Frack Check WV » burns

Texas Natural Gas Pipeline Explosions Send Five (5) to Hospital

Duane Nichols — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 09:05:44 +0000

Four workers & fireman injured in multiple explosions in Texas

Natural gas pipeline explosions in Texas critically injures five

Article from the News Staff, Reuters News Service, August 1, 2018

HOUSTON (Reuters) – A series of natural gas pipeline explosions in Midland County, Texas sent five people to hospital with critical burn injuries, and interrupted energy pipeline operations in the area, officials said.

The region is the home to the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oilfield, and is crisscrossed by oil and gas pipelines. The cause of the explosion and fire were not immediately known.

Five workers with critical injuries were airlifted to University Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas, and were being treated at the center’s burn unit, said University Medical Center spokesman Eric Finley.

Pipeline operator Kinder Morgan said on Wednesday it had isolated a portion of its El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline (EPNG) as a precaution, after being alerted to the fire near its line. One of its employees was injured and taken to hospital, spokeswoman Sara Hughes said.

“There was a third-party pipeline involved that also experienced a failure, and preliminary indications are that the third-party line failure occurred before the EPNG line failure,” Kinder Morgan’s Hughes said in an email.

The company is investigating the cause of the fire and evaluating any damage to its property. Regulatory agencies and customers were notified of the incident, she added.

“Fire Department personnel suppressed the fire, however approximately one hour later a second and third small explosion followed,” said Elana Ladd, public information officer for the city of Midland, in emailed comments.

Multiple pipelines are located near the site, Ladd said, adding that first responders were focusing on shutting off pressure and flow to the pipelines at the site.

The pipeline explosion occurred on a rural road, FM 1379, about five miles south of Highway 158 at around 11:30 a.m. local time (1630 GMT), Ladd said, adding that the road had been closed. Ladd identified one of the injured as a firefighter.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Three Workers Burned in Flash Fire at Stone Energy’s Gas Well Pad

Duane Nichols — Sun, 30 Oct 2016 09:20:50 +0000

Helicopters at Wetzel 4-H Camp for Burn Victims

Three Workers Hurt in Wetzel County Well Pad Fire

From an Article by Staff, Wheeling Intelligencer, October 28, 2016

New Martinsville, WV – Two natural gas well operators and a mechanic suffered burn injuries at the Stone Energy Corp. Howell pad in Wetzel County after a “flash fire” this afternoon, West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection spokeswoman Kelley Gillenwater said.

Gillenwater said the workers were performing maintenance on the well when the flash fire took place at approximately 4:49 p.m. Friday. All three workers have been transported to hospitals via medical helicopter for injuries of uncertain severity, she said.

“All the wells on the pad are shut in,” Gillenwater said. “We believe the situation is under control.” The site is along Turkey Run Road off WV Route 20 between New Martinsville and Reader, WV.

She said only the three burned workers were injured, adding the fire did not spread throughout the pad. The WV-DEP will monitor the situation through the evening and weekend. The flash fire occurred at 4:49 pm and was under control by about 6 pm.

Officials with Stone Energy could not be reached for comment. The Lafayette, LA, based company recently filed for bankruptcy.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The following process description, taken from the Howell Pad Permit Application R13-3171, is provided here for informational purposes only:

Natural gas and produced fluids (condensate and water) will be received from ten (10) wells on this location at approximately 500 psi and pass through heaters (one per well) to avoid ice formation during subsequent pressure drops. These materials will then pass through a three-way separator where gas, condensate and water are separated. The gas will be routed to a gathering pipeline.

Condensate will normally be injected into a liquids pipeline owned and operated by others. However, as a back-up to this pipeline, provisions will be made to stabilize the condensate through heating and pressure reduction, coupled with vapor recovery. The stabilized condensate will be accumulated in four (4) 400 bbl tanks, pending truck transportation by others to a regional processing facility for separation into individual products.

Flash, working and breathing losses from these tanks will be routed to two (2) vapor recovery units (VRUs) with the captured vapors routed back to the discharge line. In the event of shut down of the VRU’s due to maintenance or equipment failure, the vapors from the condensate tanks will be routed to two vapor combustion units operating in parallel. Vapors generated during truck loading of condensate will be routed to the two vapor combustion units.

The produced water, and water generated during the fuel gas conditioning process will be accumulated in two (2) 400 bbl tanks pending transportation via pipeline to a Stone Energy water management facility. Nominal flash gas vapors from these tanks (modeled at 8 SCFD and conservatively estimated at 120 SCFD for permitting purposes) will be vented to the atmosphere. These vapors are comprised solely of flash gases generated during the drop to atmospheric pressure.

Three (3) gas-fueled generators will also be present to provide electric service for the facility instrumentation and controllers and to operate the pumps.

All natural gas-fueled equipment uses natural gas received at the station.

Update on Two Injured in Fire at Antero Gas Drilling Site in Doddridge County, WV

Duane Nichols — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:51:41 +0000

Doddridge County Emergency

Two Injured in Fire at Antero Gas Drilling Site in Doddridge County, WV

Article from WTAP, Parkersburg, WV, October 29, 2013

WEST UNION, W.Va. (AP) – State regulators are investigating a flash fire that injured two workers at an Antero Resources gas-drilling site in Doddridge County.

Media outlets report that the fire occurred Sunday morning at a well pad near West Union.

Antero Resources chief administrative officer Alvyn Schopp says there was a condensate leak as the workers were installing a new separator.

Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Tom Aluise says the vapors ignited, causing the flash fire.

Both workers suffered burns. Schopp says one worker remains hospitalized at West Penn Burn Center in Pittsburgh. The other was treated at a Clarksburg hospital and released.

The WV-DEP is investigating the incident.

In July, two workers were killed and three others were injured in a fire at another Antero Resources drilling site near New Milton in Doddridge County.

Antero Resources Cites Reasons for Deadly Gas Well Explosion in WV

Duane Nichols — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 21:40:50 +0000

: Antero Resources Ruddy Alt Pad

Deadly Gas Well Explosion in Doddridge County

From Article by Kim Freda, WBOY, August 1, 2013

Clarksburg, WV — Antero Resources has requested that the Office of Oil and Gas allow it to resume operations at the Ruddy Alt Pad in Doddridge County where five men received severe burns in a July 7 gas well explosion that later killed two of the men. The report Antero was required to submit to the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection was released Thursday afternoon.

The W.Va. DEP ordered Antero to cease operations at the site on July 12 and required that Antero provide a report demonstrating knowledge and understanding the cause of the July 7 explosion.

Antero cites the explosion happened due to the presence and accumulation of gas from storage tanks on location, weather conditions exacerbating the accumulation of the gas, a concentration of heavier than methane hydrocarbons in the gas mixture, and an apparent ignition source near C&R quad-plex skid pump at the site, said the letter submitted by Antero Vice President Alvyn Schopp.

The two page letter also highlights actions that Antero said it plans to take at its future well completion locations, including requiring personnel to wear portable gas monitors. Antero also said it will consider installing fixed gas monitors for each location, based on individual site risk assessment. You can read the complete list here.

As part of the report requirements, Antero said pollutants weren’t released on the Ruddy Alt pad and there weren’t any associated with the fire. (This is not a reasonable statement under the circumstances.)

The DEP found Antero’s report to be incomplete, said spokeswoman Kathy Cosco in an email. The original cease operations order is still in effect and will remain in effect until Antero provides a response that satisfies the requirements outlined in the original order, Cosco said.

In a letter to Antero sent Aug. 1, the W.Va. DEP ordered the company to submit an additional report explaining how it came to the conclusion and made its final determination about the cause of the explosion. The DEP also requests that Antero explain how it determined that no pollutants were released during the explosion.

Jason Mearns, 37, of Beverly died Sunday, July 28 at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh as a result of the injuries he received in the fire, along with Tommy Paxton, 45, of Walton, who died at the same hospital on July 24. The men were employed by contractors hired by Antero. Three men remain hospitalized, although Antero is unable (or unwilling) to provide their conditions.