Neale Gas Plant - Executive Summary |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 Accidental Release Prevention and Emergency Response Policies It is the policy of Cliffwood Production Company to be proactive in the protection of the safety and health of employees and the protection of the environment and the public. Management has established: 7 Employee training programs in safety and environmental protection. 7 Monitoring programs to evaluate pollution control and safety performance. 7 Regulated Substances Handled The Neale gas processing plant receives natural gas from gas wells in the Neale area and strips the natural gas liquids (NGL) from the gas. NGL, which is primarily propane, is stored in a 30,000 gallon bulk storage tank and a 15,000 gallon tank and the remaining natural gas is transferred to a pipeline. The stripping process is accomplished by increasing the pressure and lowering the temperature on the incoming natural gas. The average quantity of propane stored is 15,000 gallons. However, in the event of inclement weather , the storage could increase to 20,000 gallons. 7 Worst-Case Release Scenario The worst-case release scenario would be a vapor cloud explosion. The EPA's OCA guidance has been used to determine the end point for this scenario. The scenario is based on storage of 20,000 gallons (100,000 lbs.) of propane. The distance to an over pressure of 1.0 psi will be 0.31 miles. The total residential population within this area is zero (0). It is highly unlikely that the worst-case scenario will ever happen. The product stored (propane) is at or below atmospheric pressure and at 100 psi or less. The storage tanks are rated at 240 psi and have three 5 inch relief valves to relief excess pressure these valves are set 10 to 15 psi below the rated pressure of the storage tanks. 7 General Accident Release Prevention Program and Chemical-Specific Prevention Steps The Neale gas processing plant is covered under the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) Standard and has developed the required PSM Plan. All employees have a minimum of 8 years experience operating a gas processing plant. These employees were involved in the construction of the present plant. There are shut down systems for each step in the process to protect employees and equipment. All critical equipment is visually inspected daily. Relief valves are inspected annually. Chemical safety training is presented annually to all plant personnel. 7 Five Year Accident History There have been no offsite releases in the last five years. 7 The Emergency Response Program The Merryville Fire Department will be the primary responder to any release. |