Petal Fractionator Plant - Executive Summary |
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PETAL FACILITY Enterprise Petal Fractionator Plant Enterprise Products Operating, L.P. Hwy 11 N. Petal, Mississippi 39465 ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE POLICIES At Enterprise, we are committed to operating and maintaining all of our processes (especially those using hazardous substances) in a safe and responsible manner. We use a combination of accidental release prevention programs and emergency response planning programs to help ensure the safety of our employees and the public as well as protection of the environment. This document provides a brief overview of the comprehensive risk management activities that we have designed and implemented, including: * A description of our facility and use of substances regulated by EPA's RMP regulation * A summary of results from our assessment of the potential off site consequences from accidental chemical releases * An overview of our accidental release prevention programs * A five-year accident history f or accidental releases of chemicals regulated by EPA's RMP rule * An overview of our emergency response program * An overview of planned improvements at the facility to help prevent accidental chemical releases from occurring and adversely affecting our employees, the public, and the environment STATIONARY SOURCE AND REGULATED SUBSTANCES Our facility produces propane, isobutane and normal butane (which contain minute amounts of natural gasolines). The fractionators use a feedstock known as commercial butane. The Petal facility is a natural gas processing facility which fractionates the commercial butane into propane, isobutane and normal butane. In our processes, we use the following chemicals that the EPA has identified as having the potential to cause significant off site consequences in the event of a substantial accidental release: Toxics No toxic chemicals are located on this site. Flammables Propane is a finished product at the Petal facility. The quantity of the pr oduct is distributed throughout the complex. The largest portions of the product are in an underground storage well (220,000,000 lbs.), a service vessel (108,000 lbs.), a product tank (108,000 lbs.) and in the DePropanizer fractionator tower (10,800 lbs.) Butane (Normal Butane) is a finished product at the Petal facility. The quantity of the product is distributed through the complex. The largest portions of the product is in an underground storage well (247,000,000 lbs.), a service vessel (125,000 lbs.), three product tanks (totaling 375,000 lbs.) and in the fractionators towers (66,100 lbs.) Isobutane Butane is a finished product at the Petal facility. The quantity of the product is distributed through the complex. The largest portions of the product are in an underground storage well (158,000,000 lbs.), a service vessel (125,000 lbs.), three product tanks (totaling 375,000 lbs.) and in the fractionators towers (66,100 lbs.) Our accidental release prevention programs and our contingency planning efforts help us effectively manage the hazards that are posed to our employees, the public, and the environment by our use of these chemicals. KEY OFFSITE CONSEQUENCE ANALYSIS SCENARIOS EPA's RMP rule requires that we provide information about the worst-case release scenario(s) and alternative release scenario(s) for our facility. The following are brief summaries of these scenarios, including information about the key administrative controls and mitigation measures to limit the exposure distances for each scenario: Worst-case Release Scenario(s) - Regulated Toxic Chemicals There are no reportable toxic chemicals on site. Alternative Release Scenario(s) - Regulated Toxic Chemicals There are no reportable toxic chemicals on site. Worst-case Release Scenario(s) - Regulated Flammable Chemicals We have simulated in this scenario the failure or rupture of SV19.1003 butane tank. The capacity of the tank is 125,000 pounds of butane which will result in a vapor c loud explosion causing a 1 pound overpressure out to 0.4 miles from the source. This is the largest container in the NGL Fractionator process. Due to the nature of the simulation, this event would not be mitigated. All other Enterprise emergency response protocols would be exercised as well as the Petal Dome Mutual Aid protocols. Alternative Release Scenario(s) - Regulated Flammable Chemicals We have simulated the alternate release scenario to involve the shearing of a 3/4" bleed valve on the DePropanizer tower system. The simulation involves bottoms line on the tower which will result in a simulated vapor cloud explosion. The result will be a one-pound overpressure out from the source up to 0.12 miles. The closest public receptor is approximately 0.2 miles away. There will be no off-site consequence. For the mitigation of this scenario, we will isolate the unit involved and activate the Emergency Response plan as well as notify the respective state and local agencies. We ar e using this information to help us ensure that our emergency response plan and the community emergency response plan address all reasonable contingency cases. GENERAL ACCIDENTAL RELEASE PREVENTION PROGRAM AND CHEMICAL-SPECIFIC PREVENTION STEPS We take a systematic, proactive approach to preventing accidental releases of hazardous chemicals. Our management systems address each of the key features of successful prevention programs including: * Process safety information * Process hazard analysis * Operating procedures * Training * Mechanical integrity * Management of change * Pre-startup review * Compliance audits * Incident investigation * Employee participation * Hot work permit * Contractors As part of our prevention efforts, we have a multitude of programs in which our employees participate. We have a training program in which the Operations/Maintenance personnel are specifically trained in the operations of the plant, the operating procedures, maintena nce procedures, and specific other regulations and policies as well as train in all areas of emergency response. We train, use and apply the guidelines of our PSM program which include all of the above listed areas. All of these programs come under scheduled scrutiny and critique. The Operations personnel make regular walk-through inspections of the equipment and process they operate. If anything out of the ordinary is found, it is repaired by the observer or reported to management in order to expediently resolve any problems. These individual elements of our prevention program work together to prevent accidental chemical releases. Our company and our employees are committed to the standard that these management systems set for the way we do business, and we have specific accountabilities and controls to ensure that we are meeting our own high standards for accident prevention. FIVE-YEAR ACCIDENT HISTORY We keep records for all significant accidental chemical releases that occur at our facility. There has not been any reportable releases in the past five years for this facility which involved any type of accidental chemical releases involving materials covered under EPA's RMP rule during the past five years: If we do have an reportable incident, we will conduct a formal incident investigation(s) to identify and correct the root causes of the events. EMERGENCY RESPONSE PROGRAM We maintain an integrated contingency plan, which consolidates all of the various federal, state, and local regulatory requirements for emergency response planning. Our program provides the essential planning and training for effectively protecting workers, the public, and the environment during emergency situations. Furthermore, we coordinate our plan with the Petal Dome Mutual Aid as well as the community emergency response organizations. PLANNED CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY The following is a list of improvements that we are planning to implement at the facility to help prev ent and/or better respond to accidental chemical releases: We are constantly reviewing and improving our PSM program. This program is presently undergoing a front to back review and update of the program and its written management system. The same is being done to the mechanical integrity program. The Safety Procedures and Policies were reviewed and updated in May of 1998. We plan to conduct safety inspections of the operating process units as well as conducting a PSM audit in the near future. |