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LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date |
Point Source/Release | Cause | Notes |
No LDEQ Number Available 2013-12-23 | Point Source(s): #3 Berth Pollutant(s):Oil - 3 gallons | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing On December 23, 2013, at approximately 11:55, a dock worker reported oil in the water under the #3 berth. Approximately 3 gallons of heavy fuel oil was released to the water, all material was recovered. | No incident report # due to "Below RQ" status NRC #1069314 All dock operations were suspended and a clamp was installed on the line to stop the leak. Work is ongoing to complete a permanent repair prior to returning the line to service. In response to the spill, booms were deployed at #2 and #3 berth to contain the oil. *****A reference to this incident was illustrated in LDEQ Incident Report #153896 where it is stated, "On December 23, 2013, at approximately 3:39 p.m., a dock worker reported oil in the water under the #2 berth. All dock operations were suspended and a clamp was installed on the line to stop the leak. Work is ongoing to complete a permanent repair prior to returning the line to service. In response to the spill, a tarp was deployed at #2 berth to contain the oil. Less than 1 cup of AC 100 Lube Oil was released to the water." |
152732 2013-12-05 | Point Source(s): HCLA Unit Pollutant(s):Benzene - 17 pounds Flammable Vapor - 5,073 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide - 811 pounds Sulfur Dioxide - 947 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 7,243 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On December 5, the Recycle Feed pump at the HCLA unit experienced an unplanned shut down, causing material to be released to the site's flare gas system and atmospheric safety valves to lift. The unplanned shutdown occurred while swapping the in-service pump with a spare pump for a preventable maintenance inspection. The Recycle Feed pump was immediately isolated and unit feed rate was safely and quickly decreased to minimize flaring and emissions to the atmosphere. This incident is under investigation to determine the exact root cause and to provide mitigating steps to prevent recurrence. The reportable quantity for flammable vapor, VOC, hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and benzene was exceeded as a result of this event. Follow up report submitted 1/30/2014. Investigation of the accident indicated the failure occurred due to a reverse over speed event caused by a failed pump discharge check valve. | Immediately upon the pump shutdown, unit feed rate was safely and quickly decreased to minimize flaring and emissions to the atmosphere. Installed two new check valves on the common discharge line in this service to mitigate backward flow. |
152638 2013-12-01 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - 1 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 214 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Flaring occurred at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery (BRRF) on December 1, 2013. Approximately 0.75 pounds of PAH and 214 pounds of VOC were released. | After further evaluation, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
152611 2013-11-27 | Point Source(s): Sulfur Complex Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 1,057 pounds | Cause of Problem: Process Upset On November 27, the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery Sulfur Complex experienced an operational upset as a result of hydrocarbon carry over from the Sour Water Stripper #1 (SWS #1) in the feed to the SRLA unit. Since emissions in the tail gas routed to the vent increased, the tail gas was diverted from the vent to the incinerators to minimize overall environmental impact. Immediately upon the upset, feed to the Sulfur Complex was reduced by cutting unit production rates from other operating units within the Refinery. Air monitoring was conducted every four hours for the duration of the incident. The SWS #1 is preceded by a coalescer that separates water from hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon is drawn off the top of the drum and the water from the bottom of the drum is routed to the SWS #1 for further separation. The level instrument can be verified in the field by a site glass; however, the site glass was fouled, preventing the water/oil interface from being visible in the site glass. The Reportable Quantity for Sulfur Dioxide was exceeded. | Tail gas was diverted to the incinerators to minimize environmental impact. Feed to the Sulfur Complex was reduced by cutting unit production other operating units within the Refinery. Confirmed level instrument operations on SWS #1 coalescer. ExxonMobil will replace SWS #1 coalescer site glasses with fouling resistant gauges. |
152556 2013-11-21 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given | After further review, ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
152167 2013-11-05 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Oil - 38 gallons | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing Approximately 38 gallons of oil were released to soil due to a leak in the line in an elevated piped band near the Hydrocracker unit. | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. Workers stopped leak, immediate clean up of the spill followed, all contaminated soil was removed within three days. |
152163 2013-11-05 | Point Source(s): Unknown Pollutant(s):Unknown Liquid - 126 gallons | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Remediation water well material released onto soil due to a leak in a line. Cause unknown. | Exxon Mobil evaluated that no reportable quantities were exceeded. In the SPOC report, there was a report that 2-3 barrels of unknown chemical were found in the water-well material and clean up was unknown. |
152086 2013-10-30 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Benzene - 5 pounds Flammable Vapor - 29 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 140 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
151830 2013-10-22 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Hydrogen Sulfide - 9 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given | Initial verbal notifications were completed by K. Joseph to Louisiana State Police at 11:25am, LDEQ via SPOC, East Baton Rouge LEPC at 11:30, and the NRC at 11:35am. Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
151767 2013-10-22 | Point Source(s): Combined cooling tower return line Pollutant(s):Benzene - BRQ Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given | Initial El Paso sampling of the combined cooling tower return line indicated a leak rate of 16 lbs/day of hydrogen sulfide and 7 lbs/day of benzene. Additional sampling was performed on the individual cooling tower return lines that combine to become the main line that was initially tested. Results from this additional sampling of the three individual lines showed no active leak. With this additional information, it was determined that there were issues with the original sampling of the combined return line. Therefore, no reportable quantities were exceeded as a result of this event. |
151605 2013-10-11 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):No Information Given - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Letter serves as written notification of the events and circumstances surrounding the flaring that occurred at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery on Oct 11, 2013. Courtesy notifications were completed by V. Stewart to the Louisiana State Police at 8:52 pm adn LDEQ via SPOC. | No reportable quantities were exceeded as result of this event. |
151430 2013-10-07 | Point Source(s): Flare Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 2,656 pounds | Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures On October 7, 2013, the GLA-3X compressor at the PCLA unit experienced an unplanned shut down, causing material to be released to the site's flare gas system. The shutdown was caused by a loss of communication with the remote programmable logic controller during replacement of the human-machine interface panel. Unit feed rate was safely and quickly decreased to minimize flaring and emissions to the atmosphere. The compressor was re-started shortly thereafter with no operational issues. The reportable quantity for sulfur dioxide was exceeded as a result of this event. | Immediately upon the compressor shutdown, unit feed rate was safely and quickly decreased to minimize flaring and emissions to the atmosphere. Survey existing installation to identify other compressors with similar configurations and replace during next scheduled T/A. Develop training package for Operations and Maintenance teams on how to service human-machine interfaces. |
151115 2013-09-19 | Point Source(s): Reboiler Pollutant(s):Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - 13 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On September 19, Exxon Refinery had a release of VOC's caused by a leak in a reboiler to a low pressure condensate system. | Due to prompt incident response the mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
150933 2013-09-10 | Point Source(s): Pipe Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - 150 pounds | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing On September 10, Exxon Refinery discovered a 1/4" hold on a pipe to the HHLA gas compressor E301. The pipe is threaded so it's leaking around the fitting. The fitting is in the process of being repaired. | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
150874 2013-09-08 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Unknown Substance - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given A refinery letter dated September 13, 2013 serves as a notification surrounding an event dated September 8, 2013. No reportable quantities were exceeded as a result of this event. No additional information was provided beyond this information. | No reportable quantities were exceeded as a result of this event. The substance released was also not made available in the refinery report. The duration and point source were also not provided. |
150820 2013-09-04 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Hydrogen Sulfide - 1 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, we have determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
150804 2013-09-03 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Seal Oil - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Process Upset On September 3, ExxonMobil Refinery was in the process of prepping equipment. Flared some C4 and C5 for a few minutes. Some seal oil got into the flare system causing a lazy flame. LDEQ report mentions a release of seal oil to the flare stack causing a lazy flame. | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
150748 2013-08-30 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Flammable Gas - 17 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On August 30, ExxonMobil Refinery was depressurizing some equipment when they found 4 valve caps leaking. | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. Approximately 17 lbs of flammable vapor were released as a result of the incident. |
149602 2013-07-11 | Point Source(s): Black Valve Flange Pollutant(s):Oil - 113 gallons | Cause of Problem: Seal or Gasket On July 11, 2013, the Baton Rouge Refinery experienced an oil spill to soil at the West Complex of approximately 2.7 barrels. During a raffinate transfer, a leak developed on a block valve flange due to unbalanced gasket stress. Upon discovery, the transfer was immediately stopped and the line was steamed out. This event resulted in an exceedance of the LDEQ reportable quantity for oil to soil. | Immediately upon discovery, mitigation measures were initiated, the spill source was isolated, and soil remediation began. Soil remediation was completed on July 13, 2013 at 4 pm. Gasket was replaced and thermal cycles will be reduced procedurally. The contaminated soil had been removed, and no groundwater impacts are expected. |
No LDEQ Number Available 2013-06-07 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Fuel - 0 gallons | Cause of Problem: No Information Given On June 7, 2013, there was an oil spill that occurred at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. Approximately 1 pint of jet fuel was released into the Mississippi River. | Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, we have determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. |
148943 2013-05-31 | Point Source(s): C-600A hydrogen compressor Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - 1,496 pounds | Cause of Problem: Power Failure On May 31, 2013, the Baton Rouge Refinery PHLA unit experienced an atmospheric safety valve lift on the T-1 overhead safety valve. This event was due to an unanticipated power outage experienced at the Baton Rouge Refinery causing shutdown of the C-600A hydrogen compressor. Pressure was returned to normal operating conditions and the block valve below the safety valve was closed to reset the valve. The compressor was then returned to service. Approximately 1,496 pounds of flammable vapor were released as a result of this event. | Pressure was returned to normal operating conditions and the block valve below the safety valve was closed to reset the valve. The C-600A compressor was immediately returned to service. |
148914 2013-05-26 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Benzene - 1 pounds Crude Oil - 7 gallons | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On May 26, 2013, there was a secured crude oil release to concrete slab at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. | The Refinery letter states that approximately 7 gallons of crude oil reached the soil, which resulted in less than 1 pound of benzene being released. The LDEQ Verbal Report states that the release was characterized as 30 gallons of crude oil and less than 10 lbs of benzene.The State Police Form shows an update in which total oil released was 32 gallons and total benzene released was 0.22 lbs. |
No LDEQ Number Available 2013-05-23 | Point Source(s): Tail Gas Clean-Up Unit combustor Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - 106,280 pounds | Cause of Problem: Equipment Design This Tail Gas incident violates a 2005 Consent Decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ExxonMobil Refinery has to comply with this consent decree and file special incident summary for any incident releasing a quantity greater than 500 pounds SO2. On May 22, 2013 an operator at the Baton Rouge Refinery (BRRF) observed a leak on the Tail Gas Clean-Up Unit (TGCU) combustor. Areas with elevated skin temperature were found on the combustor with insulation on. The team determined that the combustor would have to be shutdown to safely remove the insulation and determine the necessary repairs. At approximately 4:15 am on May 23, the unit reached reduced rates and began bypassing the TGCU and exceeded 250 ppm sulfur dioxide. All three Claus trains were bypassing the TGCU and being routed to the incinerators by about 7:30 am the next day. The insulation was removed and additional infrared scans were performed on the combustor to establish areas for repair/corrective action. Repairs included installation of a pressurized leak box and nitrogen purge box used to mitigate vessel skin temperature increases. The repairs were complete by 22:30 pm on May 24. At 0:40 AM on May 25, natural gas from Claus 400 began routing through the combustor to bring the tail gas unit up to operating temperature. All Claus tail gas was being routed through the TGCU by approximately 5:35 Am on May 25 and the 12 hour average on the incinerator SO2 CEMs dropped below 250 ppmv SO2 at 19:00 PM on May 25. The combustor design specified a need for personal protection associated with the heat from the combustor outer surface. During the combustor installation in 1996, insulation was installed as a barrier for the vessel outer surface temperature. However, design and installation failed to follow a procedure which specified that insulation should not be utilized for refractory lined vessels. Based on review of vessel integrity failure mechanism, it is believed that the insulation restricted heat transfer across the vessel surface and created isolated areas of elevated temperature leading to metal fatigue. The emission calculations for the Tail Gas Exceedance are as follows: The analyzer associated with the incinerator was reading maximum range, so ExxonMobil used the following calculation to estimate the quantity of sulfur dioxide released: Tons of SO2 = Acid Gas Rate to sulfur plant * SO2 factor based on 2009 turnaround emissions. Where the acid gas rate = mcf/event = 26.57 mcf. SO2 factor based on data from 2009 turnaround = tons/mcf = 2.0. Tons of SO2 = 26/57 * 2.0 tons SO2/mcf = 53.14 tons SO2. | The refinery quickly began reducing rates and maintained reduced rates until the combustor was repaired. Additional ExxonMobil personnel worked to ensure inspections and corrective actions were completed as soon as possible. Contractors and mechanical personnel worked overtime to build and install the leak box. One corrective action that was completed at time of the facility report is the insulation was reoved from the combustor to alleviate metal fatigue mechanism. BRRF determined that the following corrective action is required: develop plan to identify and evaluate other similar refractory lined equipment within the complex for potential for metal fatigue mechanism. The corrective action is scheduled for completion by 3rd quarter of 2014. ExxonMobil will submit a final report within 30 days of the completion of all corrective actions. |
149414 2013-05-22 | Point Source(s): TGCU combuster (F-331) Pollutant(s):Sulfur Dioxide - BRQ Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On May 22, 2013 the Baton Rouge Refinery (BRRF) experienced an incident on the Tail Gas Clean-Up Unit (TGCU). The initial cause of the incident was due to a leak on the TGCU combustor (F-331). ExxonMobil received a compliance order (AE-CN-13-00463) from LDEQ authorizing interim emission limitations for the incident response, repair, and recovery. All community monitoring conducted by ExxonMobil were consistently below detection with the exception of a single monitoring hour on May 23, 2013. LDEQ's Mobile Air Monitoring Laboratory results were consistently below any concentration representing health concerns. The U.S. EPA contractor monitoring was consistent with BRRF monitoring efforts and results throughout the incident respose. | Upon discovery, ExxonMobil reduced Sulfur Plant (SRLA) feed rates to facilitate the transition to the F-101/F/-201 incinerators. This resulted in approximately 24 tons/day of potential sulfur dioxide being released. All emissions from this event will be provided int he follow-up reports as required per AE-CN-13-00436 Section IV and V. On May 24, 3012 at 10:30 p.m. a mechanical enclosure was installed on the combustor. Additional follow-ups will be provided in the reports as required per the compliance order. LABB has been unable to locate the follow up report with release amounts as of December 18, 2013. |
148805 2013-05-15 | Point Source(s): No Information Given Pollutant(s):Benzene - 9 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given On May 15, 2013, a release of benzene occurred at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, it was determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. | |
148727 2013-05-15 | Point Source(s): Sewer Pollutant(s):Benzene - BRQ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given On May 15, 2013 at approximately 8:20 a.m. Exxon Mobil received an odor complaint from an employee checking the sewer seal box near the KDLA unit along 15th street. Upon further investigation light hydrocarbon material was detected coming from the sewer. Precautionary safety measures were taken by limiting access to this area within the facility. Air monitoring was conducted at the sewer grade, 6 feet away from the sewer, and along the fence line. Directly at the sewer Exxon Mobil received a maximum benzene reading of 8 pp. Six feet away from the closed sewer and at the fence line all readings for benzene and VOC were below the detection limit 0.05 ppm and 1 ppm respectively. | The sewer system was flushed at approximately 11:50 a.m. and an all clear notice was given at approximately 12:30 p.m. Due to prompt incident response to mitigate the event duration, no reportable quantities were exceeded. Less than 1 pound of benzene and VOC were released as a result of this event. |
148249 2013-04-20 | Point Source(s): E-26-1 Pollutant(s):Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On April 20, 2013 at the Baton Rouge Refinery work was being conducted on the #8 Pipestill unit when a potential exchanger leak of crude oil underneath insulation was discovered on E-26-1. Upon further investigation during the next shift no leak source could be identified. | The initial refinery letter stated that the insulation on exchanger E-26-1 will be removed in the next four to six weeks (of April 25, 2013) to determine a potential leak source. The report indicates the quantity of volatile organic compounds to be undetermined, but does not suggest if the quantity released is below or above reportable quantity. At the time of the incident, the weather conditions were as follows: 71 degrees Fahrenheit with a 7 mph wind from the East and no precipitation. LABB has been unable to locate follow up reports providing further information. |
147520 2013-03-22 | Point Source(s): Tank 711 Pollutant(s):Oil - 210 gallons | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure On March 22, 2013, at approximately 18:50, there was an oil spill to soil at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery. During routine unit rounds, oil was discovered pooled at the base of tank 711, which contained lube basestock. After further investigation, it was discovered that the underground sump suction line on the northwest side of tank 711 developed a pinhole leak. The amount released was approximately 5 barrels, all of which was contained on site. | Tank 711 was immediately emptied to isolate the leak, and a clam was installed on the line to stop the release. A vacuum truck was used to remove oil and soil remediation had been initiated. The weather conditions at the time of the spill were as follows: 71 degrees Fahrenheit, 12 mph winds from the Southeast with no precipitation. |
147078 2013-02-28 | Point Source(s): NIG Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - 355 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Approximately 355 pounds of flammable vapor were released on February 28, 2013. No reportable quantities were exceeded. No information was provided regarding the point source or duration of this release. | |
146968 2013-02-26 | Point Source(s): NIG Pollutant(s):Diesel Fuel - 63 gallons | Cause of Problem: Equipment Design An oil spill occurred at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery on February 26, 2013. Approximately 1.5 barrels of diesel was released to the soil due to improper equipment preparation. Reportable quantities were exceeded. | At the time of the spill the weather conditions were as follows: 51 degrees Fahrenheit, 16 mph winds from the West and no precipitation. Upon discovery, mitigation measures were initiated; soil remediation was completed on March 1, 2013. The line was isolated within five minutes of discovery. |
146414 2013-02-02 | Point Source(s): storage tank Pollutant(s):Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons - BRQ Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) - BRQ | Cause of Problem: No Information Given On February 2, 2013, a tank roof separated from the rim of tank releasing material to air. Initial contact with SPOC indicated a possible release exceeding 1 pound RQ limit of PAHs. The rim had separated from the roof of a storage tank at the facility. The tank was isolated. No estimate was available of how much material the tank contained. At approximately 5:08pm, Louisiana State Police was notified of a potential release of hydrogen sulfide over the reportable quantity. | Flow to the tank was shut off. SPOC states that caller reported 6ppm for VOCs during one update call. |
No LDEQ Number Available 2013-01-15 | Point Source(s): NIG Pollutant(s):Diesel Fuel - 0 gallons | Cause of Problem: No Information Given Oil sheen discovered in Callahan Bayou at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery on January 15, 2013. The current LPDES permit, effective October 2012 (LA0005584, Part1, Page 5 of 5) states "There shall be no visible sheen or stain attributable to this discharge in the drainage area downstream from the permitted outfall. The drainage area downstream is defined as the area in the outfall canal located downstream of any control device, prior to entering the main channel of the Mississippi River." | All material was contained within the last containment boom prior entering into the Mississippi River. After further evaluation, we have determined that no reportable quantities were exceeded. Approximately 1 pint of diesel was release into Callahan Bayou. |
No LDEQ Number Available 2013-01-09 | Point Source(s): Outfall 003 Pollutant(s):Oil - 0 gallons | Cause of Problem: Weather On January 9, 2013 at the ExxonMobil Baton Rouge Refinery a heavy rainfall event occurred resulting in Rain Basin 2 to overflow through Outfall 003 into Callahan Bayou. Between January 8, 2013 and January 10, 2013, ExxonMobil received approximately 6.2 inches of rain. At approximately 12:35 p.m. an ExxonMobil employee at the Dock discovered an oil sheen coming from Callahan Bayou. | The size and color of the sheen were used to estimate the total release of oil based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sheen estimating guidance. Approximately one cup of oil was released. Upon discovery, boom was deployed to isolate the source of oil. Vacuum trucks have been utilized to skim the Refinery's #2 Rain Basin of oil. |
145770 2013-01-07 | Point Source(s): Hydrocracker unit Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - 115 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide - 1 pounds | Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing There was a 3/4" pipe break in the Hydrocracker Unit. | Approximately 115 pounds of flammable vapor and less than 1 pound of hydrogen sulfide was released. Original SPOC notification states that more than 1000 lbs of flammable gas and more than 100 lbs of hydrogen sulfide were released, and that material did go offsite. |
145716 2013-01-05 | Point Source(s): NIG Pollutant(s):Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ Flammable Vapor - BRQ | Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure The release was caused by a control valve packing blow out. | |
145689 2013-01-03 | Point Source(s): NIG Pollutant(s):Flammable Vapor - 734 pounds | Cause of Problem: No Information Given At 11:24 AM ExxonMobil notified the LSP that approximately 734 pounds of flammable vapor were released. No information was given about the root cause of the event. | LABB's file only contains the letter from the refinery dated 1/10/13, but no LDEQ or SPOC report. |
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