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Shell Chemical East (26336), Norco

Releases of Nitrogen Dioxide

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date		 Point Source(s) Notes Amount of Release
152977

2013-12-21		OL-5 Ground (EPN 7-84) and Elevated (6-84) Flares
OL-5 Ground flare (EPN 7-84)
Cause: On December 21, 2013, Shell Chemical's OL-5 operations discovered a pressure relief device opening to the OL-5 flare system.

Followup: Yes

Notes: To close the pressure relief valve and stop the flow to the flare system, operations reduced the pressure of the propylene refrigeration compressor system, returning the unit to safely normal operating conditions. To minimize additional unit upset conditions and impacts, Operations drained exchangers, reducing the pressure of the propylene refrigeration compressor system caused by excess material in the system. In addition, Operations restored the propylene refrigeration systems to its normal operating conditions by reversing actions taken to stabilize the unit during the unit upset. An evaluation of the operating conditions of the propylene refrigeration compressor system will be performed to identify improvements which can be made to prevent future re-occurrences. If an corrective actions are identified, they will be reported in the 2013 2nd Half Semiannual Report.		382.0 pounds