LA Bucket Brigade : Refinery Accident Database

Chalmette Refining, LLC, Chalmette

Releases of Benzene

LDEQ Incident Number Incident Date	Point Source(s)	Notes	Amount of Release
84118 2005-12-09	Slop Oil Line	Cause: A leak had occurred from a slop oil line between a benzene storage take and a larger, aromatics feed storage tank. Followup: No Notes: When the situation was discovered, the transfer was stopped immediately, ending the incident. The line has been removed from service and inspected in order to implement an appropriate repair plan. The section of the line which resulted in this release is being replaced with new piping.
83685 2005-11-07	Tank 72 (D-72)	Cause: During periodic rounds and gauging of tank 72 (D-72), refinery operations personnel observed slop oil overflowing from tank 72. It was determined that the tank had experienced an unanticipated sure in inventory between manual gauging events. Followup: No Notes: Transfer to tank the was stopped ending the incident. Transfer out of the tank to the other storage was initiated, lowering the level. Vacuum Trucks were dispatched in order to recover released liquids.	12.0 pounds
76040 2005-01-07	D-6305	Cause: During a transfer of gasoline to tank 6303 (D-6303), gasoline was observed leaking from the side of tank 6305 (D-6305). Tank 6305 later was determined to have been unintentionally filled past capacity, causing overflow to leak through tank side vent. 123,836 pounds of gasoline released to the ground. Report documents amounts volatilized. However, total amounts released to environment in report attached do not add up to 123,836. Followup: Yes Notes: Contained liquid in tank area and recovered via vacuum truck. Water and foam applied to minimize volatilization and migration into soil. Note that report attached to letter contains information about other compounds released to the environment. Air monitoring report and soil sampling report were requested and provided by letters dated 1/18/05 and 2/28/05, which are attached to the report file.	22.0 pounds
92327 2006-11-29	Rich Solvent Line in Sulfolane Unit	Cause: small leak detected on a rich solvent lin in the Solfolane Unit (06-07211). Small pinhole leak with slow drip. Clamped leak until pipe can be replaced Followup: No Notes: 27 lbs is a large amount for a slow leak lasting 25 min.	27.0 pounds
92297 2006-11-27	No information given	Cause: release escapes from leaking pipe Followup: No Notes: Letter sent to rescind notification of 11/27/6	1.0 pounds
89764 2006-08-05	AE-AOA-05-0109	Cause: faulty level indications device. dehex tower leaked natural gas into tank 2 while the dehex tower was operating in total reflux mode due to upstream unit outages. Followup: No Notes: Main block valve to Tank 2 was blocked in and the Dehex bottoms line was double blocked	30.0 pounds
89056 2006-07-05	No information given	Cause: leak occurred during feed composition change on #1 Pretreater Followup: No Notes: DEQ report with no corresponding letter from CRLLC. Channel bolts tightened. The exchanger gasket surface will be repaired in August during the next schedule pretreater catalyst change-out.	12.0 pounds
88541 2006-06-12	Feed/Effluent Exchanger (E7502 A-f)	Cause: automatic shutdown due to interruption in electrical current, water leak following thunderstorms. Followup: No Notes: Feed to the #1 Pretreater was shut off, steam was applied to the channel head, and water was used to flush naphtha to the refinery oily water system	27.0 pounds
100419 2007-10-23	Tank 1024	Cause: due to heavy rain, personnel were filling Tank 1024 to manage excessive storm water for processing. The tank overflowed. Followup: No Notes: Isolated the tank. 3rd party environmental clean up firm called in to do clean up. Vacuum trucks deployed; foam applied to minimize volatilization of spilled material and absorbent materials used to contain the discharge to the vicinity of the tank.	115.0 pounds
99870 2007-09-30	#2 Flare	Cause: pressure safety valve release Followup: No Notes: Letter states that no RQ's were exceeded
99603 2007-09-19	Hydro-cracker HCU Unit First Stage Reactor	Cause: Hydro-cracker HCU Unit First Stage Reactor malfunction Followup: No Notes: Letter states that no RQ's were exceeded
100575 2007-09-04	#2 Coker Unit	Cause: flare isolation unit on coke drum didn't seal when closed. Opened drum to cut it, flare gas backed into drum to atmosphere. Followup: No Notes: No information given
99113 2007-09-01	Tank D-0036	Cause: cause of leak in Tank is corrosion between new floor and existing walls of the tank. Followup: No Notes: Spill became visible after heavy rain. CRLLC is in the process of emptying, cleaning, and preparing the tank for inspection. CRLLC added an additional corrosion prevention lining to the floor of the Tank prior to putting it back in service. CRLLC has also verified that all other tanks in the same service have lined floors.	28.0 pounds
98528 2007-07-01	#2 Flare	Cause: a third-party hydrogen provider, Air Products, was shut down, followed by the shut down of Louis Dreyfus, limiting ability of CRLLC to minimize flaring Followup: No Notes: CRLLC maintains open communication lines with third-party providers to reduce the impact of any third party upsets that result in supply shortages.	36.0 pounds
98527 2007-06-29	#2 Flare	Cause: a third-party hydrogen provider, Air Products, was shut down, followed by the shut down of Louis Dreyfus, limiting ability of CRLLC to minimize flaring Followup: No Notes: CRLLC maintains open communication lines with third-party providers to reduce the impact of any third party upsets that result in supply shortages.	20.0 pounds
96571 2007-05-27	Naphtha Storage Tank #36	Cause: see notes. Small hole develops in floating roof of tank permitting vapors to escape. Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 5/27 concerning release of VOCs, Benzene, Xylene
96288 2007-05-17	Tank # 1014	Cause: back door of vacuum truck failed releasing diesel gasoline mixture as truck attempted to unload to tank 1014 Followup: No Notes: Truck driver injured when door opened unexpectedly. Letter written to rescind notification of 5/17 concerning release of hydrocarbons and benzene
95178 2007-04-09	Benzene Recover Unit Tank	Cause: Benzene recovery unit tank leak due to external corrosion Followup: No Notes: A containment boom was placed on the visible liquid. Released liquids were recovered via vacuum truck.	0
07-BB005-495 2007-04-07	No information given	Cause: No information given Followup: No Notes: Letter sent to rescind notification of 4/07/07 concerning release of Benzene
111354 2008-12-11	No information given	Cause: No information given Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ.
110661 2008-11-07	No information given	Cause: a 5 gallon bucket used to catch leaks of released liquids from threads in piping blew over. Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ.
110391 2008-10-25	#1 Flare	Cause: upset condition in a process unit Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ.
108944 2008-09-12	Flare #2	Cause: Hurricane Ike causes a scaffold to fall and damage a power line. Power outage causes shut down of Crude 1 and Crude 2 Units Followup: Yes Notes:
108528 2008-08-20	Flare	Cause: shutting down units due to hurricane Followup: No Notes: No Information Given
107017 2008-07-06	flange on the Number 3 Reformer Exchanger leaking at the channel head	Cause: flange leak, cause investigation is ongoing; design on the face of the gasket surface of the exchanger. Followup: No Notes: Lowered the system pressure to help mitigate the leak and shutdown the Unit.	22.0 pounds
106452 2008-06-14	No information given	Cause: No information given Followup: No Notes: Liquids recovered for reprocessing and impacted soil was removed for disposal. Letter states that emissions were BRQ.	4.0 pounds
118324 2009-10-01	tank 1203	Cause: Plastic bag lodged in the vacuum while emptying a tank 1203 which caused overfill of drain pan. Followup: Yes Notes: RQ not exceeded. All discharges contained and recovered.	23.9 pounds
118252 2009-09-28	tank M3	Cause: Tank M3 leaking at base. Followup: No Notes: RQ not exceeded. Vacuum truck to clean up leak. Pan placed under leak.
117581 2009-08-25	Tank 301	Cause: Cinatra (3rd party contractor) was performing a tank (301) cleaning procedure that involved the circulation of oil with high pressure nozzles. The coupling failed on a supply line that was located on the tank's roof where it spilled oil. Followup: Yes Notes: Stopped circulating oil through the cleaning system and roof drain was closed. Spilled material contained in dike area and recovered by a vacuum truck for reprocessing. Impacted soil was removed.	15.0 pounds
116591 2009-07-20	Desulphurization unit clamp	Cause: Desulphurization unit clamp leaked. Followup: No Notes: RQ not exceeded.
112952 2009-02-23	No Information Given	Cause: No Information Given Followup: No Notes: Below reportable quantities.	0.2 pounds
112070 2009-01-15	No Information Given	Cause: No Information Given Followup: No Notes: No Information Given
124891 2010-07-15	Frac Tank	Cause: Waste water containing benzene overflowed a frac tank. The volume released was less than the reportable quantity; however the soil would have to be re-mediated. Followup: Yes Notes: BRQ. The contaminated soil around the frac tank was picked up but the area under the frac tank may be contaminated as well. Once the frac tank is moved and checked, a follow up report will be sent. FOLLOW UP STATES: 1/2 of a roll off box has been picked up, and upon removal of frac tank and berm more material may need to be removed.
123040 2010-04-27	flare #1	Cause: Compressor inadvertently tripped while executing Emergency Block Valve Prevention Maintenance Program procedure on it--sent material to flare. Followup: No Notes: Operations team secured the unit and started up the compressor, full evaluation and troubleshooting will be addressed during next shutdown. Will not perform EBV maintenance program in the meantime.
134930 2011-10-27	Line leak at Tank 68 tank 68	Cause: On October 27, 2011, Chalmette Refinery made a verbal notification that an ongoing combined release from Tank 68 and a retired line in the Treating Area under Incident 11-06603 was resolved, and submitted a follow up letter on October 28, 2011, accordingly. On the morning of October 28, 2011, the retired line was found to be leaking again, potentially in excess of reportable quantities, and notifications were made. The source was isolated at 1500 hours on October 29, 2011, ending the release in excess of a reportable quantity. Cleanup of the area was completed at 1600 hours on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Followup: Yes Notes: Foam was applied to the area, to reduce the emissions from the event. Vacuum trucks were used to recover the benzene and water, and the source was isolated October 29, ending the reportable release. United States Environmental Services was onsite from October 24 to November 1, to assist with cleanup of the area.	9,204.0 pounds
134832 2011-10-21	Line leak and Tank 68 Line leak at Tank 68 Tank 68	Cause: Oil was initially discovered in the area of Tank 68 (Alkylate storage)on October 20, 2011. The amount released to the environment was initially estimated to be less that reportable quantities, so no immediate notifications were required. A sample was collected in order to determine the root cause of the leak. On the morning of October 21, liquid was again observed coming from the bottom of the tank, and the lab sample results concurrently confirmed the oil to be alkylate. At approximately 0935 hours on October 21, 2011 a separate incident occurred when a retired line in a ground level piperack in the Treating Area was found to be leaking. The initial amount observed was approximately fourteen gallons of undetermined hydrocarbon, and both emissions and the amount in soil were determined to be less than the reportable quantities. Foam was also applied to the leak areas in order to mitigate odors and emissions. On October 21, 2011, at approximately 1400 hours, oil began accumulating at an increased rate at Tank 68, and it was determined that considering the two releases together, reportable quantities were potentially exceeded for volatile organic compounds (VOC) and benzene, and notifications were made. Several inches of water were introduced into Tank 68 on October 22 to displace the hydrocarbon layer on the tank floor. This ended the hydrocarbon release in excess of a reportable quantity. Additionally, line isolation efforts on the retired line in the Treating Area were performed on October 24, 2011, ending the release in excess of a reportable quantity. Visual observation and monitoring confirmed no ongoing leak to the environment at that time. Cleanup of the area was completed at 1600 hours on Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Followup: Yes Notes: Vacuum trucks were used to remove the oil and water from Tank 68, containing the release to the smallest area possible. Mitigation efforts to reduce amount to the environment emissions at Tank 68 also included the introduction of water into the tank to successfully displace the hydrocarbon from the leak interface on Saturday, October 22. The tank was emptied and removed from service on November 7, 2011, ending the release. Cleanup of the area is ongoing. Foam was applied to the area of the line leak, to reduce the emissions from the event. Vacuum trucks were used to recover the hydrocarbon and water, and the line was isolated October 24, ending the reportable release. United States Environmental Services also arrived Monday, October 24 to assist with cleanup of the ares, which was completed November 1, 2011. Tank 68 was cleaned, and initial inspection was performed on December 7, 2011. A repair scope is currently under development, which will implement corrective actions to mitigate corrosion potential for the tank floor.	9,204.0 pounds
134390 2011-10-07	Tank 403 Cam Lock fiting Tank 71 Floating roof	Cause: Oil was initially discovered on the roof of Tank 71 on August 9, 2011. The emissions were determined to be less than reportable quantities, so no notifications were required. To mitigate leak potential and offsite impacts, the oil was removed daily to prevent accumulation and emissions potential until repair investigation efforts could be completed. On October 7, 2011, at approximately 1040 hours, while cleaning the tank roof to allow for additional inspection, roof scale was dislodged, and a roof leak developed, eventually covering the entire surface area of the tank roof with oil. Foam was applied to the tank roof at 1540 hours, mitigating odors and emissions. Oil was removed from the tank roof October 9, 2011. Though ongoing emissions following removal of the oil are estimated to be below reportable quantities, the tank roof is not floating on the product, thus incident response efforts are still considered in progress, as repairs are completed. At approximately 0915 hours on October 11, 2011 a separate incident at a different tank resulted in hydrocarbon and benzene emissions for approximately 1 hour. Followup: Yes Notes: Mitigation efforts to reduce emissions potential commenced promptly, as tank level was reduced, however, the product could not be removed from the tank roof. Foam was applied to the tank roof at 1540 hours,greatly reducing emissions from the event. The tank roof was landed Sunday, October 9, and the oil was able to be removed from the floating roof. Additionally, the tank contents were drained and water was introduced into the tank, however, a thin oil layer remained present as repairs were progressed. Repairs were completed October 14, 2011. Repairs were completed on areas where thickness readings determined necessary on October 14, 2011.	191.0 pounds
133679 2011-09-06	Tank Roof Leak	Cause: Emission values included in the later report of 134390. All values in notes for this report. On August 9, 2011, at approximately 0930 hours, oil was discovered on the roof of Tank 71. The roof was cleaned and visually inspected, and though no leaks were discovered, it was determined that additional inspection was required, including mechanical thickness readings. Additional cleaning was necessary for this to occur. Concurrently, it was determined that the source of the oil was likely a failed check valve on the tank roof drain. This drain was plugged to ensure no oil could back up onto tank roof. On Friday, October 7, 2011 at approximately 1040 hours, while cleaning the roof of Tank 71 to allow the inspection group to access the roof for mechanical thickness reading, scale was removed and a hole developed in the roof. Cleaning was stopped at that point and personnel exited the roof and notified Refinery personnel. The initial leak estimate determined it to be potentially in excess of 1000 lbs of hydrocarbon and 10 lbs of benzene. Prompt notifications to the agencies were made upon discovery. In a separate event at 0915 hours on October 11, 2011, approximately 20 gallons of gasoline were released to the soil when a cam lock fitting did not seal properly at Tank 403. The emissions associated with this event were approximately 116 lbs hydrocarbon and 1 lb of benzene. In combination with the above incident, the RQ for benzene was exceeded. Followup: No Notes: Mitigation efforts to reduce emissions potential commenced promptly, as tank level was reduced, however, the product could not be removed from the tank roof. Foam was applied to the tank roof at 1540 hours, greatly reducing the emissions from the event. The tank roof was landed Sunday, October 9, and the oil was able to be removed from the floating roof. Additionally, the tank contents were drained and water was introduced into the tank, however a thin oil layer is still present as repairs progressed. There were multiple complaints associated with this incident; a. Terrible odor coming from the direction of the river where there is a barge parked, and several facilities in that direction as well. t134349 b. Terrible odor coming from the direction of the river making several people in area sick. Vomiting, headache, and child exposure. t133866 c. Barge that has been tied up at the docks for 2 days is producing terrible odors. No tempo # d. Incredibly strong and foul odor coming from the direction of the river. No Tempo #
132743 2011-07-28	No Information Given	Cause: According to the LDEQ report, "spill resulted from a dewatering operation near a gasoline pump." Followup: No Notes: BRQ According to SPOC report, standing liquids were removed with a with a vacuum truck. Soil remediation was planned.	10.0 pounds
132392 2011-07-13	No Information Given	Cause: Chalmette Refining, L.L.C. (CRLLC) provided a courtesy notification to your office regarding a release of oil and benzene to the ground on July 13, 2011. After further review, there were no RQ exceedances or permit violations as a result of this event. Followup: No Notes: This was just a letter sent from Chalmette Refining, L.L.C., to the LDEQ as a courtesy.
131247 2011-05-17	Corroded line into Benzene Recovery Unit (BRU), Tank 6304	Cause: A run down line into a benzene recovery unit feed tank was corroded. Amount released was 12.1 pounds of benzene and 189 gallons of oil (aka 1404 pounds of hydrocarbon) Followup: No Notes: Containment booms and vacuum trucks were utilized to minimize contact with soil. A mechanical engineered clamp was installed to secure the leak. New piping will replace the line that contained the source of the leak. E-mail correspondence with refinery states that (31) 3000 gallon vacuum trucks of oil-water was put back into process (Tank 1024) and 4820 pounds of contaminated soil was shipped to Chemical Waste Management Inc.	12.1 pounds
131070 2011-05-09	PGC 2nd Stage Aftercooler	Cause: The PGC 2nd Stage Aftercooler leaked hydrocarbon vapors and compressed flammable gas was released to water. OFFSITE IMPACT: Mississippi River. Followup: No Notes: BRQ. Refinery letter states that release was below reportable quantities. The exchanger was isolated and the path to water was closed. A boom was deployed at the source and downriver.