Fire
Effective Date: 6/8/1981
 | Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region |
Notice No. 102
June 8, 1981
OCS Operations Safety Alert
Fire
Poor preventive maintenance was the cause of a fire on a production platformin the Gulf of Mexico. There were no injuries, but the damage to the compressorbuilding and equipment was $30,000. The accident occurred when the rod packingon a compressor cylinder failed, releasing high-pressure gas into the cylinderdistance piece. This, in turn, ruptured a plexiglass inspection plate on thedistance piece and allowed a large volume of gas to enter the compressorbuilding. The gas came in contact with the uninsulated portion of an engineexhaust manifold and ignited. An investigation revealed that the piston rod wasworn and tapered and that improper packing material had been used. Also, the rodpacking vent manifold was incapable of venting the leaking gas rapidly enough.
In order to prevent a recurrence of this nature, the operator will publish anOperation Bulletin outlining the following steps to be taken:
1. All compressor rods are to be removed and returned to the original factoryspecifications, including packing material, before further use.
2. Frequency and detail of piston rod and packing inspection will beincreased.
3. Packing vent manifolds will be sized to permit venting in case of packingfailure.
4. Engine exhausts will be completely insulated.
[signed] D.W. Solanas
Deputy Conservation Manager
Offshore Operations Support
Gulf of Mexico OCS Region