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ExxonMobil Chemical Plant (286), Baton Rouge

Causal Factor: Piping or Tubing

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date
Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
91843

2006-11-02
furnace tube
Cause: A furnace tube started leaking, causing excessive smoke. They are assuming they exceeded their permitted opacity.

Followup: No

Notes: Smoking stopped. Amount of smoke released is unknown.
assuming to have exc
91582

2006-10-23
F furnace
Cause: A tube leak in F furnace is causing excessive smoking from furnace stack. They expect it is exceeding the 20% opacity that is permitted.

Followup: No

Notes: Amount of smoke released is unknown.

91179

2006-10-06
Oxo high-pressure process unit
Cause: There is a Syn Gas leak from the Oxo high-pressure process unit... A piping leak was in the line... It resulted in a momentary flash fire that was put out instantly.

Followup: No

Notes: The leak was isolated and the gas was sent to flare as they are depressurizing the unit for shut down to make repairs. It was initially released to air, but as they depressurize the unit it goes to flare. The pressure has been reduced and now they have a very small residual leak. No RQs were exceeded.



90216

2006-08-23
No information given.
Cause: Spill went onto pavement then into sewer system and water treatment. One of the piping components sprung a leak. It was blocked in.

Followup:

Notes: No reportable quantities were exceeded.
Gas Oil: 70.0 pounds
98080

2007-07-23
furnace
Cause: ExxonMobil re-evaluated a leak that they had inside of a furnace. Tube inside of a furnace has a small leak, which is causing ethane to be released into a section of the furnace that is not designed for combustion.

Followup: No

Notes: The ethane was combusting and forming nitrogen oxide. The furnace is fairly large and shutting it down would cause flaring that would release thousands of pounds of nitrogen oxide. A strategy to repair the tube was to be developed. Nitrogen oxides were released at 16 lbs per day. Release is ongoing. Amount of release is unknown at this time.

111419

2008-12-15
valve
Cause: Piping and valve leaked through by tank. Had a piping prepared for mechanical repairs and a valve leaked through by the tank.

Followup: No

Notes: The bleeder was blocked to stop the leak. Need to remediate the contaminated soil. Spill was vacuumed off. RQs for VOCs were exceeded. Release leaked to the soil and evaporated. Report was recorded by SPOC on 12/29/08.

Isopropanol: 10,849.0 pounds


111125

2008-11-30
Tower CT01

Cause: They have a leak on the "bottoms line" on Tower CT01

Followup: No

Notes: Water was applied to wash down liquids. Incident caused by a leak on the "bottoms line" on Tower CT01. Unit was shut down. No quantities were exceeded. Material went off site and the air was not monitored.





110418

2008-10-28
Line in the Isopropanol unit
Cause: Had a leak on a line in the isopropanol unit.

Followup: No

Notes: The line was being blocked in a depressurized. Exxon's report was received on 11/5/08. No RQ exceedence for this incident. Amount of propylene released is unknown.

109352

2008-09-19
Caustic scrubber
Cause:

Followup: No

Notes: Caustic scrubber leaked liquid on to pad and butadiene got evaporated. Exxon's report says no RQs were exceeded.

: 10.0 pounds
107618

2008-07-30
Heat exchanger LE-01 at OLA-2X
No information given.
Cause: Leakage occurred from a heat exchanger LE-01 at OLA-2X to the cooling water tower GFLA-1.

Followup: No

Notes: Release rates: benzene (14.4 lb/day), toluene (15.02 lb/day), napthalene (6.3 lb/day). CRO received report on 8/11/08. There were 22 daily RQ exceedances during 7/9/08 at 9 AM and 7/31/08 at 12:30 PM. Leakage from heat exchanger LE-01 at OLA 2-X to the cooling water tower GFLA-1 which is subject to monitoring program under Ethylene MACT. The leaking exchanger was blocked in to stop the leak. Leaking tubes were tp be repaired. The facility argued that the actual discovery of the leak was 7/22/08 when the sample analysis indicated a leak. They will be referred to enforcement for further action. Release quantities listed are an estimate using the rates given multiplied by 22 days.
Benzene: 316.8 pounds
Toluene: 330.4 pounds
Napthalene: 138.6 pounds



107433

2008-07-22
H furnace

Cause: Three events occurred within 24 hours of one another at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Chemical Plant. Two are reported in this report (LDEQ #107433), the other is reported separately (LDEQ #107421). In this incident (107433), a furnace tube leaked into convection section of H-furnace and caught fire. The tube leak occurred as a result of the incident described in report #107421. At approximately 5:56 PM on July 21, 2008, the charge gas compressor at the Olefins unit shut down when several processing cards in the gas turbine control system failed. When the compressor shut down, four furnaces automatically shut down and the gas in the furnaces was evacuated to the flare system. One of the remaining three furnaces was subsequently shut down while the remaining two furnaces continued to operated at 50% rates in order to maintain stable unit operations, which resulted in additional flaring for the duration of the event. The high rate of gas to the flare system resulted in the #25 flare smoking for 2 hours and 17 minutes. When the Olefins unit shut down, steam was introduced into the furnaces to displace the hydrocarbon feed to reduce flaring emissions. At 12:20 PM on July 22, 2008, while the H furnace was in the process of starting up, a leak was discovered in the convection section of the furnace. To stop the leak, water was introduced into the leaking pass of the furnace to displace the hydrocarbon feed. It is believed that the leak developed when steam was introduced into the furnace. Tube leaked into convection section of H-furnace and caught fire.

Followup: Yes

Notes: This incident is the result of the incident #107421 (see comments under that incident). Immediately after the incident began, five of the seven furnaces at the Olefins unit were shut down. Excess gas was sent to flare system. Water was introduced into the leaking furnace pass to displace the feed and prevent uncombusted hydrocarbons from leaking into the atmosphere. Concerning subsequent preventative actions, the failed processing cards were replaced. The H furnace was taken out of service to be inspected for leak location and repairs will be completed as necessary. Used water in the tube to eliminate the burning material. Flammable gass consisted of mainly Butane.
Flammable Gas: 4,950.0 pounds
Hydrogen: 18.0 pounds
Carbon Monoxide: 1.0 pounds
Methane: 368.0 pounds
Acetylene: 7.0 pounds
Ethylene: 662.0 pounds
Ethane: 126.0 pounds
Methyl Acetylene: 9.0 pounds
Propylene: 451.0 pounds
Propane: 20.0 pounds
Butadiene: 138.0 pounds
1-Butene: 59.0 pounds
T-butene2: 30.0 pounds
Isobutylene: 77.0 pounds
Butane: 2.0 pounds
Isobutane: 1.0 pounds
Isoprene: 30.0 
Benzene: 143.0 
Toluene: 92.0 
Ethylbenzene: 9.0 
Carbon Dioxide: 3.0 
Propadiene: 5.0 
Hydrogen Sulfide: 4.0 
Styrene: 12.0 
Napthalene: 1.0 
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: 0.3 
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 369.0 
106824

2008-06-28
insulated line
Cause: Experienced a spill from an insulated line. The line has been isolated. Product spilled to the ground

Followup: no

Notes: They isolated the line to stop the leak.
: 319.0 pounds




105211

2008-04-29
line leak at flange
Cause: They had a line that has leaked at a flange and is causing the release. They are isolating the line to stop the leak.

Followup: no

Notes: Benzene was released at .67 lbs/hr. Butadiene was released at .11 lbs/hr. Hydrocarbon gas was released at 18.77 lbs/hr. Styrene Monomer was released at 50.41 lbs/hr. Ethylbenzene was released at 30.16 lbs/hr. Toluene was released at 120.66 lbs/hr.






104910

2008-04-21
D-furnace tube leak in NACC unit
Cause: D-Furnace tube leak in the NACC unit of the plant.

Followup:

Notes: Leak is ongoing at time of report. They are in the process of putting the water in the pass now. If this doesn’t work, they will bring the furnace down. It is above RQ only for State Police and not for LDEQ. Feed was stoppped and tube will be repaired during down time.
Nitrogen Oxide: 47.0 pounds
104123

2008-03-23
Furnace tube
Cause: A tube inside a furnace ruptured and allowed the leak.

Followup: No

Notes: The furnace consumed the product. Once the pressure was noticed to be dropping, everything was shut down.

103979

2008-03-17
Furnace
Cause: They have a furnace tube with a pinhole leak.

Followup: No

Notes: They will try to let it coke up. They do have other furnaces with problems and this may put them over the 10 lb RQ. The amount of Nitrogen oxides released is under 10 pounds.

120018

2009-12-09
SACC unit LTO1
Cause: A leak developed in a fifty four inch overhead pipe at the SACC Unit LT01.

Followup: No

Notes: There is approximately 5 lbs per square inch (psi) or pressure on the pipe. The insulation of the pipe was removed to identify the source. Pictures included of the plug of the pipeline due to the hole and a view of the repaired line. On the incident report form it says that the initial report said that RQs might be exceeded, but that none were exceeded.






118428

2009-10-02
B furnace
Cause: Tube leak in "B" furnace. Shutting the unit down to check the furnace and root cause of the leak.

Followup: No

Notes: Incident caused by a tube leak in B furnace, cause is under investigation. They took it down and entered it to check. They shut the system down. They promised a call back with a close out time and whether or not RQs were exceeded. No note of call back.
Benzene: 10.0 pounds
Butadiene: 10.0 pounds
Flammable Vapor: 1,000.0 pounds
118173

2009-09-23
B furnace
Cause: Tube rupture in B furnace.

Followup: No

Notes: Tube taken out of service. Report says there was a potential for benzene and VOC emissions. LDEQ received the written report from Exxon but did not include it in this report, but stated that no RQs were exceeded.



116641

2009-07-21
Pipe on thermal oxidizer
Cause: Hole in a pipe on a thermal oxidizer

Followup: No

Notes: According to the Plant's Environmental Manager, a hole developed in a pipe on a thermal oxidizer releasing flammable gas and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere. Operators quickly shut in the unit. Further action by LDEQ pening results of investigation. Quantities of released chemicals are estimates.
Flammable Gas: 1,000.0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide: 1,000.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 100.0 pounds
116503

2009-07-16
Pipe on valve stem
Cause: Packing leak on a valve stem which has a hand wheel was the source.

Followup: No

Notes: They were trying to stop the leak by repacking the valve. Written report was received by LDEQ but was not included in this report. Report stated that no RQs were exceeded.



115611

2009-06-12
pipe
Cause: Pinhole leak in a pipe.

Followup: No

Notes: There was a pinhole leak in a pipe. They were working to repair it. Said they would call with an update.
Benzene: 10.0 pounds
Butadiene: 10.0 pounds
Napthalene: 100.0 pounds
Ethylene: 100.0 pounds
Propylene: 100.0 pounds
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: 1.0 pounds
115101

2009-05-20
Furnace A
Furance A
Cause: Cracking furnace A was put back into service when tube leaks in the convection section occurred and smoke evolved.

Followup: No

Notes: The products probably exceeded reportable quantities. They were putting "A" furnace in service and experienced convection section tube leaks. They have taken the feed out of the furnace and put steam back in. They eliminated any fuel. They said they would update with more information. No final quantities of release.
Napthalene: 100.0 pounds
Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons: 1.0 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 5,000.0 



113829

2009-03-31
pipe
Cause: A pinhole leak in a piping at higher elevation.

Followup: No

Notes: They needed to erect scaffolding to reach the clamp. No RQs were exceeded.

127573

2010-11-09
unit with sulfuric acid
Cause: They stated that a unit that was running with sulfuric acid developed a small leak in it.

Followup: No

Notes: It was contained in their sewer system, never left their site. Faculty stated that no RQs were exceeded.
Sulfuric Acid: 3,750.0 pounds
127493

2010-11-08
insulated line
Cause: Intial report said that there was a small leak on an insulted line resulting in an unknown release of the listed chemicals.

Followup: No

Notes: After further investigation of the small leak, no reportable quantities were said to be exceeded.





127175

2010-10-21
Bela 5 unit
Cause: A heat exchanger leak into a closed loop system was suspected to be causing a unit upset, which resulted in flaring.

Followup: No

Notes: Two instances of flaring from the 1,3-Butadiene unit, BELA-5, occurred within a 24 hour period causing an exceedance of RQ. At approximately 4:58 flaring of the BELA-5 finishing tower overhead began. The heat exchanger is used to heat unit feed and cool solvent. To stabilize the unit and end the release, feed to the unit was reduced. Flaring began again at approximately 6:42 am. Operations were modified to mitigate leak potential and use of flare. A plan to repair the exchanger, which will require a unit shutdown, is being developed. This incident was not preventable because it was caused by an unforseen bundle leak.
1,3-Butadiene: 20.0 pounds
126830

2010-10-03
None Reported
Cause: There was a tube leak inside of H furnace.

Followup: No

Notes: Smoke was visible and leaving the stack. Started at 6:40. They were trying to find the tube causing the leak and had technicians onsite. There was an internal leak in the stacks that caused the smoke. The smoke was secured. No mention of report from Exxon.
126818

2010-10-02
J fractionator
Cause: Pin hole leak in J fractionator.

Followup: No

Notes: Final reports say no reportable quantities were reached.
Benzene: 10.0 pounds
Butadiene: 10.0 pounds
Ethylene: 100.0 pounds
Propylene: 100.0 pounds
125934

2010-08-25
pump on P-541 discharge line
Cause: Leak on pump discharge line P-541.

Followup: No

Notes: No RQs were exceeded. At time of report Exxon was determining how to stop the leak.


125267

2010-07-29
pipe going to CT01
Cause: There is a small leak on tower CT-01.

Followup: No

Notes: Because of the location of the leak the unit was brought down to repair. Propylene was released. Written report says no RQs were exceeded.

124880

2010-07-15
pipe in pipe bank
Cause: A pipe in a pipe bank was leaking.

Followup: No

Notes: Leak was discovered by people walking through the unit that noticed the leak. They called in liquid naptha (general term).
Napthalene: 1.0 gallons
124659

2010-07-07
Piping weld
Cause: There was a pinhole leak in a piping weld.

Followup: No

Notes: Isolated and evacuated. Propylene is the chemical on line.

124022

2010-06-08
Sapple tubing on furnace
Cause: Leak on sapple tubing on one of furnaces.

Followup: No

Notes: Leak on sapple tubing on one of the furnaces. Residue was being disposed of and resured. Incident reviewed by Regenia "Faye" Taylor during inspection in June 2011, stated that it was below RQ. Incident closed. Just LDEQ report no SPOC or Exxon letter.


123886

2010-05-31
line on drum
Cause: Hole in the line on drum and leaking butenes

Followup: No

Notes: Hole in line on drum leaked butenes. It was isolated and they tried to depressurize. They updated later when the leak stopped. They started air monitoring 20 minutes after the leak started and didn't find any hydrocarbons at the perimeter of the unit. Report from Exxon was received on 6/7/10 saying no RQs were exceeded.
Flammable Vapor: 366.0 pounds
123705

2010-05-23
SCLA unit
Cause: Pipeline leak in Methyl Ethyl Ketone unit.

Followup: No

Notes: There was a pipeline leak in MEK unit. Butene released. Exxon's report was received on 6/2/10. Release occurred in the SCLA unit from a weld. It was depressurized and shut down. Also included in the incident #123722. Only SPOC report in file
Flammable Vapor: 412.0 pounds
123362

2010-05-11
Waste water treatment system
Cause: Pipe had a leak in it.

Followup: No

Notes: The cause was a leaking pipe component. Sulfuric Acid went into their waste water treatment systsem. They shut down the unit, isolated the leak, and washed up.

123193

2010-05-03
Exchanger-18X
Cause: On 4/15/10 the Baton Rouge Complex sampled cooling tower #33 for MACT CC compliance using the El Paso cooling tower sample method, as required by refinery operations. Cooling tower #33 is located in the refinery and services both refinery and chemical plant units. The sample results from 4/15 showed more hydrocarbon than expected, so the tower was resampled on 4/16. These results also indicated a hydrocarbon leak.

Followup: No

Notes: The unit personnel began looking for the source under the premise that the release had to be repaired within 45 days, as required by MACT CC. On 4/3/10, the leaking exchanger (E-18X) was identified as the leak source. The exchanger is part of the Baton Rouge Chemical Plant so MACT CC provisions do not apply. Once the leaking exchanger was identified, the release calculations were updated based on the actual stream speciation. These updated calculations relevealed that the release was larger than orginially calculated using the EL Paso method and exceeded the reportable quantity for propylene. RQ for VOC was not exceeded. The exchanger bundle will be repaired before returning to service. Cooing tower MACT CC sampling procedures will also be updated for cooling towers that service both refinery and chemical plant units. Caused by an unforseen exchanger leak. Release of HRVOC during ozone reason, will take up upon next inspection.
Propylene: 7,258.0 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 6,678.0 pounds
121682

2010-02-22
pipe
Cause: Piping began leaking.

Followup: No

Notes: The product went to their seqer system. The unit was shut down and hey began to flush the system and repair the leak. The report says that no RQs were exceeded, but 10.5 lbs is above RQ.
Benzene: 10.5 pounds
120703

2010-01-10
flare
Cause: Unknown cause for leak in the propylene line of the EPLA (Ethylene Purification Unit). The EPLA uses high pressure propylene for refrigeration.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Initial report was received on 1/19/10. Ethylene Purification Unit (EPLA) uses high pressure propylene for refrigeration. Leak in pipe started 1/9/10 but discovered 1/10/10 at 8:20 pm. Proper and safe disposition of high pressure propylene is flaring. EPLA unit was shut down and more flaring occurred. Flaring occurred. Ended 1/11/10 at 3:22 am. Subsequent start up also resulted in flaring which are covered under permit. This was not preventable as it was an unusual incident. Follow up report after invesitgation was received on 3/22/10. Following corrective actions were contemplated: Design and install a permanent repair for the line, Review vibration study, Increase HAWK camera utilization to detect leaks early, Implement flow alarms for early warning via Real Time Advisor computer system. Exxon Mobil personnel requested and met with the Enforcement Divsion to settle the penalty on this preventable release.
Propylene: 2,421,834.0 pounds
Ethylene: 716.0 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 141,454.0 pounds
Flammable Vapor: 2,562,647.0 pounds



135246

2011-11-11
KD-14 charge gas drier bypass line
Cause: A line leak was discovered on the KD-14 charge gas dier bypass line. 107 lbs of charge gas was released as a result of a line leak on the KD-14 charge gas drier bypass line.

Followup: No

Notes: Area monitoring was conducted and monitoring results repeatedly indicated low levels of hydrocarbon present at the leak site but at concentrations below the limit of detection at the BRCP fence line. A clamp has been placed on the line to isolate the leak. Prior to the permanent clamp being installed, a temporary clamp was installed on the line. Area monitoring was conducted. A permanent clamp was installed on the line on November 11.
Hydrogen: 3.0 pounds
Methane: 15.0 pounds
Ethylene: 47.0 pounds
Methyl Acetylene: 1.0 pounds
Propylene: 14.0 pounds
Propane: 1.0 pounds
1,3-Butadiene: 3.0 pounds
T-butene2: 1.0 pounds
Isobutylene: 2.0 
Benzene: 1.0 pounds
Acetylene: 1.0 pounds
Ethane: 15.0 pounds
135181

2011-11-09
compressor KC-01
Cause: A combination release occurred due to a cracked pipe in the thermo well of the ethylene production unit.

Followup: Yes

Notes: An engineered clamp is being fabricated and will be installed to isolate the leak. Estimated 72 hours to install clamp and secure leak. Individually this event did not exceed the RQ for HRVOC, but in combination with another incident (#11-07037) the RQ for HRVOC was exceeded on Friday, November 11. Approximately 122 pounds of HRVOC's were released. On November 11, 2011 at approximately 13:51 Derek Reese stated the ongoing release subsided to 4.25 lbs/hr and was now below RQ. (still ongoing on report date 11/16/11) Area monitoring and LDEQ monitoring on the fenceline (including grab sample) did not detect anything. LDEQ did pick up .25ppb of Benzene. A total of 108 pounds per day of charge gas is being released as a result of this event. Cumulative emissions which include the total emissions from the incident and complete response, will be included in the follow-up report.
Hydrogen: 492.0 pounds
Carbon Monoxide: 13.0 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide: 24.0 pounds
Methane: 2,564.0 pounds
Acetylene: 140.0 pounds
Ethylene: 7,951.0 pounds
Ethane: 2,609.0 pounds
Methyl Acetylene: 180.0 pounds
Propylene: 2,422.0 pounds
Propane: 163.0 pounds
T-butene2: 169.0 pounds
1,3-Butadiene: 530.0 pounds
Isobutylene: 347.0 pounds
Butane: 47.0 pounds
Isobutane: 4.0 pounds
Cyclopentadiene: 27.0 pounds
Pentadiene: 16.0 pounds
Isoprene: 38.0 pounds
Pentene: 38.0 pounds
3-Methyl-1-Butene: 29.0 pounds
Isopentane: 24.0 pounds
Benzene: 138.0 pounds
Toluene: 60.0 pounds
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 58.0 pounds
Water: 56.0 pounds
Highly Reactive Volatile Organic Compounds: 122.0 pounds
Carbon Dioxide: 7.0 pounds
133562

2011-08-26
EPLA-S
Cause: Pinhole leak in a valve body at the Ethylene Purification Unit (EPLA-S).

Followup: No

Notes: The propylene is leaking at a rate of 80 pounds per hour. Approximately 34 pounds of propylene and propane were released.
Propylene: 34.0 pounds

No LDEQ Reported

2011-08-11
tankfield piping
Cause: Tnk 784 was determined to not have any unauthorized release of benzene. Tankfield and piping was determined to have a minor release, allowing less than one pound of benzene to reach the environment.

Followup: No

Notes: No reportable quantities were exceeded. Less than one pound of benzene was released.

132803

2011-07-29
a pipe system
Cause: Release of 10lbs of Benzene came from small leak in piping system.

Followup: No

Notes: Material leaked onto the concrete and into a drain that is contained within the facility. Only verbal report in the file, no written 7 day letter by the facility.
Benzene: 10.0 pounds
131640

2011-06-04
piping
Cause: There was an equipment leak. OPerations worked to isolate the sectino of piping that was leaking. There was a fire that was extinguished by the facility's internal fire department. 39lbs of Varsol and 488 pounds of hydrogen were release.

Followup: No

Notes: Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, facility representatives have determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded.
Varsol: 39.0 pounds
Hydrogen: 488.0 pounds
130238

2011-03-30
overhead piping of process tower
Cause: Leak on overhead piping of process tower.

Followup: No

Notes: Due to rapid response, this leak did not result in reportable quantities being exceeded.
Propylene: 4.0 pounds
Propane: 82.0 pounds
129557

2011-03-01
No Information Given
Cause: Leak on a piece of piping caused a release of propylene.

Followup: No

Notes: Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded.
Propylene: 79.0 pounds
129081

2011-02-07
Tube on an exchanger
Cause: 85lbs of propylene and propane were released into the atmosphere in a 24hr period when there was a tube leak on an exchanger.

Followup: No

Notes: 85 pounds of propylene and propane were released.
Propylene: 85.0 pounds

145083

2012-12-01
pipeline
Cause: A small pinhole leak in a pipeline caused a release of benzene.

Followup:

Notes: Approximately 0.5 pounds of benzene were released during this event. The facility placed absorbent pads and plastic around the pipeline and on the ground. A scaffolding area had to be constructed in order to perform a corrosive inspection. The pipe was repaired on 12/02/2012.
Benzene: 0.5 pounds
143828

2012-10-15
tube on the RLA3 Unit
Cause: on 10/15/12 at approximately 09:54, EMCP had a tube leak in the RLA3 unit. A clamp was put on the leak, but there was still a small leak around the clamp.

Followup: No

Notes: Air monitoring showed 2000 ppm at the site of the leak. A clamp was placed on the leak but there is still a small leak arounf the clamp. No RQs were exceeded, and approximately 5.8 lbs of propylene were released as a result of the event.
Propylene: 5.8 pounds
142193

2012-08-18
transfer line from "D" furnance to EPLA-W
Cause: On August 18, 2012 at 20:27, a leak was discovered on a transfer line from "D" furnance to the "light end unit" EPLA-W.

Followup: No

Notes: The line was isolated and secured.
Ethylene: 60.0 pounds
Ethane: 26.6 pounds
Methane: 6.9 pounds
1,3-Butadiene: 2.3 pounds
Propylene: 1.8 pounds
Benzene: 1.6 pounds
140713

2012-06-21
MKC-02 propylene refrigeration compressor at the EPLA-W unit.
Cause: There was a leak on the clamp of the discharge piping from MKC-02 propylene refrigeration compressor at the EPLA-W unit. The root cause of the clamp leak was due to vibration of the piping. The followup letter states that "individually, this event did not exceed the reportable quantity for propylene, but in concurrence with Incident #12-01617 (EPLA-S cooling tower leak), the reportable quantity for propylene was exceed in a 24-hr period."

Followup: Yes

Notes: Upon discovery, the clamp was pumped with a sealant to reduce the leak rate. The clamp was pumped with sealant on 6/21/12 and 6/22/12, decreasing the leak rate each time. This process significantly reduced the leak around the clamp. Two engineered collared clamps were designed, fabricated, and installed on each end of the original clamp to isolate the remaining leak. ExxonMobil and the clamp vendor are continuing efforts to improve the clamp efficiency. Periodic monitoring was conducted during normal operational rounds. LABB's file includes the 60-day follow-up and the Discharge Notification Report, but no SPOC or LDEQ report. This incident exceeded RQs because it is linked to another emission event - LSP Incident #12-01617. Any additional follow-ups will be communicated through LSP incident # 12-04963
Propylene: 102.0 pounds
138338

2012-03-27
no information given
Cause: A leak developed on a line under some insulation material. Release of 1,3-Butadiene.

Followup: No

Notes: No information given. Inconsistency in quantities released. Intitial notification reported release of 10 lbs of 1,3-Butadiene, subsequent written notification reported approximately 9.34 lbs of 1,3-Butadiene.
1,3-Butadiene: 9.3 pounds
149577

2013-07-10

Cause: leak of sewage to soil due to a cracked pipe weld.

Followup: No

Notes: There is not information on the point source, duration or the location in the facility at this time 9/24/14. There is also a huge time lapse between the seven day letter and the LDEQ Incident report form which was filed on 5/22/14 almost a year later. There is no explanation given to the delay.

148926

2013-05-29
No Information Given
Cause: ExxonMobil Chemical plant identified a hole in a pipe. The product was being released to the pavement and then evaporated to the air. The facility has determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. The propylene released to soil and air - and was determined to have resulted in offsite impact although no air motioning was conducted by ExxonMobil. There was also an injury reported

Followup:

Notes: Prompt incident response was implemented to mitigate event duration, and it was determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded.
Sulfuric Acid: 4.5 pounds
Propylene: 2.4 pounds
146614

2013-02-10
convention tube on C furnace
Cause: On February 10, 2013, a release of uncombusted ethylene (6.7 pounds), propylene (0.2 pounds), butadiene (0.2 pounds), butadiene (0.2 pounds), benzene (0.2 pounds), and other gases in smaller amounts (hydrogen, methane, and ethane). The incident began at 1000 hours and ended at 1045 hours. The release was caused due to a leaking tube in a steam cracking furnace (furnace C), which caused feed to enter the furnace. It was stated that most of the gases combusted inside the furnace. Some did not combust inside. The feed was stopped and the leaking tube later filled with water to prevent feed from entering that tube.

Followup: No

Notes: The leaking tube was filled with water to prevent feed from entering tube. The tube was reported to stay in this condiction until a more feasible time to replace or repair the tube and would not affect the operation of the furnace.
Ethylene: 6.7 pounds
Propylene: 0.2 pounds
Butadiene: 0.2 pounds
Benzene: 0.2 pounds



154608

2014-03-19
Pinhole in pipe on OXO Unit
Cause: ExxonMobil Chemical had a pinhole leak in a pipe on the OXO unit (produces OXO-alcohol). They are in the process of isolating the Unit. Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. Approximately 400 Pounds of flammable vapor was released during the incident.

Followup: No

Notes: ExxonMobil chemical isolated the OXO unit. State Police notification document indicates that air monitoring was conducted around the perimeter of the reading. However, no results of that monitoring were included.
Flammable Gas: 400.0 pounds
153639

2014-02-02
solvent line
Cause: On February 2, 2014, there was a release of flammable gas due to a pinhole leak in a solvent line.

Followup: No

Notes: The line was shut in and secured at 19:30.
Flammable Vapor: 284.0 pounds
153184

2014-01-07
outlet emergency isolation valve
Cause: On January 7, 2014 at approximately 11:15 AM, a vapor leak was discovered on the outlet Emergency Isolation Valve (EIV) flange of a Finishing Clay Bed Treater, releasing benzene to the air. The release was isolated via a vacuum hose and the emissions routed through a carbon-bed scrubber to reduce the release rate of benzene. A detailed incident investigation is being conducted to determine the root cause and to provide mitigating steps to prevent reoccurrence.

Followup: Yes

Notes: The area was immediately barricaded and attempts were made to isolate the leak. The site conducted regular monitoring at the fence line and unit area for benzene. All fence line monitoring remained below detectable limits. This incident is still under investigation. Refinery letter dated March 7, 2014 states details of investigation will be provided in a 120-day follow up notification.
Benzene: 101.0 pounds