Fandango Treating Plant - Executive Summary |
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1.0 Fandango Gas Plant Risk Management Plan: Executive Summary ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICIES The Fandango Treating Plant has a long-standing commitment to worker and public safety. This commitment is demonstrated by the resources invested in accident prevention, such as training personnel and considering safety in the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of facility's processes. The Shell Western E&P Inc. (SWEPI) policy is to implement reasonable controls to prevent foreseeable releases of substances. However, if a release does occur, trained personnel will respond to, control, and contain the release. DESCRIPTION OF THE STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES SWEPI operates the Fandango Treating Plant located five miles Southeast of Escobas on Highway 16 at the Trevino Ranch in Zapata County, Texas. Texas Gas Plants, L.P. is the owner of this gas sweetening and dehydration facility. The Fandango Treating Plant receives produced natural ga s via pipeline. The purpose of the facility is to collect fluids from various wells; separate the gas and water into distinct streams; compress, dehydrate and sweeten the gas as required for sales; and dispose of produced water. Propane refrigeration is used to chill Selexol which is used to remove hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and water vapor. The Fandango Treating Plant was evaluated to determine if any regulated flammable or toxic substances exceeded the threshold quantity. Based on process knowledge, SWEPI identified the regulated substances and quantities kept on site. Propane and natural gas are the only listed flammable substances which are stored or contained in process above their threshold quantities at the Fandango Treating Plant. Based on worst-case analysis, the distances to the endpoints do not exceed the distance to public receptors. In addition, the Fandango Gas Plant has not had an accidental release in the past five years and emergency response procedures ha ve been coordinated with the Zapata Volunteer Fire Department. Therefore, the Fandango Treating Plant is classified as a Program 1 process under the ARP program. OFF-SITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS RESULTS Flammable Substances - Worst-Case Scenario The endpoint for worst-case release of flammable substances is 1 psi overpressure (i.e., 15.7 psia), resulting from a vapor cloud explosion. The ARP Program requirement for flammables assumes an instantaneous release and vapor cloud explosion. A yield factor of 10 percent of the available energy released in the explosion shall be used to determine the distance to the explosion endpoint. Since the worst-case release scenario for a flammable substance is based on the assumption that the entire quantity of the substance is a vessel forms a vapor cloud, passive mitigation systems are not applicable. Propane is the worst-case flammable release with a 0.16-mile distance to the endpoint. Flammable Substances - Alternative-Case Scenario The Fand ango Treating Plant is classified as a Program 1 process under the ARP program. Therefore, analysis of an alternative release scenario for flammable substances is not required. Toxic Substances The Fandango Treating Plant does not have any toxic substances above the threshold quantity; therefore, analysis of worst-case and alternative-case release scenarios for toxic substances is not required. GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM Based on the criteria in 40 CFR 68.10, the distance to the specified endpoint for the worst-case accidental release scenario for the following processes is less than the distance to the nearest public receptor: Propane and natural gas. Within the past five years, the processes have had no accidental releases that caused off-site impacts as defined in the risk management program rule (40 CFR 68.10(b)(1)). No additional measures are necessary to prevent off-site impacts from accidental releases. In the event of fire, explosion, or a release of a regulated substance from the processes, entry within the distance to the specified endpoints may pose a danger to public emergency responders. Therefore, public emergency responders should not enter this area except as arranged with the emergency contact indicated in the Risk Management Plan. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM INFORMATION The overall emergency response program for the Fandango Treating Plant is coordinated with the Zapata Volunteer Fire Department. This coordination includes periodic meetings of the Fandango Treating Plant personnel and fire department to discuss needs and concerns in the event of an incident at the plant. The Fandango Treating Plant has around-the-clock communications capability with the fire department, which has the ability to communicate to all state, federal and county agencies as to needed equipment (i.e., firefighting equipment, manpower, ambulances, hospitals, law enforcement, and HAZMAT operations). This provides a means of notifying the publ ic of an incident, if necessary, as well as facilitating quick response to an incident. In addition to an annual meeting with the fire department, the Fandango Treating Plant conducts periodic emergency drills that involve the Zapata Volunteer Fire Department and emergency response organization, and the gas plant provides annual refresher training to local emergency responders regarding the hazards of regulated substances in the gas plant. |