Alert 11 – 31 Pressure Relief Valve Sprays Dilute Acid Across Location on a Frac Job
Alert 11 – 31 Pressure Relief Valve Sprays Dilute Acid Across Location on a Frac Job
WHAT HAPPENED:
During a frac job, a hydraulically-activated pressure relief valve, which was protecting the iron between the pumps and the wellhead, opened unexpectedly and sprayed about 6 bbls of a diluted mixture of 15% HCL and gel across the wellhead, crane and open top tanks. There were no injuries and the spill was cleaned up.
The emergency response went well. The diluted acid was further neutralized by spraying it down with soda ash and washed into the cellar where it was vacuumed up. Material Safety Data Sheets for the chemicals were onsite. A post-incident safety stand down was held to discuss the lessons learned and an investigation was conducted.