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Valero (26003), Norco
LDEQ Accident Report
| Accident # | 121805 |
| State Police # | 10-01066 |
| Accident Date | 2010-02-27 |
| Report Date | 2010-03-05 |
| Follow-up Date | 2010-04-30 |
| Follow-up: | Yes |
Pollutants Released
| Pollutant | Duration | Point Source | Greenhouse Gas | Criteria Pollutant | Ozone forming chemical | Amount of Release |
| Nitrogen Dioxide | No Information Given | FLARE: Flare #1 & #2, MSSCU, SRU, 3700 TOX | NO | YES | YES | BRQ |
| Sulfur Dioxide | intermittant over 4 days | FLARE: Flare #1 & #2, MSSCU, SRU, 3700 TOX | NO | YES | NO | 34,598.0 pounds |
| Hydrogen Sulfide | intermittant over 4 days | FLARE: Flare #1 & #2, MSSCU, SRU, 3700 TOX | NO | NO | NO | 613.0 pounds |
| Propylene | 4h | FLARE: Flare #1 & #2, MSSCU, SRU, 3700 TOX | NO | NO | YES | 19.0 pounds |
Accident Classified As:
Cause of Problem: Maintenance/Procedures
Flaring caused by difficulty starting up the Millisecond Catalytic Cracking Unit (MSCCU), as well as the Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) and its related thermal oxidizer (TOX) after a maintenance shutdown. Some emissions exceeded visible emissions and opacity permit limits as well.
Discharge Preventable - No
"We do not consider the emissions related to the MSCCU to be reasonably preventable since these emissions resulted from a unit startup." Key process analyzer malfunctioned during SRU startup.
Notes/Remedial Actions
RQ. Refinery letter states that reportable quantities were exceeded for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrogen sulfide. Initial refinery letter, plus two additional follow-up reports included in file. Remedial actions: "Maximized steam to flares to mitigation visible emissions...and adjusted feed rates and other process parameters in order to complete startup and stabilize the MSCCU and 3700 SRU units." "A minimal amount of waste gas is expected to be flared during process startup. Currently this activity is permitted for expected losses of criteria pollutants and hydrogen sulfide. Since the loss of propylene is not permitted under startup emissions, but is expected, Valero will request propylene allowances in a future application for a permit modifications. Additionally, we are planning to install flare gas recovery compressors on Flares 1 and 2 in the year 2011. These compressors will have the ability to capture waste gasses generated from startup activities and return them to the refinery fuel gas system."
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