Late May: North America update

California

According to a note filed with the California pollution regulators flaring occurred at the Phillips 66 Rodeo refinery. The 120 200 bpd facility is currently benefitting from an overhaul of a refining unit.

Members of the United Steelworkers have rejected a contract offer from Tesoro Corp. Workers at the 166 000 bpd Martinez facility are now assessing their next step.

Kansas

The National Cooperative Refinery Association (NCRA) refinery is looking to replace the facility’s coker unit at the cost of US$ 550 million. The current unit is over 60 years old. The project is expected to be completed in 2015.

Texas

Early last week a malfunction was reported at the Motiva Enterprise Port Arthur refinery. Sulfur dioxide emissions increased at the 600 000 bpd facility’s hydrocracking unit beyond the authorised operating level. A filing was made with the state pollution regulators.

According to a filing made with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, there was a malfunction on Saturday 26^th May at the Pasedena refinery owned by a subsidiary of Petrobras. Hydrofluoric acid was released from the plant’s alkylation unit and fire fighters were called to help suppress the release of vapours.

Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/29052012/late_may_refining_news_usa/