NTSB Safety Recommendation P-04-004

NTSB safety recommendation P-04-004.

TO THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS: Amend ASME B31.8, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, section 816, to remove the provision that pressure testing may be used to verify the integrity of pipe that may not have been transported in accordance with the American Petroleum Institute’s recommended practices for transportation of pipe by railroad or marine vessels.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action

Issued Date: 2004-07-01

Adopted Date: 2004-06-23

Overall Date Closed: 2012-09-06

Synopsis: About 2:12 a.m., central daylight time, on July 4, 2002, an Enbridge 34-inch-diameter steel pipeline ruptured in a marsh west of Cohasset, Minnesota. Approximately 6,000 barrels (252,000 gallons) of crude oil were released from the pipeline as a result of the rupture. No deaths or injuries resulted from the release. The cost of the accident was approximately $5.6 million, which includes the cost of cleanup and recovery, value of lost product, and damage to the property of the pipeline operator and others. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the July 4, 2002, pipeline rupture near Cohasset, Minnesota, was inadequate loading of the pipe for transportation that allowed a fatigue crack to initiate along the seam of the longitudinal weld during transit. After the pipe was installed, the fatigue crack grew with pressure cycle stresses until the crack reached a critical size and the pipe ruptured.

Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the July 4, 2002, pipeline rupture near Cohasset, Minnesota, was inadequate loading of the pipe for transportation that allowed a fatigue crack to initiate along the seam of the longitudinal weld during transit. After the pipe was installed, the fatigue crack grew with pressure cycle stresses until the crack reached a critical size and the pipe ruptured.

Ntsbnumber: DCA02MP002

Report Number: PAR-04-01

Addressee Name: American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Addressee Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action

Addressee Date Closed: 2012-09-06

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2008-07-14

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 7/22/2008 2:55:34 PM MC# 2080432: - From From Adam Maslowski, Secretary and Paul Stumpf, Secretary: Further actions have been put on hold by the B31.8 Committee until the review of the Gas Technology Institute's report is completed by the National Transportation Safety Board Staff and additional recommendations are provided.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2004-07-01

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 9/9/2004 9:47:58 AM MC# 2040551 - From Ed Maradiaga and Gerardo Moino, Secretaries: ASME B31.4 committee on Pipeline Transportation Systems for Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids and the B31.8 committee on Gas Transmission and Distribution Systems will be reviewing the recommendations under tracking number 04-00956 and 04-00884, respectively at the September 20-24, 2004 meetings.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2007-11-06

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 11/13/2007 2:14:19 PM MC# 2070655: - From Gerardo Moino and Paul Stumpf, Secretaries: Regarding recommendations P-04-04 (B31.8): The requested report is titled Effects of Pressure Cycles on Gas Pipelines and is available for purchase on the Gas Technology Institute’s web page. For summary of report see attachment. For your convenience, copies of all approved and proposed revisions as well as other pertinent information have been attached. Feel free to contact the undersigned for any additional information you may need. Respectfully, Gerardo Moino, Secretary, B3 1.4 Tel: 212.5 9 1.8534 (MoinoG@,asme.org); Paul Stumpf, Secretary, B31.8, Tel: 212.591.8536 (StumpfP@,asme.org), Copy of summary of report from Gas Technology Institute T

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2007-05-30

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 6/7/2007 10:27:49 AM MC# 2070259: - From Gerardo Moino and Paul Stumpf, Secretaries: ASME approved B31.4/11 Committee item 04-956, and published the revisions in the 2006 edition of the B3 1.4 Code Section. The B3 1.8 Committee is currently reviewing recommendation P-04-4 under item 04-884. As an update, at the September 2006 meeting, it was noted that Section 816 of the B31.8 Code already requires all transportation using railroad, inland water or marine to be done in accordance with API RP 5L1 or API RP 5LW (and has since 1999; however, it was mandatory only for pipe ratios of over 70). Any pipe transported since 2003 under B31.8 requirements must be done under API RP 5L1 or API RP 5LW (same as B31.4 now requires). The testing in Section 816 is for pipe that had already been transported (i.e., existing pipe in inventory) and under previous editions of the B31.8 Code for which it cannot be established that either of those two API documents were used. The testing provides an additional measure of safety for this pipe. The testing is not done in lieu of transportation under the API documents. It was felt that it was not in the interest of safety to remove this additional provision as recommended. If the action of adding API RP 5LW in B31.4 is an acceptable response to the National Transportation Safety Board recommendation then the current Code language in B31.8 should be acceptable. This item will be further discussed at the June 2007 B3 1.8 meeting.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2006-11-13

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Letter Mail Controlled 11/20/2006 1:27:59 PM MC# 2060556: - From Gerardo Moino, Secretary: This letter serves to notify the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of the measures taken by the ASME B31.4/11 Committee on Liquid and Slurry Piping Transportation Systems concerning the above referenced NTSB recommendations. Regarding NTSB recommendations P-99-2 and P-04-4: On October 20, 2006, ASME issued the 2006 edition of the B31.4 Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids Standard. The 2006 edition of the B31.4 Standard contains new requirements developed to address these NTSB recommendations. For your convenience, I have attached the new pertinent requirements contained in the 2006 edition. For your records, NTSB recommendations P992 and P-04-4 were addressed under ASME B31.4/11 Committee items 02-2229, and 04-956 respectively.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2010-06-08

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: 2100216 - From Adam Maslowski, Secretary and Robert Horvath, Secretaries: B31.8 item 04-884 -Review Para. 816 Transportation of Line Pipe: The B31. 8 Section Committee is awaiting a response from PHMSA/NTSB regarding additional recommendations as a result of the review of the Gas Technology Institute's report.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2012-05-16

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: -From Frankel Huang, Secretary, B31.4 and Adam Maslowski, Secretary, B31.8, ASME: On behalf of Tom Loughlin and ASME we, the undersigned, thank you for your letter dated January 10, 2011 and would like to offer the following status update on NTSB Safety Recommendations P-04-4. Regarding recommendations P-04-04 (B31.8): Further actions have been put on hold by the B31.8 Committee until the review of the Gas Technology Institute's report is completed by the National Transportation Safety Board Staff and additional recommendations are provided. B31.8 had established communications with Mr. Cliff Zimmerman (PHMSA) and NTSB from 2008 to 2010 with regards to item P-04-4. From these communications and review of the current B31.8 requirements (Item 04-884), the B31.8 Section Committee believes that the verbiage is up to date and does not require any revision with regards to this issue. Attached is a copy of section 816 from the latest edition of B31.8 (2010). From this, B31.8 sees this issue as closed on their end and have closed item 04-884 respectively. For your convenience, a copy of section 816 from the 2010 edition of B31.8 as well as other pertinent information have been attached. Feel free to contact the undersigned for any additional information you may need.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2008-03-17

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: From discussions with members of the B31.8 committee, the Safety Board was aware that ASME had conducted a study of natural gas pipeline fatigue and found that predicted failure time for gas pipelines would be upward of 170 years because of lower pressure cycle histories than those of liquid pipelines. In addition, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the American Petroleum Institute are conducting work on pipeline fatigue. Safety Board staff is reviewing the Gas Technology Institute’s report Effects of Pressure Cycles on Gas Pipelines, and will evaluate the report as well as pending action by the other entities on this issue. Pending the outcome of this review, Safety Recommendation P-04-4 is classified OPEN -- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2007-10-05

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Safety Board staff contacted a member of the B31.8 committee to discuss the information provided in your May 30 update. From the discussion, the Board learned that ASME had conducted a study of natural gas pipeline fatigue and found that predicted failure time for gas pipelines would be upward of 150 years because of lower pressure cycle histories than those of liquid pipelines. The Board would appreciate receiving a copy of this study for our review and consideration. Pending receipt of the study, Safety Recommendation P-04-4 is classified OPEN -- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE. Safety Recommendation P-04-14 was issued to ASME on November 4, 2004, as a result of the Safety Board’s investigation of the April 7, 2003, petroleum storage tank explosion and fire at the ConocoPhilips tank farm near Glenpool, Oklahoma.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2007-05-08

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board notes that the B31.8 committee on Gas Transmission and Distribution Systems reviewed Safety Recommendation P-04-4 (under tracking number 0400884) at a September 2004 meeting. The Safety Board would appreciate receiving information on the status of this initiative, specifically the amendment of Section 816 of the B31.8 standard to remove the provision that pressure testing may be used to verify the integrity of pipe that may not have been transported in accordance with the American Petroleum Institute’s recommended practices for transportation of pipe by railroad or marine vessels. Pending receipt of this information, Safety Recommendation P-04-4 remains classified OPEN -- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2004-12-15

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The Safety Board appreciates receiving the update on ASME's actions to address these recommendations. We note that ASME B31.4 committee on Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids and ASME B31.8 committee on Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems reviewed the recommendations at the September 20-24, 2004, meetings. Accordingly, Safety Recommendations P-04-4 and -5 are classified OPEN -- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE. The Safety Board would appreciate receiving periodic updates on the status of action on these issues.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2011-01-10

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The NTSB appreciates ASME’s patience regarding your July 14, 2008, letter to us (enclosed) concerning Safety Recommendation P-04-4. Before responding to your letter, we needed time to evaluate the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) response (enclosed) to Safety Recommendation P-04-1 and the API’s response (enclosed) to Safety Recommendation P-04-6. The API has completed the action requested by the NTSB in Safety Recommendation P-04-6, and PHMSA has agreed to remove the exemption from the Federal Regulations as requested in Safety Recommendation P-04-1 because it is possible that some vintage pipe may still exist in inventory despite the results of the GTI survey. Therefore, the NTSB requests that ASME resume action to amend ASME B31.8, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, section 816, as requested in Safety Recommendation P-04-4. Pending receipt of further information from ASME about this issue, the recommendation remains classified OPEN -- ACCEPTABLE RESPONSE.

Addressee Acronym: ASME

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2012-09-06

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: The NTSB is disappointed that Committee B31.8 determined from its review (Item 04 884) of ASME B31.8, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, section 816, that no change to the standard is needed. Although the results of the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) survey indicate no vintage pipe in inventory, the NTSB maintains that some vintage pipe could still exist, giving this recommendation merit. ASME International’s decision is further disappointing, given that the API completed similar action to revise its RP 5LW, Recommended Practice for Transportation of Line Pipe on Barges and Marine Vessels (September 2009). In addition, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) plans to remove the exemption included in 49 Code of Federal Regulations 192.65 (b) as part of a miscellaneous rulemaking, because, like the NTSB, PHMSA recognizes that some vintage pipe could still exist in inventory despite the results of the GTI survey. However, because ASME International believes that no change to the standard is needed and it plans no further action to address Safety Recommendation P-04-4, this recommendation is classified CLOSED—UNACCEPTABLE ACTION.