Pollution Because of Failure of Level Safety High Sensor and Level Controller
Effective Date: 6/20/1985
 | Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region |
Notice No. 142
June 20, 1985
Pollution Because of Failure of Level Safety High Sensor
and Level Controller
Both the level controller, which activates the pipeline pump, and the level safety high sensor, which shuts in production, failed to operate in an oil tank. Oil carried over to the low pressure flare scrubber, and two barrels of oil were blown overboard when the platform compressor shut down and routinely vented its gas through the low pressure flare scrubber. It was found that the float cage for both the level safety high sensor and the pump controller was plugged with paraffin. Additionally, the float on the level controller was set too high in the tank.
To prevent a recurrence of this type of pollution incident, the float on the level controller will be properly located, and paraffin solvent will be injected periodically into the float cage(s) to prevent paraffin build-up problems.