Home Search Emissions Pollutants About the Database


Phillips 66 (2418), Belle Chasse

Releases in 2008

LDEQ Accident Number
Accident Date		 Point Source/Release CauseNotes
11082

2008-11-27
Point Source(s):
191-FF

Pollutant(s):
Hydrocarbon - BRQ
Cause of Problem: Other

Fire		Fire on the insulation of thecrudeunit's vaccum tower. Residual hydrocarbon from a previous event on 11/19/1008 on the insulation caught on fire. Water spray used to put out fire by the Refinery Emergency Response fire brigade.
110971

2008-11-21
Point Source(s):
Condensate capture tank

Pollutant(s):
Water/Natural Gas/Oil - 630 gallons
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Pipeline restarted after it had been shut down for an extended period. When started up contaminates overwhelmed the econdensate capture tank. 		31.5 gallons of contaminates were spilled outside of containment into a ditch on refinery property. Ditch was blocked and pollutant was picked up with absorbants.
110898

2008-11-19
Point Source(s):
308F-D-1 (Low Pressure Flare); 308F-D-2 (High Pressure Flare); 191-FF (191-PSV-009A); 191-FF (191-PSV-011)

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 1,951 pounds
Crude Oil - 4,805 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide - 5 pounds
Hydrocarbon - 150,428 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide - 5 pounds
Cause of Problem: Equipment Failure

On 11/19/09, the refinery "experienced an unexpected internal electrical power phase to ground fault." This fault caused a power interruption from internal Substation 5D to the Crude Unit 191 and resulted in the loss of most of the Crude Unit's pumps and several fin fans causing a major unit upset and emergency shutdown. These upset operations subsequently caused the Atmospheric Tower's pressure relief valve (191-PSV-009A) to open to protect the upper section of the Atmospheric Tower. An attempt to circulate the liquid inventory in the Vacuum Tower (VT) back to the Crude Tanks caused as unexpected high liquid level and the VT pressure relief valve (191-PSV-011) opened up to protect the upper section of the VT. This relief valve relieved vapors, liquid hydrocarbons, and crude oil from a vent at the top of the VT. The loss of the Crude Unit forced most of the refinery's process units to shutdown resulting in intermittent flaring. Following the shutdown and the re-establishment of power to substation 5D, the process of restarting several refinery units was initiated. The Coker Unit's Compressor (891-K-1) motor amp limit controller (PJC-404) unexpectedly opened the flare valve (PPC-998) due to a very high motor amperage surge at its initial start. Flares smoked intermittently throughout shutdown and startup events. Fenceline monitoring indicated "no offsite impact." Fenceline monitoring		Immediate: Units were shut down until electrical supply was repaired. After a formal investigation, the cause of the incident was determined to be a loose connection between the bus and runback rod that put enough electrical load on the connecting bolt to melt it thus creating the ground fault. Connecting bolts are now inspected and replaced as necessary, COP electricians are being further trained, and a QC checklist and testing procedures to verify proper electrical connections have been implemented. Discharge classified as "Extremely Hazardous Substance" Regulated by OSHA HazCom
110180

2008-10-18
Point Source(s):
No Information Given

Pollutant(s):
Alkylate - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: No Information Given

No Information Given		Alkylate (gasoline blending product) spilled within the tank farm secondary containment and floating on water. Contaminant was vaccumed up. Tank T-204 repaired. Verbal report.
110124

2008-10-16
Point Source(s):
4000 hp compressor --FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Instrument Failure

Trip of 4000 hp compressor caused by a low oil alarm trip caused by an air bubble in the lube oil system. 		New operrating procedure developed and implemented to prevent the problem from reoccuring. Verbal report
109501

2008-09-24
Point Source(s):
1792-FF

Pollutant(s):
Benzene - 10 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

Valve leak during start up of petro chemical unit THD-1792 after Hurricane Gustav. 		30/70% benzene/toluene mixture leaked. Leak sprayed with water washed to the refinery's waste water treatment plant. No mention of the amount of toulene spilled. Monitoring indicated offsite impact.
No Information Given

2008-09-21
Point Source(s):
591-D-21 (Sulfur Recovery Unit Incinerator)

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 787 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

Startup after Hurricane Gustav		*Same State Police number as an incident on 9/19/2008, but different NRC and LPEC numbers. Unsure if itÕs a separate incident or related. No LDEQ report.* Non-optimal shutdown performed prior to the Hurricane Gustav evacuation inorder to reduce emmisions during shutdown. There was insufficient time to perform 4-6 process to remove residual sulfur to As a result residual sulfur was released directly to the incinerator during startup.
109347

2008-09-19
Point Source(s):
308F-D-1 Low Pressure FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 206 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

High pressure in the Sulfur Recovery Unit 591 resulted in part of the acid gas (Hydrogen Sulfide) feed to be routed to the Low Pressure flare. Sulfur dioxide did not exceed reportable quantities. No mention of Hydrogen sulfide emissions in report.
109316

2008-09-18
Point Source(s):
591-D21 (SRU incinerator)

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 1,906 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

Restarted in "cold" start-up mode after Hurricane Gustav.		Due to hurricane start up Tail Gas Treater Unit (TGT) and Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU)started up at the same time, rather than with the TGT already running. This sent more gases than usual directly to the incinerator causing increased emissions. Units were stabilized.
109108

2008-09-16
Point Source(s):
Wastwater Collection System (EQT 088-308 WWTP)

Pollutant(s):
Hydrocarbon - 336 gallons
Cause of Problem: Weather

Flooding caused by Hurricane Gustav caused oil from sewers to overflow to ground areas. 		Oil spilled onto soil and vegetation in facility. Culverts leading to navigable waters were closed off and oil was confinded to ditch. Vaccum trucks picked up free oil in ditches and booms and spill pigs deployed to contain the oil.
109428

2008-09-14
Point Source(s):
308F-D-1 Low Pressure FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 1,506 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

Dduring start up of Coker unit after Hurricane Gustav evacuation		Extra material was stored in the Coker Feed Tanker to prevent solidification and pluggage of the Coker unit feed system after Hurricane Gustav. This also caused higher than usual pressure in the Coker Fractionator Overhead and the Compressor suction drum (891-V-15), which caused the flare vlave to open. Compressor turned on but flaring continued until material was released from feed and no longer affected the overhead.
108458

2008-08-31
Point Source(s):
308F-D-1 Low Pressure FLARE, 308F-D-2 High Pressure FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Crude Oil - 420 gallons
Cause of Problem: Weather

Shut down and evacuation in preparation for Hurricane Gustav and Ike. 		Flaring and venting occurred but emissons did not exceed permit quanitities. Oily water sewers overflowed due to pump failure from power outages. Oil spilled to ground, water and pavement. Estimated 80 barrels recovered in cleanup. This incident will be critiqued and lessons learned will be used to update refinery's hurricane plan.
108398

2008-08-28
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - BRQ
Sulfur Dioxide - BRQ
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

The Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit was shut down to repair an eroded slide valve stem at the regenerator. 		Alkylation Unit placed on standby and low sulfur gasoline unit lost feed. All three units restarted. Emissions Below reportable quanitities.
108142

2008-08-19
Point Source(s):
Thermal Hydrodealkylation Unit (1792)

Pollutant(s):
Nitrogen - BRQ
Hydrogen - BRQ
Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures

Planned shutdown occurred to repair problms with the Thermal Hydrodealkylation Unit. Courtesy Call. Verbal report was made but no written report followed.
107547

2008-07-21
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures

Discovered a leak in the slurry recycle pump and had to shut the FCC down to repair it. Verbal report was made but no written report followed.
107355

2008-07-19
Point Source(s):
Distillate Hydrotreater (DHT)

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 1 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Distillate Hydrotreater shut down and restarted to make repairs on a leak in a pump seal. Courtesy notification. Verbal report made but no but no written report followed.
106796

2008-06-28
Point Source(s):
308F-D-1 (Low Pressure Flare), 591-D-21-X (SRU Incinerator Stack) FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 2,702 pounds
Cause of Problem: Process Upset

Acid Gas flaring due to 592-H-1 heater going offline after loss of flame caused by pressure fluctuation in the Sour Water Stripper vessel affecting feed stream quality to SRU-592 Unit. 592-H-1 heater relit and brought back on line.
106620

2008-06-22
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 3,909 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 181 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Restart of FCC unit after shutdown in incident # 106591 on 6/19/2008 due to a problem with a slide valve. Facility experimenting with "Full burn mode" during start up to try to reduce emissions. Investigation into root cause to take place.
106591

2008-06-20
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 85 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 156 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Courtesy call and notice of potential falring during a shutdown because of a slide valve problem with the FCC. Emmissions Below Reportable Quantities.
106422

2008-06-14
Point Source(s):
(308F-D-1) Low Pressure Flare, (308F-D-2) High Pressure Flare, (301-D-3) CO Bypass Stack

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

FCC slide valve mechanical failure discovered while the FCC was down for maintenance. FCC restarted in full combustion mode and vented through the Carbon Monoxide boiler which was then later restarted. Investigation into how to prevent further emmissions during start up to follow.
106323

2008-06-11
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Smoke - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures

Courtesy call to warn of potential smoke.
106247

2008-06-07
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 0 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

(See Incident Report 106039) Incident caused by a starting up the Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) after it underwent repairs for a faulty valve. Investigated on 6/28/2008
106039

2008-06-03
Point Source(s):
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit, 308-D-1 Low Pressure FLARE, 308F-D-2 High Pressure FLARE, 301-D-3 CO Bypass Stack

Pollutant(s):
Carbon Monoxide - 24 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide - 9 pounds
Nitrogen Oxide - 108 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 848 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

FCC shut down to repair a crack. During repairs, a broken valve was discovered and also repaired (#106247). Emissions released during startup of FCC and below reportable quantities. Investigation into procedures to prevent flarting during shutdown/startup
105841

2008-05-22
Point Source(s):
Unit 294 FLARE

Pollutant(s):
Sulfur Dioxide - 449 pounds
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Courtesy Call. Below Reportable Quanitities.
105655

2008-05-17
Point Source(s):
FLARE-PSV-84 relief valve on Reactor (491-V-49)

Pollutant(s):
Ethane - 39 pounds
Hydrogen Sulfide - 3 pounds
Isobutane - 8 pounds
Isopentane - 5 pounds
Methane - 497 pounds
Propane - 25 pounds
Sulfur Dioxide - 250 pounds
n-Butane - 8 pounds
n-Pentane - 2 pounds
Cause of Problem: Weather

Valve failure cause by a power surge from lightening. 		Incident due to a valve failure caused by a power surge from lightning. Motor control and trim on valve fixed.
104864

2008-04-18
Point Source(s):
broken valve on bottom of a vacuum tower

Pollutant(s):
Vacuum Bottoms, Gas Oil, 6 Oil - 210 gallons
Cause of Problem: Seal or Gasket

Spilled material solidified on the ground and removed.
No Information Given

2008-04-12
Point Source(s):
Dock 1- Light oil manifold

Pollutant(s):
Diesel Fuel - 0 pounds
Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures

Spill occurred during regular coast guard pressure test, small oil release. Booms and pads deployed to absorb and contain sheen.
104290

2008-03-29
Point Source(s):
Pressure Safety Valve (PSV)-850 on sphere 100-T-500

Pollutant(s):
Butane - BRQ
Cause of Problem: Piping or Tubing

Cracked pipe leading to Pressure Safety valve		Cracked pipe replaced. Exceeded hourly permit for VOC emissions. Air monitoring performed by refinery personnel near leak and the nearest fenceline. No impact found by refinery personel. Emissions below reportable quanitity.
103033

2008-02-12
Point Source(s):
100-T-128

Pollutant(s):
Oil - 3,402 gallons
Cause of Problem: Weather

Leak from pump suction line on product tank 		Oil leaked into the process sewer from flange on a pump suction line. Three inches of rain fell and caused the sewer to overflow. Oil picked up and booms put in place to contain spill.
102557

2008-01-25
Point Source(s):
Diesel Hydrotreater Unit 293

Pollutant(s):
Hydrogen Sulfide - BRQ
Sulfur Dioxide - BRQ
Cause of Problem: Start Up, Shut Down

Start Up, Shut Down --Unit 239 restarted after repairs completed on failed tubes		Community monitoring during a planned emission. Incident considered a courtesy notification for potential flaring.