| 02/21/2023 |
The (02/21/2023, C-129) application [188984] was assigned to this incident. |
| 02/21/2023 |
Additional Details provided by the operator: Gas Flare Meter |
| 02/21/2023 |
Corrective actions provided by the operator: Oxy is unable to take any corrective actions to eliminate the cause and potential reoccurrence of a downstream third-party owned and operated sales gas pipeline’s sudden and unexpected gas flow intake restriction or shut-in, as this control issue is downstream of Oxy’s custody transfer point and out of Oxy’s control to foresee, avoid, prevent from happening or reoccur. Enterprise’s downstream facilities and associated facilities, may have issues which will reoccur from time to time and may trigger a spike in their gas line pressure, which in turn, directly impacts Oxy’s ability to send gas to them. When Enterprise has downstream activity issues or greatly struggles to handle the volume of gas being sent to them by Oxy, Enterprise then restricts Oxy’s ability to send gas, which then prompts Oxy to route all of its stranded gas not pushed into the Enterprise gas pipeline, to flare. OXY makes every effort to control and minimize emissions as much as possible. The only actions that Oxy can take and handle that is within its control, is to continually communicate with Enterprise personnel, who own and operate the sales gas pipeline, when possible, during these types of circumstances. |
| 02/21/2023 |
Primary Equipment identified by the operator (Other (Specify), with additional details: Emergency Flare > Third Party Downstream Activity > Enterprise > Emergency Shutdown) |
| 02/21/2023 |
Steps taken to prevent waste provided by the operator: It is OXY's policy to route its stranded gas to a flare during an unforeseen and unavoidable emergency or malfunction, that is beyond Oxy's control to avoid, prevent or foresee, to minimize emissions as much as possible as part of the overall steps taken to limit duration and magnitude of flaring. The flare at this facility has a 98% combustion efficiency to lessen emissions as much as possible. In this case, Enterprise, third party owned and operated downstream pipeline operator, had an unplanned downstream compressor station shutdown, which then instigated a sudden and unexpected restrictions of gas flow intake of their sales gas pipeline, which in turn, prompted Oxy’s upstream facility to pressure up automatically and trigger flaring to occur. As soon as flaring was triggered, the facility’s mitigation optimizer cut 30,000 injection rates to wells in the field to reduce injection and sales gas. In addition, as soon as flaring alarms were received by field personnel, they began to shut-in several wells to assist with reducing field pressure so that it would stay below the flare trigger setpoints of the CTB to cease flaring. This event is out of OXY's control, yet OXY made every effort to control and minimize emissions as much as possible. |
| 02/21/2023 |
New incident created by the operator, upon the submission of a flaring of natural gas report. |
| 02/06/2023 |
The flaring of natural gas discovered by the operator. |