Category Archives: Derailment

Bakken Crude, Derailment, DOT-111, Emergency Readiness & Response, Explosion, Rail industry, Tank car retrofit

BNSF Railway: Future of crude by rail depends on safety

Repost from The Kansas City Star
[Editor: Significant quote by BNSF Executive Chairman Matt Rose: “Without focus on the elements of safety, the social license to haul crude by rail will disappear, to say nothing of the regulatory agencies’ response.”  – RS]

BNSF: Future of crude by rail depends on safety

James MacPherson, The Associated Press | 2014-05-21

BISMARCK, N.D. — The future of crude oil shipments by train depends on proving to the public that it can be done safely, the head of BNSF Railway Co. said Wednesday.

“Without focus on the elements of safety, the social license to haul crude by rail will disappear, to say nothing of the regulatory agencies’ response,” BNSF Executive Chairman Matt Rose told several hundred people at the Williston Basin Petroleum Conference in Bismarck.

BNSF is based in Fort Worth, Texas, but is part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc., based in Omaha, Nebraska. The railroad is the biggest player in the rich oil fields of Montana and North Dakota, hauling about 75 percent of the more than 1 million barrels that moves out of the region daily.

Rose told the conference that the railroad is committed to preventing accidents like its Dec. 30 crash outside Casselton that left an ominous cloud over the town and led some residents to evacuate. The disaster in the small town west of Fargo was one of at least eight major accidents during the last year, including an explosion of Bakken crude in Lac-Megantic, Quebec that killed 47 people. Other trains carrying Bakken crude have since derailed and caught fire in Alabama, New Brunswick and Virginia.

Rose last month joined U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx at the North Dakota crash site, where options for enhancing tank car standards were discussed.

The crash occurred when a train carrying soybeans derailed in front of a BNSF oil train, causing that train to also derail and set off fiery explosions. The crash spilled about 400,000 gallons of crude oil, which took nearly three months to clean up.

Rose said the railroad has learned from the disaster and has done such things as decreased train speeds in some areas and increased inspections. The railroad also announced in February that it would voluntarily purchase a fleet a of 5,000 strengthened tank cars to improve safety for hazardous materials shipments. The company said it hoped to accelerate the transition to a new generation of safer tank cars and give manufacturers a head start in designing them as federal officials consider changes to the current standards.

Not everyone in the oil sector is eager to transition to stronger tank cars. At the expo a day earlier, Kari Cutting, vice president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council, said it was “not proven that extra steel is going to prevent those breaches.”

Cutting also said the newer, stronger DOT-111 tank cars have 14 percent less capacity than older tank cars. Cutting said making those cars the standard will require hundreds more trains to make up the lost volume, actually increasing the risk of accidents.

Oil from North Dakota began being shipped by trains in 2008 when the state reached capacity for pipeline shipments. The state is now the nation’s No. 2 oil producer, behind Texas.

BNSF said it plans to invest $5 billion in its railroad this year, including $900 million to expand capacity where crude oil shipments are surging. Its 2014 spending plan is about $1 billion more than last year, a record, Rose said.

Much of the upgrades will be aimed at safety, he said.

“BNSF believes, at the end of the day, that every rail accident is preventable,” Rose said.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/05/21/5037936/bnsf-future-of-crude-by-rail-depends.html#storylink=cpy
Derailment, Tribal lands, Washington State

Washington State: three derailments in three weeks

Repost from Indian Country Today Media Network

Grain Car Derailment Could Have Been Oil: Quinault Raise Alarm Again

ICTMN Staff  |  5/19/14

KXRO:  If this grain were oil…. The third train-car derailment in as many weeks has Pacific Northwest tribes that oppose oil-rail transport on edge.

It has happened again, this time not with oil but with grain.

However, the Quinault Nation pointed out on May 16, the derailment of a grain train in Grays Harbor County is all the affirmation needed to show that transporting something more hazardous, namely oil, in this manner has too much chance of ending badly.

“Another train derailment in Grays Harbor County? Three in three weeks? Rails ripped up, Cars tipped over. Cargo spilled out,” said Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp in a statement. “That cargo may have been grain this morning, but it might just as well have been oil, and that would have been disastrous.”

Sharp was alluding to a May 15 incident in which seven cars carrying grain tipped over when 11 cars on the train they were part of derailed. It was the third such occurrence in as many weeks on the network of tracks operated by Puget Sound & Pacific Railway in the Grays Harbor area, the Quinault statement said. This came right on the heels of two earlier derailments—one on April 29, when a grain car tipped over in Aberdeen, and another on May 9 in east Aberdeen, when some cars came off their tracks, the Quinault said.

The cargo was different, but the propensity of train cars to derail no matter what they were carrying says that transporting oil via this method is not safe, the Quinault said. Around the country and in Canada, derailments of trains bearing crude oil, much of it from oil sands and deemed especially flammable, have resulted in destruction and even death.

However, Puget Sound & Pacific Railway, a division of Genessee & Wyoming, said it was investigating the cause of the derailment.

“This series of minor derailments is a highly unusual, unacceptable occurrence and subject to a rigorous investigation,” company spokesperson Michael Williams, Genesee & Wyoming, told radio station KXRO on May 16. “The first two derailments were caused by localized failure of railroad ties that were saturated with moisture from recent heavy rains. Other locations experiencing this issue have been identified and are being corrected prior to receiving another train. The cause of yesterday’s derailment is still being determined.”

Several tribes in the Northwest are opposing railroad terminals in or near their territory that would handle oil and coal. Oil traffic in particular has troubled the Quinault.

“Now, one-two-three, it’s as easy as that. Any argument in favor of bringing Big Oil into our region has been knocked out cold,” said Sharp in the statement. “As we have consistently stated, our people and our treaty-protected natural resources are jeopardized by these oil shipments. This danger is real. We have invested millions of dollars to protect and restore the ecological integrity of our region, and we will not allow Big Oil to destroy it.”

Derailment, Petroleum Coke (Petcoke), Union Pacific Railroad, Valero Benicia Refinery

Two Petroleum Coke train cars derail in Benicia

Repost from The Benicia Herald
[Editor: Question: was the petcoke dust in these cars open to the wind when they derailed here in Benicia last Saturday?  What happens to the petcoke when one of these cars jostles up and then bangs down off the rails?  Anyone have a photo?  ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS FROM A LOCAL OBSERVER: “The cars that Valero uses to transport petcoke are ‘Hopper Cars’. They are closed top. They are not open gondala cars.  No, the product was not open to the wind.  They are completely covered and have a top fill with a door and 3 or 4 bottom discharge slide gates.”  – RS]

2 UP trains [sic] derail near Benicia refinery; no injuries or spills

May 19, 2014, The Benicia Herald

Two Union Pacific train cars came off the rails about 5:25 p.m. Saturday, Mark Davis, UP director of corporate relations and media, said Monday.

The train serves Valero Benicia Refinery, Davis said. The derailment happened near there.

“There was no petroleum coke spill,” said Sue Fisher Jones, the refinery’s public affairs manager.

Davis concurred. “There were no injuries or spills,” he said.

“Both hopper cars were loaded with coke and derailed upright with all wheels off the rail,” he said, describing the incident.

“The cars were placed back on the track Sunday morning, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation,” Davis said.

Bakken Crude, Bakken Shale, Derailment, Explosion, Federal Regulation (U.S.), Oil Industry, U.S. Department of Transportation

Oil industry: no reason to regulate bakken crude differently

Repost from NGI’s Shale Daily
[Editor: NGI stands for Natural Gas Intel.  This report on oil industry trade groups is interesting, if not exactly reliable.  – RS]

Trade Group: No Reason to Regulate Bakken Crude Differently

Charlie Passut  |  May 15, 2014

Crude oil from the Bakken Shale isn’t significantly more dangerous than crude from other plays to transport by rail and poses a lower transport risk than other flammable liquids, but it may contain higher amounts of dissolved flammable gases compared to heavier crudes, according to a report commissioned by the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM).

AFPM, which represents nearly all of the petroleum refiners and petrochemical manufacturers in the United States, said it surveyed 17 of its members and collected approximately 1,400 samples of Bakken crude for its 38-page report, which was released Thursday. The trade association said it commissioned the report at the request of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

“The results show that while Bakken crude (and other light crudes) may contain higher amounts of dissolved flammable gases compared to some heavy crude oils, the percentage of dissolved gases would not cause Bakken crude to be transported under a DOT hazard class other than Class 3 Flammable Liquid and does not support the need to create a new DOT classification for rail transportation,” the report said.

DOT has been investigating a series of train derailments involving rail cars containing Bakken crude. The investigation is part of DOT’s Operation Classification, also known as the “Bakken Blitz,” (see Shale Daily, Feb. 26).

Last February, DOT issued an emergency order [Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0025] requiring rail carriers to test crude oil before transport, and to classify crude as a Packing Group (PG) I or II hazardous material, effectively forbidding its classification under PG III, a “low danger” category.

DOT issued a second emergency order last week [Docket No. DOT-OST-2014-0067], advising against the use of older, more vulnerable rail cars for the shipment of Bakken crude (see Shale Daily, May 7). Railroads were also required to notify the appropriate state emergency response commissions when the trains carrying more than 1 million gallons of Bakken crude are moving through their states.

According to the AFPM survey, the flashpoint for Bakken crude ranged from -59 to 50 degrees Celsius. The trade association said that meant it meets the criteria for transport as a PG I, PG II or PG III material or as combustible liquids. It also found that Bakken crude’s initial boiling point ranged from 2.2 to 66.9 degrees Celsius. AFPM said oil with an initial boiling point of 35 degrees Celsius or lower could be shipped as PG I, but other oils could be sent as PG II, PG III or as combustible liquids.

The vapor pressure of Bakken crude at 50 degrees Celsius tested at a maximum 16.72 pounds per square inch absolute (psia). Meanwhile, rail tank car pressures on delivery tested at a maximum of 11.3 pounds per square inch gauge (psig), which AFPM said demonstrates that Bakken crude may be safely transported in DOT Specification 111 tank cars.

“Measured tank car pressures show that even the older DOT 111’s authorized to transport Bakken crude oil are built with a wide margin of safety relative to the pressures that rail tanks may experience when transporting Bakken crude oil,” the report said.

Last week, two DOT agencies — the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) — issued a safety advisory strongly urging those shipping or offering Bakken crude to use tank car designs with the highest level of integrity available in their fleets. The agencies advised offerors and carriers to try and avoid using older legacy DOT Specification 111 or CTC 111 tank cars for the shipment of Bakken crude.

AFPM added that of all the samples taken of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentrations, only one sample tested above the short term exposure limits set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The lone high sample tested at a maximum 23,000 ppm. “Where they exist, high H2S concentrations are addressed under existing transportation and workplace safety regulatory provisions without affect to rail tank car authorizations,” the report said.

The report also compared the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) — a measurement for volatility — of Bakken crude to other types, including crude from the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas and the Denver-Julesburg (DJ) Basin in Colorado. Other crudes tested were Louisiana Sweet (LLS), West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Arabian Super Light, Agbami, Sarahan Blend, Brent, Alvheim blend, Arabian Heavy, Alberta Dilbit and Alba.

The report said Bakken crude had an RVP of 7.83 psia. By comparison, crude from the DJ Basin tested at 7.82 psia, the Eagle Ford was 7.95 psia, LLS was 4.18 psia and WTI was 5.90 psia. Arabian Super Light tested at the highest RVP (20.7 psia) while Alba was the lowest (1.6 psia).

“While survey data on specific samples of Bakken crude oils (like other light crude oils) showed higher gas content than assay data, it may be expected that similar variations arise in the case of non-Bakken crude oils,” the report said. “The data suggests that Bakken crude oil is within the norm for what might be expected in the case of light end content in light crude oils.”

The report was prepared by Frits Wybenga, hazardous materials consultant for the Rockville, MD-based firm Dangerous Goods Transport Consulting Inc.

Last July, an unattended freight train transporting Bakken crude rolled downhill, derailed and exploded in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, killing 42 people (see Shale Daily, July 9, 2013).

Six months later, a 90-car crude oil train loaded with Bakken crude heading to a refinery in Florida derailed in a rural area near Aliceville, AL. According to DOT, more than 20 cars derailed and at least 11 ignited, causing an explosion and fire. Although no one was injured in the incident, an undetermined amount of crude fouled a wetlands area, causing an estimated $3.9 million in damage.

On Dec. 30, 2013, a BNSF train carrying Bakken crude hit a grain train traveling in the opposite direction that had derailed earlier near Casselton, ND. The crash caused 21 cars carrying crude to derail, 18 of which subsequently ruptured and exploded (see Shale Daily, Dec. 31, 2013). There were no injuries, but about 1,400 were evacuated. Damage was estimated at $8 million.