Content:
    Melinda Mayes

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    OMM Web Team

Explosions – 2004 (4 incidents total)

 09-Feb-2004 Energy Partners, Ltd
(also listed as Blowout and Pollution)
 

Remarks: While waiting on cement, an increase in pressure was observed on the intermediate by surface casing annulus on driller's gauges.  Pressure was observed to decline to zero on both driller's gauges after some hours.  With driller's gauges still reading no pressure, a high pressure was observed on a secondary gage monitoring the same annulus pressure.  Shortly after, an explosion occurred.

23-Feb-2004 Forrest Oil Corp.

Remarks: The operator was attempting to start a solar turbine compressor.  They were having fuel freezing problems.  The compressor failed to start and the low pressure gas from the failed attempt to start the compressor was vented to the low pressure vent line which vents to the skimmer tank located below the MCC room.  The gas migrated up to the MCC room through unsealed openings. The MCC room is located right above the skimmer tank. The gas detector in the MCC building on the deck below sounded an alarm at 20% LEL.  The door was opened on the MCC building to remove the gas.  An employee standing in the doorway was blown backward by the explosion in the MCC building.  A relay or switch in the MCC room may have ignited the gas.  The employee was flown to UTMB in Galveston to be checked for injuries and was released.  The platform was shut in and all employees were evacuated until cause of the explosion was determined.  Damages were estimated at $10,000.

16-Nov.-2004 ExxonMobil Oil Corp.  

Remarks: An explosion involving the compressor exhaust system at the subject "A" platform occurred on the evening of November 16, 2004.  The platform was shut in due to a problem with the gas transportation pipeline.  Once the pipeline problem had been cleared, the operators were in the process of attempting to start up the gas compressor on the "A" platform when the explosion took place.  The explosion caused a section of the exhaust muffler to blow open exposing the internal piping.  The compressor back fired on the 4^th attempt to start it and the muffler exploded, rupturing the muffler and the heat expansion joint going to the heat recovery unit.  It was also reported that the platform also experienced a communication blackout on same day unrelated to the explosion.  There was no fire, injuries, nor damage to the platform with the exception of the compressor exhaust system.  Damages were estimated to be about $40,000.

 23-Dec.-2004 El Paso Prod. Oil & Gas Co.

Remarks: The platform was in production and had a welding and burning operation going on at the same time.  The welders were cutting a segment of piping with a torch about 8 feet above a water conditioner float cell vessel when a piece of hot slag apparently fell or blew into the opening in a hatch of the float cell.  The explosion blew off the hatch covers to the float cell. This resulted in a small fire inside the float cell vessel.  The vessel was in service and was not covered with a fire blanket.  The blanket (supply) gas to the float cell vessel was shut off before this operation started which allowed air to enter the vessel creating a flammable mixture. The operator personnel immediately extinguished the fire in one minute.