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ExxonMobil Refinery (2638), Baton Rouge
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 85618 |
| State Police # | 06-00740 |
| Accident Date | 2006-02-04 |
| Report Date | 2006-02-10 |
| Follow-up Date | 0000-00-00 |
| Follow-up: | No |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Toluene | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | NO | 840.0 pounds |
| Xylene | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | NO | 7,574.0 pounds |
| Cyclohexane | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | YES | 554.0 pounds |
| Hydrogen Sulfide | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | NO | 1.0 pounds |
| Butene | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | YES | 27.0 pounds |
| Benzene | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | YES | 60.0 pounds |
| Flammable Vapor | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | YES | 134,330.0 pounds |
| Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | YES | 126,756.0 pounds |
| Hexane | 25m | F-600 furnace at No. 2 Reformer / Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) / No. 2 Powerformer | NO | NO | NO | 1,005.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As:
Cause of Problem: Instrument Failure
an instrument malfunction caused the F-600 furnace on the No. 2 Reformer to shut down. The shutdown of F-600 resulted in the Powerformer Feed Hydrotreater (RHLA-2) and the No. 2 Powerformer shutting down. The Powerformer is a major supplier of hydrogen to the refinery, and with the reduction in hydrogen supply, several units were forced to significantly reduce rates or shut down. The Feed Preparation Unit feeds RHLA-2 and with this unit shut down a valve was opened to send this stream from Feed Preparation to tankage. There is a second valve in this line that is normally open, but during this time it was closed. The second valve being closed led to a pressure increase in T-31 and caused the safety valve to release. The towe pressure was returne
Discharge Preventable - Yes
Notes/Remedial Actions
Remeidal Measures - An investigation is ongoing and appropriate follow-up actions will be completed. Exxon states in their report that the accident was preventable. Their explanation is that the safety valve did not restart as it should have, nor did the operator know the second valve was closed. Could this be human error in addition to Instrument failur
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