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Shell Chemical East (26336), Norco
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 152357 |
| State Police # | 13-05058 |
| Accident Date | 2013-11-13 |
| Report Date | 2013-11-20 |
| Follow-up Date | 2014-01-16 |
| Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Carbon Monoxide | 2h | GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | NO | 1,992.0 pounds |
| NOx | 2h | GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | 366.1 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 2h | GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | NO | YES | 767.9 pounds |
| Particulate Matter | 2h | GO-1 Elevated Flare (EPN 1-90) | NO | YES | NO | 145.4 pounds |
Accident Classified As: Below Reportable Quantity (BRQ)
Cause of Problem: Process Upset
On November 13, 2013, GO-1 had an unexpected process upset which resulted in flaring at the GO-1 Elevated Flare. The flaring was a result of the GO-1 South Acetylene Converter going off specification due to contaminants in the hydrogen supply to the converter due to a valve misalignment at Motiva's S3 Sulfur Unit. The material was flared at the GO-1 Elevated Flare to prevent additional upsets in GO-1. Incident Investigation is ongoing. Shell will provide an update within 60 days. Report states that no reportable quantities were exceeded.
Discharge Preventable - No
Report states that incident was not preventable by Shell Chemical LP because hydrogen purity to the system is not managed by Shell Chemical.
Notes/Remedial Actions
GO-1 operations took corrective actions to return the acetylene converters to normal operation. GO-1 added steam and hydrogen to both converters. A pressure control valve for import hydrogen was put in manual to correct variations in the flow to the converters. The PSA hydrogen was stopped to the converters as part of initial troubleshooting, but was later lined up after the valve misalignment was discovered and corrected. Once the acetylene converters were returned to normal operating conditions the flaring stopped. To prevent this incident from reoccurring, the operations specialist at S3 has updated piping and instrument drawings to clarify the location of the S3 hydrogen and nitrogen valves in the field. Also the operations specialist at S3 has car sealed close the hydrogen valve from S3 to GO1.
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