Hilcorp Energy Company - Executive Summary |
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HILCORP ENERGY COMPANY OLD OCEAN GAS PLANT 1. Accidental release prevention and emergency response policies: In this process and distribution facility, the plant handles propane and butane which is considered hazardous by EPA. The same properties that make propane and butane valuable as a fuel also makes them necessary to observe certain safety precautions in handling propane and butane to prevent unnecessary human exposure, to reduce the threat to employees personal health as well as our co-workers, and to reduce the threat to nearby members of the community. It is the policy of HILCORP Energy Company to adhere to all applicable Federal, state, and local rules and regulations. Safety depends upon the manner in which we handle propane and butane combined with the safety devices inherent in the design of this facility combined with the safe handling and procedures that we use and the training of our personnel. Our emergency response program is based upon "Good Engineerin g for Developing Plant Emergency Procedures and Controlling LP-Gas Leaks and Fires". The emergency response plan includes procedures for notification of the local and state notification of any potentially affected neighbors. 2. The Stationary Source and Regulated Substances Handled: The primary purpose of the Old Ocean facility is to process and distribute propane, butane, and other products to wholesale customers. Propane and butane are used by our wholesale customers as a fuel source for retail use. Propane and butane are processed and stored on site in sixteen (16) vertical storage containers. Propane and butane are removed from the site by transport truck. Access to the site is restricted to authorized facility employees, authorized management, personnel and authorized contractors. The regulated substances handled at the Old Ocean facility are propane and butane. The maximum amount of propane that can be stored at this plant is 1,703,000 pounds. The ma ximum amount of butane that can be stored at this plant is 1,550,000 pounds. 3. The worst-case release scenario(s) and the alternative release scenario(s), including administrative controls and mitigation measures to limit the distances for each reported scenario. 3.a. Propane Worst-Case Scenario: Failure of my largest storage tank when filled to the greatest amount allowed would release 372,000 pounds of propane. Company policy limits the maximum filling capacity of this tank to 88% at 600F. It is assumed that the entire contents are released as vapor which finds an ignition source, 10% of the released quantity is assumed to participate in the resulting explosion. The distance to the endpoint of 1 psi for the worst-case scenario is 0.6 miles for propane. 3.b. Propane Alternative Scenario: A pull-away causing failure of a 25 foot length of 4 inch hose. The excess flow valves function to stop the flow. The contents of the hose is released. The resulting unconfin ed vapor travels to the lower flammability limit for propane. The distance to the endpoint for the lower flammability limit for the alternative scenario is <0.1 miles. This release has the possibility of extending beyond the facility boundary for propane. 3.c. Butane Worst-Case Scenario: Failure of my largest storage tank when filled to the greatest amount allowed would release 187,000 pounds of butane. Company policy limits the maximum filling capacity of this tank to 88% at 600F. It is assumed that the entire contents are released as vapor which finds an ignition source, 10% of the released quantity is assumed to participate in the resulting explosion. The distance to the endpoint of 1 psi for the worst-case scenario is 0.5 miles for butane. 3.d. Butane Alternative Scenario: A pull-away causing failure of a 25 foot length of 4 inch hose. The excess flow valves function to stop the flow. The contents of the hose is released. The resulting unconfined vapor travels to the lower flammability limit for butane. The distance to the endpoint for the lower flammability limit for the alternative scenario is <0.1 miles. This release has the possibility of extending beyond the facility boundary for butane. 3.e. RMP*Comp (Ver. 1.06) was used to perform the offsite consequence analyses. LandView @III mapping software was used to obtain census data for the release scenario. 4. The general accidental release prevention program and the specific prevention steps: This process and distribution facility complies with EPA's Accidental Release Prevention Rule and with all applicable state codes and regulations. The facility was designed and constructed in accordance with NFPA-58. All of the transport drivers have been thoroughly trained using HILCORP's Certified Employee Training Program. 5. Five-year accident history: This facility has had no release of propane or butane in the last 5 years. 6. The emergency response program: This facility's emergency response program is based upon the NPGA's LP-Gas Handbook, "Guidelines for Developing Plant Emergency Response Procedures" and "How to Control LP-Gas Leaks and Fires". Hilcorp Energy Company has an Emergency Response Plan in place to provide primary response service and will coordinate with federal, state, and local emergency response agency personnel to minimize effects of any incident which may occur at this facility. Depending on the severity of the incident, additional federal, state, and local resources may be called upon to assist in the incident response. 7. Planned changes to improve safety: No changes to improve safety have been reviewed at this time. |