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Motiva Enterprises (1406), Norco

Releases of Compressed Flammable Liquid

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date		 Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
81012

2005-08-04		RCCU Flare (EPN #8-84), West Operations Ground Flare (WOGF- EPN 9-84)
Cause: "Maintenance was turning a blind when contents of the line began spraying from the line." Flaring occurred at the RCCU flare following the event during the RCCU unit startup. Additional downstream flaring occurred at the Shell Chemical LP GO-1 elevated flare and the Motiva West Operations Ground Flare.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Remedial actions: Vacuum trucks were deployed in attempt to capture the oil in the RCCU drainage system. Feed was immediately diverted from the unit. Flow into the main fractionator column was minimized while isolations were being made to the slurry circulation system. VSERT was activated to make positive isolation of the leak. Concerning recurrence prevention, Motiva's incident investigations group is investigation the incident and recommendations will be addressed.
137083

2012-02-09		RCCU
Cause: During normal operations, there was an unexpected opening of a relief valve (RV) on the RCCU Main Fractionator, causing a release from the Residual Catalytic Cracking Unit (RCCU). The Naphtha was released to the concrete below the unit.

Followup: Yes

Notes: Operations responded immediately to isolate the RV, and the release was stopped. The Naphtha was cleaned immediately. The main Fractionator column pressure remained steady prior to release. After the investigation was completed, the facility took precautionary measures and reinstalled the relief valve to prevent further occurrence.