From the Sacramento Bee

RODEO, Calif. (AP) -- For the second time in less than a month, the Tosco oil refinery has been cited for emissions smoky enough to be seen by neighbors. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued the citation Tuesday after the facility burned off excess fuel through ground flares. A power failure led to the burn-off, according to Tosco spokesman Jeff Callender. Callender said the power failure triggered an automatic shutdown of the plant's hydrocracker complex. The complex breaks down heavy fuel oil into lighter fuels. Callender said one ground or pit flare and one elevated flare started burning after the units shut down. He said the ground flare only burned for 20 to 30 seconds. The flares are located near safety valves and burn excess gases and other products released from the valve. The refinery was cited for a burn-off on December 16.

Link to story:

http://www.sacbee.com/news/calreport/calrep_story.cgi?N143.HTML

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 12, 2000

Answers

Ouch! Y2K problems are really hitting refineries!!

-- (lyle@coref.org), January 12, 2000.

Thanks Carl, I always enjoy your posts. By-the-way, what is a "hydrocracker?" It sounds like a person from Northern Florida who fell in the water.

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 12, 2000.

A hydro-cracker is a unit which "cracks" hydrocarbons through a combination of heat, pressure, hydrogen and catalyst. Hydrocarbons are present in crude oil. They are hydrogen and carbon.

Hope that helps.

For what it's worth, I believe this problem was caused by the good folks at PG&E out there in sunny Cal.

I have been wondering about the concept of dirty power and full loads during the hot summer months. I worry that once things get humming there may be signifigant impacts to the refining industry. I am still not convinced that the spate of reported nuke problems is completely normal. Flame away you pollies, I don't care anymore.

PS-It appears that the Saudis and Vens met to discuss some economic relief ala oil money in the city of neon nipples, Amsterdam today. I'm hearing that the Saudi's will lend the Vens some Cassius ($) to get them on their feet again, rather than have them poke a hole in this nice price balloon they've got going. Makes perfect sense to me. Smart on their part. This was followed by more blathering from Bill "I don't have a clue" Richardson about going to meet with the big boys to talk to them about oil. For a second there today, I thought they were gonna roll out the SPR story again. I can't take that one anymore.

-- Gordon (g_gecko_69@hotmail.com), January 12, 2000.

Aloha Gordon, Thanks for answering the hydrocracker question and the additional insights and information.

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 12, 2000.

I've noticed first hand large plumes of smoke and very, very high flames from local refinery stacks. Much more than anything in recent memory. In fact, the EPA had been very tough on local refineries but recently they seem to be getting away with more than they used to.

Usually this is happening at night when smoke is more difficult to see but there is so much that it's obvious. Also, this is happening in a kind of rotation at the three local refineries, ARCO, Mobil and Texaco.

Just fwiw.

Mike

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-- Mike Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), January 12, 2000.