Piceance Creek Gas Plant - Executive Summary |
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SAFETY POLICY STATEMENT It is the policy of Davis Gas Processing that accident prevention shall be considered of primary importance in all phases of operation and administration. It is the intention of Davis Gas Processing management to provide safe and healthy working conditions and to establish and insist upon safe practices at all times by all employees. The prevention of accidents is an objective affecting all levels of our company and its operations. It is, therefore, a basic requirement that each supervisor make the safety of all employees an integral part of his or her regular management function. It is equally the duty of each employee to accept and follow established safety regulations and procedures. Every effort will be made to provide adequate training to employees. Employees are expected to assist management in accident prevention activities. Unsafe conditions must be reported immediately. Safety is everyones business. SITE DESCRIPTION The Piceance Creek DGP Plant is loc ated about 23 miles northwest of Rio Blanco, Colorado on CR 76. The physical terrain is essentially flat at the plant because it is located at the top of a broad mesa at about 7450 feet elevation. The region is semi-arid and contains sparse vegetation typical of a semi-arid, high altitude location. The nearest surface watercourse in the area of the Piceance Creek DGP Plant is Piceance Creek which is about 6 miles to the south and generally flows easterly at this point. There are no ranches or public areas within the potential radius of the plant; however, there are three oil & gas related facilities within a 3 mile radius. There are two Product Propane Storage Tanks, one is a 525 barrel painted, welded steel, above ground, horizontal pressure vessel. The other is a 475 barrel painted, welded steel, above ground, horizontal pressure vessel. Both tanks operate up to 200 psig and is protected by a pressure relief valve. Liquid flow into these tanks is determined by the process operations. Liquid flow out of these tanks goes to tank truck loading and is manually controlled. Operating personnel on a daily basis visually inspect these tanks. An earthen containment dike surrounds these tanks; however, if a spill occurred at these tanks, the contents are so volatile that they would evaporate before penetrating the ground to any significant degree. The ground would freeze and contain the propane as it evaporated. There are two Butane-Gasoline Storage Tanks, one is a 436 barrel and the other is a 257 barrel tank. Both are painted, welded steel, above ground, horizontal pressure vessels. The tanks may operate up to 75 psig and is protected by a pressure relief valve. Liguid flow into these tanks is determined by the process operation. Liquid flow out of the tanks goes to tank truck loading and is manually controlled. Operating personnel on a daily basis visually inspect these tanks. An earthen containment dike surrounds these tanks; however, if a spill occurred at these tanks, the highly volatile contents would extensively evaporate before penetrating the ground to any significant degree. PURPOSE AND GOALS FOR THE PICEANCE CREEK DGP PLANT EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND ACTION PLAN Emergency Response And Action Plans (ERAP) were developed by Davis Gas Processing for its Piceance Creek DGP Plant located in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. The ERAP was developed to assist the Piceance Creek DGP Plant Foreman in his responsibility to provide skilled and compliant emergency leadership in the event of emergency situations. The ultimate goals of the Piceance Creek DGP Plant ERAP are as follows: 1. To provide Piceance Creek DGP Plant employees with emergency prevention training that will allow them to avoid process emergencies by predicting and recognizing potentially hazardous situations. 2. To provide Piceance Creek DGP Plant employees with emergency prevention training that will allow them to recognize and assess the consequences of personal actions when working with equipment containing pressurized, very cold, highly volatile, and flammable substances. 3. To assure that Piceance Creek DGP Plant employees will respond in a safe, prompt, and compliant fashion in the event of unintentional releases of hazardous chemicals in and from the Piceance Creek DGP Plant. 4. To guarantee that all Piceance Creek DGP Plant visitors will be effectively warned to recognize, avoid, and to escape hazardous situations and guarantee that they will be accounted for and removed from the Piceance Creek DGP Plant in the event of a site emergency. 5. To document that Piceance Creek DGP Plant emergency response efforts were effective, prompt, and professional. 6. To document that Piceance Creek DGP Plant emergency response training is provided periodically and in a clear and consistent manner, and to ensure Piceance Creek DGP Plant employees have a basic working knowledge of Piceance Creek DGP Plant emergency response procedures. 7. To document that Piceance C reek DGP Plant employees have a clear understanding of the recommended responses for various possible emergency scenarios. The Emergency Response Program that we have in place details emergency escape procedures and route assignments that have been posted in work area, and all employees have been trained by supervisors in the correct procedures to follow. New and change in status employees have been trained when assigned to perform any duties that involve the handling of hazardous chemicals. This facility has an Emergency Shut-Down Procedure that describes the steps to be taken in order for normal operations to be stopped and utility service to be cut off as personnel evacuate the premises during emergency situations. The Foreman is responsible for accounting for all employees, personally or through a designee, by having all employees report to predetermined, designated rally point and conducting a head count. Rescue and medical duties will be performed by EMS personnel from the Ri fle, Colorado Fire Department. The employees of the facility will be notified by verbal notification if an evacuation is necessary. All personnel have been trained in the safe and orderly emergency evacuation of the premises. The training includes, but is not limited to, the Emergency Shut-Down Procedures, escape routes, exits, and rally points. Training was and/or will be provided for employees when: 1. The plan was initiated 2. Responsibilities change 3. Employees are hired or transferred. WORST-CASE RELEASE SCENARIO AND THE ALTERNATIVE RELEASE SCENARIO The worst-case scenario would involve some sort of mechanical object (e.g. plane, vehicle) to hit or rupture the storage tanks of either the Butane Gasoline Storage Tanks or the Propane Storage Tanks. The Butane Gasoline Storage Tanks contains 98,600 lbs. and the Propane Storage Tanks contains 147,000 lbs. of flammable substance with a worst-case scenario radius of exposure of 2,112 feet. The only houses in the radius is the foreman and the operator of the plant. The alternative release scenario could be caused by the following items: a) Compressor or Pump piping failure due to vibration fatigue, packing failure and excessive pressure. b) Pressure vessel gage glass breakage. c) Control and block valve packing failure. d) Pressure relief valve failure due to failure to open or stuck open. e) Cold brittle metal fracture. In many of the direct chemical release scenarios, it is relatively easy to forecast where the release will evolve. Using the RMP Comp. Program on figuring the radius of exposure. With a 2 inch opening and 5 feet above the opening is the fluid level in the tank. The rate of flow would be 447 lbs. per min. and will take about 70 min. to drain the contents of one of the Butane Gasoline tank. The radius is less than 528 feet and will incorporate the foreman and operator houses only. The Attached Executive Summary has a diagram that shows the layout of the plant and the houses in the rad ius of exposure. No public facilities or other housing is in the exposed radius. . This facility has only been in operation since February of this year and since then it has had no accidents involving a regulated chemical, that has involved death, injury, or emergency response. Our facility has procedures coordinated with the local response agencies encase of an accidental release. This facility follows the rules and regulations of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Environmental Protection Agency(EPA). This facility has labeled all their storage tanks with identifying signs and NFPA labels which enable the fire department easy identification of the products health, flammability, and reactivity. By following these rules and regulation we are involved in an extensive training program for our employees. This facility has an ongoing safety training program for their personnel. This program involves all the regulated trai ning programs plus any on the job situations that our employees might encounter. |