IOGP SAFETY ALERT

COMPRESSOR FIRE ON AN OFFSHORE PLATFORM

What Went Wrong?:

• Engineering design of the compressor skid system does not prevent accumulation of liquids above the compressor/scrubber assembly. Liquids must be drained periodically, and are dependent upon administrative controls (procedures/training).
• Hydrocarbons should not be bled into an open drain pan due to risk of ignition.
• The correct method of removing liquid from the system was not adequately understood by all operators involved in the process.

Corrective Actions and Recommendations:

1. A spring loaded valve was installed to drain the piping prior to startup and the procedure was revised accordingly. All platform operators were retrained on the process and procedural changes prior to bringing this particular compressor system back online.
2. Emergency response training and drills are effective and valuable. The fire team responded as trained and extinguished the fire.
3. Overhead cable trays and cables were damaged during the fire. The cable trays were installed according to approved design standards, and fire suppression activated as designed. In GOM operations, cable tray installation does not typically require heat shielding and/or deluge fire protection. Even though protection is not required, other operators may consider cable tray protection as a potential learning from this event.

safety alert number: 282 IOGP Safety Alerts https://safetyzone.iogp.org/