Red Wash 24B Gas Plant - Executive Summary |
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DESCRIPTION OF THE STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES Chevron USA Production Company operates the Red Wash 24B gas plant. The 24B gas plant, located in the Red Wash Unit field, is approximately 20 miles South East of the town of Vernal. The plant was designed to process 14 mmscfd of natural occurring hydrocarbon gas. Chevron has five (5) employees assigned to the 24B gas plant. The primary activitie of the 24B plant involving RMP regulated substances is compressing natural gas for sale to a natural gas pipeline. The gas product in our facility contains methane, ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, pentane, isopentane and heavier hydrocarbon liquids. Hydrogen Sulfide, water and heavier hydrocarbon liquids are removed from the gas prior to sale so that it is suitable for use by homes and businesses. (The retailer, to enable leak detection by the consumer, adds an odorant to the gas). ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND RESPONSE POLICIES It is the policy of Chevron USA Production Company to conduct its business in a socially responsible and ethical manner that protects safety, health and the environment. The Red Wash Emergency Preparedness and Response Policy involves assessing the hazards and risks of an unplanned incident; developing a plan for managing those hazards and risks; communicating relevant information to employees, contractors and appropriate agencies; and conducting emergency exercises. OFFSITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS RESULTS Maximum quantities of regulated substances that could be stored in all of the collective vessels and piping at the 24B gas plant is 31,000 pounds of flammable mixture. Worst-case scenario (WCS) for the 24B gas plant would be a catastrophic failure of the stabilizer resulting in a release of 13,000 pounds of hydrocarbon in a vapor cloud explosion with an estimated endpoint of 0.2 miles (1 psi overpressure). Although Chevron has numerous controls to prevent such releases and to manage their consequences, no cre dit for administrative controls or passive mitigation measures was taken into account in evaluating these scenarios. While the calculated maximum distance to endpoint (1 psi overpressure) for the WCS of the 24B gas plant is beyond the plant boundaries, there are no public receptors within that radius. GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM Chevron encourages employees to participate in all facets of process safety management and accident prevention. Examples of employee participation range from updating and compiling technical documents and chemical information to participating as a member of a process hazard analysis (PHA) team. Employees have access to all information created as part of the Red Wash accident prevention program element. The 24B gas plant keeps a variety of technical documents that are used to help maintain safe operation of the processes. These documents address chemical properties and associated hazards, limits for key process parameters and specif ic chemical inventories and equipment design basis/configuration information. Chemical-specific information, including exposure hazards and emergency response/exposure treatment considerations, is provided in material safety data sheets (MSDSs). For the compression of natural gas at the 24B gas plant, Chevron has documented safety-related limits for specific process parameters (e.g. temperature, pressure, level, flow) in the process safety manuals. Chevron ensures that the processes are maintained within these limits using process controls and monitoring instruments, highly trained personnel and protective instrument systems (e.g. automated shutdown systems). The Red Wash 24B plant has a comprehensive program to help ensure that hazards associated with the various processes are identified and controlled. Within this program, each process is systematically examined to identify hazards and that adequate controls are in place to manage these hazards. The Red Wash 24B plant maintains written procedures that address various modes of process operations such as (1) unit startup, (2) normal operations, (3) temporary operations, (4) emergency shutdown, and (5) normal shutdown. To complement the written procedures for process operations, Chevron has implemented a comprehensive training program for all employees involved in operating the Gas plant. FIVE-YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY The 24B gas plant has an excellent record of accident prevention. There have been no releases from the RMP covered processes in the last five years. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM INFORMATION Chevron maintains a written emergency response program, including the 24B gas plant, which is in place to protect worker and public safety as well as the environment. The program consists of procedures for responding to a release of a regulated substance, including the possibility of a fire or explosion if a flammable substance is accidentally released. The procedures follow the standard Incident Command Sy stem to address all aspects of emergency response, including: proper first aid and medical treatment for exposures, evacuation plans and accounting for personnel after an evacuation, notification of local emergency response agencies and the public if a release occurs, and post-incident cleanup and decontamination requirements. In addition, the plant has procedures that address maintenance, inspection, and testing of emergency response equipment. Employees receive training in these procedures as necessary to perform their specific emergency response duties. The emergency response program is reviewed annually and updated when necessary based on modifications made to the gas plant processes or other Red Wash operations. The emergency response program changes are administered through the MOC process, which includes informing and/or training affected personnel in the changes. The overall emergency response program for the Red Wash 24B gas plant is coordinated with the Uintah County Loc al Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC). The Red Wash gas plant, and other areas of the Red Wash field, conduct periodic emergency drills and invite members of the emergency response community to participate. Copies of Chevron's emergency response plan are available to LEPC members. |