigate the damage routing acid gas to the S. flare. Also, implimented sulfur shedding plan to reduce Sulfur Dioxide emissions. Brought the SRU online as soon as possible. Afterward, reconfigured DCS (Distributive Control System) to ensure that satellite monitoring screens had no active control capability.
Sulfur Dioxide: 29,813.0 pounds
101183

2007-11-09
Vacuum Truck - slop oil was spilled to unpaved ground water at the wastewater treatment sludge processing area.
Cause: incident occurred as a result of a faulty check valve - debris located in the suction valve seat allowed the valve to stay open when it should have been closed. When the tank pressurized, contents were blown out of the suction side of the system. The operator failed to ensure that the suction system was clean and operating properly before pressurizing the tank

Followup: Yes

Notes: This was a self-report from Murphy to LDEQ and they also followed up with written notice of the incident. The slop oil spill was to unpaved ground at the wastewater treatment sludge processing area. A vacuum truck driver loaded the slop oil from Tank 5-3 and proceeded to offload at the processing area releasing the material onto the ground. The spill impacted an area of approx. 30 feet by 50 feet and was contained in this one area. Murphy immediately responded by recovering approx. 85% of theliquids with vacuum trucks. The next morning, Murphy scraped up all visibly contaminated soil (approx. 3 cubic yards) for disposal at Waste Management's Woodside Landfill in Walker, LA. NOTE: The operator failed to ensure that the suction syste
Slop Oil: 84.0 gallons
99344

2007-09-10
FLARE - Malfunction of Air Products Gas Oxygen (GOX) Compressor / South Flare
Cause: the incident was a result of light hydrocarbon contamination (methane) in the supply of pure hydrogen to MOUSA from Air Products resulting from a malfunction of their Gas Oxygen (GOX) Compressor. Hydrogen Purity abruptly dropped from 99.5% to approx. 95%. The methane flashed, exceeding the pressure setting on the relief valve from the Flash Drum to the Flare

Followup: Yes

Notes: This incident was not preventable because MOUSA was unable to predict the malfunction of the Air Products GOX compressor and was not provided timely notification of the problem. There was no malfunction or human error on the part of MOUSA. RemedialMeasures - In order to quickly detect and respond to such events, MOUSA gained access to the data from the Air Products online hydrogen purity analyzer on the supply line from Air Products. At the next unit turnaround, MOUSA will install a Rich Aminash Drum pressure indicator on the DCS console. MOUSA also developed an operating procedure to standardize the adjustments that must be made to quickly overcome such an event. The corrective actions listed above should enable MOUSA to provide timely
Sulfur Dioxide: 9,557.0 pounds
98860

2007-08-23
FLARE - Malfunction of Air Products Gas Oxygen (GOX) Compressor /South Flare
Cause: the incident was a result of light air hydrocarbon contamination in the supply of pure hydrogen to MOUSA from Air Products resulting from a malfunction of their Gas Oxygen (GOX) Compressor. The hydrocarbon impurities flashed, exceeding the pressure setting on the PSV from the Flash Drum to the Flar

Followup: Yes

Notes: This incident was not preventable because MOUSA was unable to predict the malfunction of the GOX compressor at the hydrogen vendor and was not provided timely notification of the problem. There was no malfunction or human error on the part of MOUSA. Remedial Measures - First, MOUSA worked with the Air Products to develop a communications system should they experience malfunctions in the future. Second, MOUSA developed an emergency procedure to react to such an event. Third, MOUSA developed impd monitoring of the flow rate off the PSV to more accurately estimate emissions from such an event. (Flow rate went off scale on the flow meter, so MOUSA re-ranged the meter. A similar event occurred on 9/24/2007 and data from that event suggested th
Sulfur Dioxide: 19,000.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2007-08-01
Gasoline Spill to River at Dock - transfer line/hose
Cause: During a test conducted at 188 psi, a rubber loading hose, rated for a pressure of 225 psi, developed a 4 inch long split, allowing gasoline to spray to the Rive

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This incident occurred on 8/1/2007 and was not reported by Murphy until 3/11/2008. This incident was not preventable because the rupture of the hose was not a predictable event. At the time of the spill of 30 gallons of gasoline into the Miss. River, MOUSA was conducting annual pressure testing of a hard piped gasoline transfer line, per U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Because MOUSA was not loading gasoline to a vessel, the 8 rubber loading hoses at the Dock had been capped at the loadend, were elevated and suspended from their gantry hangers, and were secured from the loading hoses. During a test conducted at 188 psi, a rubber loading hose, rated for a pressure of 225 psi, developed a 4 long split, allowing gasoline to
Benzene: 7.0 pounds
Gasoline: 30.0 gallons
96168

2007-05-12
High point vent valve on Tank 250-1 injection pump
Cause: the source of the spill was a high point vent valve that was left open on the Tank 250-1 injection pump.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: There is no information as to whether this incident was preventable or not. Remedial Measures - Murphy Oil deployed containment booms and recovered the free liquids with vacuum trucks. Soil with signs of visual contamination is being removed for proper disposal. Note: could this be caused by human error????
Crude Oil: 2,100.0 gallons
94158

2007-02-23
FLARE-Temperature Transmitter /
Cause: the startup followed a shutdown of the #3 SRU complex on 2/23/2007, after its source of acid gas, the Hydrocracker Unit, experienced an automatic safety shutdown . The shutdown was triggered by a high temp. indication on the HCU Makeup Gas Compressor. Atemp. transmitter failed due to damage to its insulation and a loose connection. In failing, the transmitter sent a false high temp. indication, which triggered the shutdown of the compresso

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This incident was not preventable because the failure of the wiring was not a predictable event. Additionally, the excess emissions are a normal part of the unit startup. Remedial Measures - MOUSA reprogrammed the transmitter to send a low temp. signal on failure, which will avoid a compressor shutdown. MOUSA activated the instrument's dual element technology, such that if one element fails, it will automatically switch to the backup. This will improve the reliability of the transmitter. Nthe shutdown was triggered by a high temp. indication on the HCU Makeup Gas Compressor A. A temp. transmitter failed due to damage to its insulation and a loose connection. In failing, the transmitter sent a false high temp. indication, which trigge
Sulfur Dioxide: 367.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2008-05-16
Leaking valve
Cause: leaking valve on the loading hose. See Above # 871034.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This was a report by Murphy Oil to the LDEQ regarding two spills of gasoline into the Mississippi River from the refinery's dock on back to back days - see #871121 below. Murphy Oil immediately shut down the transfer line and blocked in the hose. The following day an additional 1 gallon of gasoline was released to the Miss. River as a result of a leaking valve on the loading hose. The hose is used for loading both ethanol and gasoline. Murphy Oil judged it safer not to remediate the gasoline spand allow it to dissipate. There were no reportable quantities exceedances for gasoline or benzene. The off-site impact was below reportable quantities for oil (RQ = 1 barrel) and benzene (RQ = 1- pounds. Murphy Oil is working with the hose manufactu
Gasoline: 1.0 gallons
No LDEQ Reported

2008-05-15
Hose failure
Cause: the cause of the spill was a hose failure while loading gasoline. Murphy suspects that the ethanol chemically degraded the hose despite the manufacturer stating that that the hose is designed to be compatible for both ethanol and gasoline.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This was a report by Murphy Oil to the LDEQ regarding two spills of gasoline into the Mississippi River from the refinery's dock on back to back days - see #871121 below. Murphy Oil immediately shut down the transfer line and blocked in the hose. The following day an additional 1 gallon of gasoline was released to the Miss. River as a result of a leaking valve on the loading hose. The hose is used for loading both ethanol and gasoline. Murphy Oil judged it safer not to remediate the gasoline spand allow it to dissipate. There were no reportable quantities exceedances for gasoline or benzene. The off-site impact was below reportable quantities for oil (RQ = 1 barrel) and benzene (RQ = 1- pounds. Murphy Oil is working with the hose manufactu
Gasoline: 20.0 gallons
103894

2008-03-13
None Reported
Cause: faulty breaker trip unit (make GE and model Power++ unit) which shut down the entire #2 SRU complex (#1 Amine Unit, #1 Sour Water Stripper, #2 SRU, #2Tail Gas Treater) at 10:20 hours. The breaker was re-set and restarted the #2 SRU at 11:12 hours. Varying rates of SO2 emissions were released at the #2 SRU Incinerator stack while the #2 Tail Gas Treater (TGT) was bypassed as part of the normal procedure. The breaker trip occurred again at 22:00 hours and MOUSA re-set the breaker and restarted the #2SRU at 1:40 hours. MOUSA then planned a unit shutdown at 13:00 hours, replaced the breaker, and restarted the #2 SRU at 14:20 hours. Root cause - faulty breaker trip unit (make GE and model Power++ unit).

Followup:

Notes: This was a self report by Murphy. According to the report, they lost power and had to flare. While flaring, sulfur dioxide was released. The LDEQ report cites the GE breaker as the cause of the lost electrical power at Murphy. The Distillate Hydrotreater experienced this type of failure. The breaker was replaced and the DHT was returned to service. The breaker has been sent out for evaluation but it was also replaced with a different brand of breaker and the power has not reoccurred. This incident not preventable because the failure of the breaker trip unit was not a predictable event. Remedial Measures - at the next scheduled shutdown, MOUSA plans to replace the GE component with a more MicroVersa PM breaker trip, which is considered a more r
103793

2008-03-10
FLARE- #2 Sour Water Stripper Malfunction / South Flare
Cause: faulty transducer on the control valve actuator

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This was a self report by Murphy. They verbally called in on 3/10/2008 and provided written notification on 3/17/2008. This is important because in their initial verbal report, the list sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and volatile organic compounds ashaving been released. However, in their written report they only list sulfur dioxide as having been released. This accident was not preventable because the malfunction of the transducer was not a predictable event. Remedial Measures - MOUSA replaced faulty valve transducer with an upgraded, more robust model. MOUSA is identifying critical pressure control valves that have these particular trasducer models in order to determine which would benefit from upgraded transducers.
Sulfur Dioxide: 698.0 pounds
102854

2008-02-05
FLARE - Fuel gas regulator to Boiler B-6 / North and South Flares
Cause: root cause may have been contaminants in the fuel gas regulator to Boiler -B-6 which caused an automatic safety shutdown of Boiler B-6. As MOUSA attempted to restart the boiler and enact our Steam Shedding Olant to conserve steam, a steam deficit forcedBoiler B-5 and more units into safety shutdowns, resulting in large flares with smoke. A contributing factor was the inability to quickly restart Boiler B-6, which could not achieve startup permissive in the control system due to improper inlet airdamper position.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This incident was self reported by Murphy who described it in their first report to LDEQ as, smoking flares going off due to loss boiler and emissions from the hydrocracker and cat crackerÉunknown chemical. The LDEQ report says the incident lasted several hours yet does not include any information regarding what type of chemical was released. The verbal update from Murphy (with no date) says that small amounts of sulfur dioxide were released and small amounts of nitrogen - maybe 10 pounds - was reed. It also states that, Smoke is particulates is unknown. This incident was not preventable because the failure of the fuel gas regulator was not a predictable event. Remedial Measures - MOUSA replaced the fuel gas regulator on Boiler B-6 and instal
Nitrogen Oxide: 20.0 pounds
Particulate Matter: 4,000.0 pounds
102619

2008-01-21
FLARE- pressure relief valves in the #2 SRU complex / North and South Flares
Cause: leaking pressure relief valves in the #2 SRU complex.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This incident was not preventable because the PRV malfunctions were not predictable events, as recognized by NSPS for flares that exempt PRV leakage. Also, permitted emission rates at both the North and South flares are based on estimated provided by a refinery-wide survey. not on monitoring data. NOTE: In the report Murphy acknowledges the flow to the North Flare could not be reliably ascertained (no reason given why it couldn't be), the quantity can only be estimated. It was estimated that ave sulfur dioxide emissions from this incident were 200 pounds per hour at the North Flare. They claim that MOUSA is currently on the process of developing an advanced flow monitoring system for both flares. I cam up with the total amount of sulfur di
Sulfur Dioxide: 38,400.0 pounds

102452

2008-01-19
FLARE - primary (north) Combustion Blower for the #2 SRU Thermal Reactor
Cause: the episode was the result of a January 15th shut down of the #2 SRU due to and emergency safety shutdown of the unit following a malfunction of the primary (north) Combustion Blower for the SRU Thermal Reactor. MOUSA started the backup (south) blower, but this machine exhibited high vibrations, so MOUSA was forced into a safety shutdown of the #2 SRU.

Followup: No Information Provided

Notes: This incident was not preventable because the blower malfunction was not a predictable event. Remedial Measures - MOUSA repaired the North blower and returned the unit to normal operation without further incident. MOUSA is considering a redesign of the blower system.
Sulfur Dioxide: 687.0 pounds
102011

2008-01-02
FLARE - Main Airblower at the #2 FCC, C3/C4 Splitter/ FCCU Fractionator
Cause: the refinery experienced an automatic safety shutdown of the Main Air Blower at the #2 FCC, resulting in the release of FCC catalyst from the #2 FCC ESP stack (EPN #2-77). As MOUSA attempted to start the unit and achieve balanced operations in the refinery, the C3/C4 Splitter experienced a malfunction, resulting in a large flame with smoke emissions at the North Flare. The events may have been related and are under investigation. (Maybe an air pocket got into the system and caused this -see #102043)

Followup: Yes

Notes: This incident report includes two citizen complaints and a self report from Murphy to the LDEQ. Incident #102043, 102007, 102011, and 102050 are all regarding the same incident as best I can tell. In Murphy's report, they acknowledged that the eventresulted in significant flaring from the FCC main column overhead receiver and the C3/C4 Splitter. Also, MOUSA claims that they received three complaints of visible emissions but no allegations of impact. The LDEQ report states that some particulateter was released to the neighborhood and that at the time of the incident there was a north/northwest wind. NOTE- at the time of this report the incident was under investigation. However, no follow-up report was provided to the Bucket Brigade.

Volatile Organic Compounds: 576.0 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide: 43.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 40.0 pounds
Propane/Propylene Mix: 15,446.0 pounds
120404

2009-12-23
North Flare from #2 SRU Incinerator
Cause: Automatic safety shutdown of #2 SRU occurred due to malfunction of the burner. This caused flaring at the North Flare.

Followup: No

Notes: RQ exceeded. Murphy Oil started procedures and re-started the unit. Root cause is under investigation.
Sulfur Dioxide: 3,090.0 pounds
119999

2009-12-09
North Flare from #2 SRU Incinerator
Cause: Automatic safety shutdown of #2 SRU due to malfunction in the SRU main burner flame dectors. Caused flaring from the North flare.

Followup: No

Notes: RQ exceeded. Refinery followed operating procedures. Unit was re-started and Root Cause Analysis is on-going.
Sulfur Dioxide: 10,800.0 pounds
No LDEQ Reported

2009-07-26

Cause: Malfunction of loading hose cause spill into Mississippi River.

Followup: No

Notes: RQ not exceeded.
Naphtha: 5.0 pounds
112801

2009-02-14
None Reported
Cause: The plant was in normal operation except for the distillate hydro treater which was in the process of restarting after a mechanical upset on the previous day.

Followup:

Notes: At the time of the complaint regarding very strong odor coming from Murphy Oil Refinery as well as a large flame and rumbling noise, there was a mild waste water odor from the waste water treatment plant noticeable at Gate 8. This odor was not described as a gasoline odor. The plant did receive a call from the community fro a gasoline odor which was not found during the investigation of the call which included a drive through the adjacent neighborhood. The plant was in normal operation except for the distillate hydro treater which was in the process of restarting after a mechanical upset on the previous day. The plant also received a call for vibration that was investigated. The compressor at the distillate hydro treater (B-^) was in restart mode. There was some vibration associated with the compressor restart. No noise problems were noted in the plant record.
126739

2010-09-28
FLARE - North Flare (#20-72)
FLARE - South Flare (#3-77)
Cause: Power Outage. A power interruption caused emergency safety shutdowns in several units. The hydrocracker shut down, and hydrogen from it was combusted at the North Flare. At the South Flare a mix of hydrocarbon vapors were combusted. There were brief, intermittent periods of flaring. FLARE. FOLLOW-UP Letter states that the cause of the unanticipated power outage was a "failed lightening arrestor on a main feeder line."

Followup: Yes

Notes: BRQ. Follow-up letter states that release was below reportable quantities. Operating procedures were followed to safely secure and re-start affected units and they are investigating what caused the unplanned power interruption. Murphy Oil inspected all arrestors and replaced two that show signs of wear.


126231

2010-09-08
#2 FCCU Reactor Vessel
Cause: Refinery letter states that a small hole developed in the #2 FCCU reactor vessel.

Followup: No

Notes: BRQ. The hole was repaired, and the unit was returned to service.
Hydrogen Sulfide: 0.0 pounds
Benzene: 0.0 pounds
Hydrocarbon: 1.2 pounds
122144

2010-03-13
FLARE: North Flare (#1 Sour Water Stripper Flash Drum)
Cause: Refinery letter states that flaring of the #1 Sour Water Stripper Flash Drum occurred due to high pressure. The high pressure was caused by a faulty electrical breaker.

Followup: No

Notes: Murphy Oil followed its operating procedures to restore the #1 Hi-Jet to normal operation. LDEQ closed this incident case on 5/9/2011.
Sulfur Dioxide: 15.0 pounds
150231

2013-08-08
#2 SRU
Cause: Valero experienced excess emissions of SO2 and H2S at the #2 Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) and several refinery fuel gas-fired sources due to an unexpected shutdown at the #2 SRU. Valero Maintenance personnel were in a satelite equipment building to replace a cooling fan on the Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). When an electrician opened the cabinet to identify the cooling fan, the UPS shut down and power was lost to several key fueling-gas valves on the #2 Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU). The valves moved to their fail safe position (shut) and the #2 SRU shutdown.

Followup: No

Notes: The electrician manually restored power to the #2 SRU fuel gas valves via the manual bypass switch on the UPS. After the Shutdown of the #2 SRU, Valero cut stripping to the #1 Ademine Unit to prevent acid gas flaring. This eventually resulted in increased Sulfur Dioxide emissions from heaters due to elevated hydrogen sulfide in the fuel gas system. The static switch control card was replaced and the UPS was returned to service approximately two hours after it had failed. Valero will also evaluate the following actions to further decrease the likelihood of re occurrence: 1) Replacing the UPS with a newer, more reliable model, 2) Changing out the 120 VAC fuel gas valves to 24 VDC valves that are then powered by the more reliable Distributed Control System (DCS) power supplies. Performing a test of the DCS power supply.
Sulfur Dioxide: 5,779.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 16.0 pounds
148704

2013-05-12

Cause: On May 12, 2013, the net gas compressor was shut down due to a control valve malfunction. The shutdown caused a release of sulfur dioxide to the flare.

Followup:

Notes: Maintenance was called to repair valve. Site was secured at 1600 hours on May 12, 2013. A separate ongoing event, SERC incident #13-01918, continued before, during, and after the Net Gas Compressor shutdown. An incident report for #13-01918 was submitted on 5/10/13. LABB cannot locate the incident report for the aforementioned SERC number.
Sulfur Dioxide: 230.0 pounds
147091

2013-03-01
North Flare
Cause: On March 1, 2013 at approximately 16:15, Valero experienced excess emissions of Sulfur Dioxide at the North Flare due to an over-current trip of the East Crude Overhead Compressor. The West Crude Compressor was down for repairs and unavailable. The East Crude Overhead Compressor tripped offline at 15:23 and was started at 16:36. Valero was unable to immediately re-start the East Crude Overhead Compressor due to a 1 hour lockout timer that prevents re-start after tripping on over-current. When the trip occurred, Valero was in the process of shutting down another refinery unit for a planned maintenance outage. Normally, crude off-gas is lined up to this unit. The compressor tripped offline on over-current while Valero was redirecting the crude off-gas to an alternate destination. The pressure at this alternate destination was approximately 60psig higher than the compressor discharge prior to the switch. Valero determined the root cause of the trip to be that the electric motor on the East Crude Compressor was undersized and not capable of routing the crude off-gas to the higher pressure destination when fully loaded. Contributing factors include: 1. The West Crude Compressor was down for repairs and unavailable. 2. The crude tower was operating at elevated pressures due to degradation of the internal structures. This increased the work load (horsepower) on the off-gas compressor. 3. Approximately 40 minutes elapsed between the compressor trip and the reduction in Crude Unit charge rate.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Flaring from the Crude Overhead occurred from 15;23 to 16:38 and the Total Sulfur concentration in the North Flare returned to normal by 17:20. Valero immediately put all available crude overhead fin-fans in service to reduce crude overhead pressure and minimize flaring. Valero later cut crude charge rate to reduce the production of off-gas. Valero re-started the East Crude Overhead Compressor as soon as the lockout timer expired. To prevent recurrence: 1. Valero will upgrade both of the curde compressors with higher horsepower electric motors. 2. Valero will modify the "Loss of Crude Compressor" procedure to specify a more prompt reduction in crude charge rate. 3. Valero will modify the operations procedure for lining up crude off-gas stream to include unloading the compressor to control motor amps also to include running both compressors in parallel (if available). 4. Valero will bring the motor amp indications into the DCS for both compressors.
Sulfur Dioxide: 746.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 8.0 pounds
146530

2013-02-08
Marine Vapor Recovery (MVR) flare
Cause: A citizen complaint was made citing "flare at the Valero dock very large, visible from Paris Road," on February 8, 2013. LDEQ conducted surveillance of the area on 2/18/13. A large flare was not observed at the time of the inspection. Mr. Justin Stubbe, Manager Environmental Engineering at Valero Refining- Meraux, about events at the facility on 2/8/13. According to the follow-up email attached to the pdf, there was a larger than average flame on the Marine Vapor Recovery (MVR) flare on 2/8/13. A valve positioner malfunctioned, increasing the amount of sweet natural gas that is burned alongside vapors displaced during marine loading. There were no RQ exceedances or emergency conditions. Marine loading was halted and the valve positioner was repaired later that same day. There was no damage to the MVR and loading later resumed.

Followup: No

Notes: Marine loading was halted and the valve positioner was repaired later that same day. There was no damage to the MVR and loading later resumed.

155532

2014-04-24
reformer separator vessel
Cause: Facility was recovering from an unexpected shutdown of the benzene reduction unit. The reformer unit, which had earlier shut down, was in the process of restarting. During this restart, a gaseous stream was directed from the reformer separator vessel into the north flare. Exceedences of the north flare's NOx permit limit occurred during this period, and they will be reported in the upcoming Title V deviation report. There were no CEM exceedences from operating units. Elevated SO2 readings were measured at the #3 SRU incinerator; however, this unit had been shut down earlier and flow through the incinerator was negligible. No RQs released.

Followup: No

Notes:

155422

2014-04-21
Benzene Reduction Unit
Cause: Refinery representatives told inspector that the refinery was recovering from an unexpected shutdown of the benzene reduction unit (BRU). The reformer unit, which had earlier shut down, was in the process of restarting. During this restart, a gaseous stream (primarily hydrogen) was directed from the reformer separator vessel to the north flare. Exceedances of the north flare's NOx permit level occurred. Those amounts are slated to be included in the next published Title V deviation report. No reportable quantities were exceeded. There were no CEMS exceedances. The north flare had a visible flame that was not exceptional in size or velocity. No citizen complaints were logged by the facility. The DEQ inspector was notified of the event because of a citizen complaint related to a loud boom heard inside the home.

Followup: No

Notes: No numerical data provided about amount of release. No followup included. Another citizen complaint occurred at 2100 on the same day. Believed to be associated with the same incident. That report was not entered into the database, but the LDEQ reference number is 155425.

153218

2014-01-08
South Flare (EQT 0049, EPN 3-77)
Cause: On January 8, 2014, at approximately 21:00 hrs, Valero exceeded the reporting threshold for Sulfur Dioxide at the South Flare. Valero implemented its procedure for checking high sulfur sources (PSV's, process vents, etc.), but found no obvious discharge into the flare header. After performing several searches for the source and not finding any valves out of position, Valero compared several gas samples to the composition of the gas being flared in the South Flare. Because of similarities in composition, Valero believes that source of total sulfur for this incident was the recycle gas section of the Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Hydrotreater (DHT). The unit was shut down and restarted on 1/7/14 due to a cold weather related instrument malfunction. Valero inspected all connections between the DHT recycle gas section and the South Flare but could not determine a definite source. Valero initially believed that the source of sulfur was likely a weeping Pressure Safety Valve (PSV) on the DHT recycle gas section, so all the PSV's nt hte DHT recycle gas section were sent out for testing and repair during shut down. SO2 emissions at the South Flare returned after turnaround and reinstallation of the PSVs, indicating that the weeping PSV was not the source. Valero now believes that the cause was a continuous source and the total sulfur concentration of the recycle gas became elevated due to the shut down and start up on 1/7/14. The total sulfur returned to baseline levels after the DHT returned to normal operating conditions.

Followup: Yes

Notes: South Flare SO2 emissions decreased below the RQ on 1/9/14. Valero continuously monitors the total sulfur and flow at the South Flare.
Sulfur Dioxide: 659.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 7.0 pounds