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Chalmette Refining (1376), Chalmette
Causal Factor: Start Up, Shut Down
| LDEQ Accident Number Accident Date |
Point Source(s) | Notes | Amount of Release |
| 78541 2005-04-26 | Sulfur Recovery Unit, Hydrocracker, #2 Coker, #2 Crude | Cause: A loss of power to the Refinery's Boiler Instrumentation System caused the shutdown of the three plant boilers which generate the Refinery's 600 lb. steam. The loss of 600 lb. steam production caused upset conditions at a series of Refinery Process Units including the Sulfur Recovery Unit, Hydrocracker, #2 Coker and #2 Crude Followup: No Notes: The refinery has initiated an investigation into the cause of this incident. Based on the result of that investigation, measures will be taken in order to prevent a recurrence due to the same cause. The report's Summary of Emissions also states 692 lbs. of HC, 1131 lbs of CO, and 36 lbs of PM were also released at this time. | Hydrogen Sulfide: 203.0 pounds Nitric Oxide: 326.0 pounds Nitrogen Dioxide: 36.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 79,817.0 pounds |
| 76869 2005-02-11 | No information given | Cause: Power failure caused many of the processes to shut down. Followup: No Notes: | Carbon Monoxide: 93.0 pounds Hydrocarbon: 65.0 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide: 1.0 pounds Particulate Matter: 17.0 pounds Nitrogen Dioxide: 1.0 pounds Nitric Oxide: 6.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 454.0 pounds |
| 76775 2005-02-04 | Electrical breaker G-457; Waste gas compressor number 2 (K-401) | Cause: Electrical breaker for G-457 malfunctioned, unexpectedly cutting power to all pumps and fin-fans within the refinery waste gas compressor area. Waste gas compressor number 2 (K-401) shut down as a result of the electrical power outage and refinery waste gas was diverted to safety flare system. Followup: No Notes: Low-Sulfur content streams were routed to the flare to minimize sour gas flaring. Output was adjusted to minimize total amount of waste being sent to the flare. Note: the breaker for G-457 had been identified for repair and was supposed to be replaced that week. | Carbon Monoxide: 78.0 pounds Hydrocarbon: 51.0 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide: 11.0 pounds Particulate Matter 10: 3.0 pounds Nitrogen Dioxide: 1.4 pounds Nitric Oxide: 13.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 4,075.0 pounds |
| 76382 2005-01-24 | Waste gas compressor shut down and caused an over pressure situation | Cause: Waste gas compressor shut down and an over-pressure situation. Followup: No Notes: Rescinding notification for below reportable quantities. (There is a hand-written T76382 on incident # 76355 PDF, but LABB believes that they are unrelated). | Carbon Monoxide: 46.0 pounds Hydrocarbon: 24.0 pounds Nitric Oxide: 8.0 pounds Nitrogen Dioxide: 1.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 0.9 pounds |
| 92940 2006-12-29 | Waste Gas Compressor | Cause: Waste Gas System Compressor shut down due to water contamination of the oil in the crank case. Followup: No Notes: Rates at the HDS and CFHT units were reduced and CRLLC routed sweet hydrocarbons streams to the flares to minimize flaring. Oil was drained from the crank case and replaced. The K-406 Compressor was restarted. | Sulfur Dioxide: 31,282.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 1,370.0 pounds |
| 92642 2006-12-14 | Flare No. 2 EPN 29 | Cause: Crude 2 K-7601 Compressor shut down Followup: No Notes: Machinists restarted the compressor and an investigation of the incident is underway. | Sulfur Dioxide: 3,236.0 pounds |
| 92412 2006-12-04 | #1 Flare #2 Flare | Cause: shut down of interstage cooler causing trip of WGC Followup: No Notes: Resetting alarms to appropriate levels; reinforced training of the operators on WGS operations at low temperatures. | Nitrogen Oxide: 6.0 pounds Sulfur Dioxide: 1,946.0 pounds |
| 90535 2006-09-08 | #1 Flare - AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 28 | Cause: during Coker 1 startup the top of the fractionator tower flooded due to an unstable flow from the heavy gas Oil pump around (typical during startup). The end result was an overpressure to the emergency flare system. Followup: No Notes: the k-2800 will be reconnected to the Number 2 Flare for use in emergency situations only until the FGR System is commissioned. Communication to employees on what constitutes and emergency situation will occur. | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,005.0 pounds Nitrogen Oxide: 10.0 pounds |
| 84697 2006-08-02 | AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 46 | Cause: loss of instrument air pressure resulting in upset and shutdown of multiple process units within the refinery. Resulted from July 31, 2006 upset and the resultant restart and passivation of SRU Train 2 Followup: No Notes: refinery has initiated an investigation into the cause | Sulfur Dioxide: 3,173.0 pounds |
| 89293 2006-07-17 | AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 29 | Cause: the process of startup and shutdown of the FCC resulting in apparent variability of FCC to Alky feedstock product quality with accumulation of noncondensable materials. Personnel allowed a controlled partial depressurization to avoid overpressure. Followup: No Notes: this incident will be reviewed by FCC and Alky process team leaders in order to increase awareness of the potential impacts of FCC shutdown/startup operations on Alky feed composition. | Nitric Oxide: 23.0 pounds |
| 89266 2006-07-14 | Flare | Cause: compressor shut down on the Hydrocracker Unit Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 7/14/6 | Nitric Oxide: 2.0 pounds |
| 87763 2006-05-11 | Flare | Cause: light ends sent to flare during start up Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 5/11/6 | |
| 86878 2006-03-31 | Emergency Flare System AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 29 | Cause: waste gas compressors 4 and 3 (K406 and 402) automatically shut down, lowering the refinery capacity and causing overpressure to the emergency flare system. Liquid level pump (G476) switch was in the off position. Followup: No Notes: A mechanical guard was placed on the pump switch in order to avoid the unintentional movement of the switch | Sulfur Dioxide: 3,174.0 pounds |
| 86612 2006-03-20 | Emergency Flare System AE-AOA-05-0109 EPN 29 | Cause: compressor 1(K-400) automatically shut down, lowering waste gas processing capacity and causing overpressure to the emergency flare system. Later, waste gas compressor number 2 (K-401) automatically shut down causing the waste gas system to further overpressure to the emergency flare system. Followup: No Notes: the refinery has initiated an investigation, appropriate measures will be taken in order to prevent a recurrence due to the same cause. | Sulfur Dioxide: 2,204.0 pounds |
| 85953 2006-02-21 | AE-AOA-05-0109 | Cause: during startup of liquefied Petrol. Gas compressor, an unexpected liquid was present in the compressor discharge piping. This caused an unexpected upset resulting in over pressurization of the refinery fuel system. No. 2 Flare. Followup: No Notes: the refinery has initiated an investigation, appropriate measures will be taken in order to prevent a recurrence due to the same cause. | Nitric Oxide: 25.0 pounds |
| 101671 2007-12-13 | None Reported | Cause: lost gas compressor K-8111; unit vented to flare Followup: No Notes: No information given | |
| 100423 2007-10-22 | Emergency Flare System | Cause: Number 1 Coker Wet Gas Compressor shutdown on high amperage when water entrained in the feed line to the compressor caused the compressor to overheat. Followup: No Notes: Operators closed the valve to the feed line to the compressor and restarted the K-2800 compressor. The line was again dewatered and lined back up to the compressor K-2800 without shutting down the compressor. | Sulfur Dioxide: 958.0 pounds |
| 100358 2007-10-20 | Emergency Flare System | Cause: incident occurred during shut down of the Sulfur Recovery Unit train 1 for maintenance. Train 2 also shut down, initiating release. Followup: No Notes: Operators restarted Train 2 twice before they were able to route acid gas through Train 2 and out of the Emergency Flare System ending the flaring. | Sulfur Dioxide: 211,810.0 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide: 566.0 pounds |
| 100315 2007-10-19 | Emergency Flare System | Cause: Train 2 shut down due to low oxygen flow Followup: No Notes: Operators restarted Train 2 to end the flaring. | Sulfur Dioxide: 12,020.0 pounds |
| 98704 2007-08-16 | # 3 reformer debutanizer tower | Cause: The LEP absorber tower was shutdown & the #3 debutinizer tower could not send overhead vapor to the LEP therefore #3 towerincr. and PSV was exceed. PSV on the # 3 reformer debutanizer tower reached the PSV set pressure causing a release. The LEP was shutdown due to an unstable steam rate. Followup: No Notes: The feed rate was reduced to the units to stop the release until the PSV was reseated and confirmed not leaking. Follow up letter indicates that human factors also played a role; an operator did not respond appropriately to a series of alarms. | Volatile Organic Compounds: 6,362.0 pounds |
| 98528 2007-07-01 | #2 Flare | Cause: a third-party hydrogen provider, Air Products, was shut down, followed by the shut down of Louis Dreyfus, limiting ability of CRLLC to minimize flaring Followup: No Notes: CRLLC maintains open communication lines with third-party providers to reduce the impact of any third party upsets that result in supply shortages. | Benzene: 36.0 pounds |
| 98527 2007-06-29 | #2 Flare | Cause: a third-party hydrogen provider, Air Products, was shut down, followed by the shut down of Louis Dreyfus, limiting ability of CRLLC to minimize flaring Followup: No Notes: CRLLC maintains open communication lines with third-party providers to reduce the impact of any third party upsets that result in supply shortages. | Benzene: 20.0 pounds |
| 95937 2007-05-04 | No information given | Cause: shut the compressor down due to potential for significant refinery upset Followup: No Notes: Letter written to rescind notification of 5/4 concerning release of hydrocarbons | |
| 94538 2007-03-11 | Waste Gas Compressor | Cause: The WGC tripped due to low seal oil pressure Followup: No Notes: the charge rates on the #2 coker WGC were cut. The turbine main pump was restarted and is running in parallel with the auxiliary electric pump. | Sulfur Dioxide: 659.0 pounds |
| 110843 2008-11-18 | #1 Flare | Cause: start up of the alkylation unit Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ. | |
| 110719 2008-11-09 | None Reported | Cause: scheduled shut down of the alkylation unit Followup: No Notes: Letter states that emissions were BRQ. | |
| 108881 2008-09-07 | None Reported | Cause: Flaring due to refinery start up Followup: No Notes: DEQ report sans corresponding CRLLC letter | |
| 117083 2009-08-06 | SRU 1 and 2 | Cause: Sulfur Recovery Unit Train (SRU 2) shutdown due to a steam excursion in the refinery. The steam excursion had caused the SRU 2 to shutdown from low boiler water level. The acid gas loading from SRU 2 was added to SRU 1 which caused the emissions.
A second incidence occurred when the refinery lost its hydrogen supply from Air Products. This caused the shutdown of the refinery hydrotreaters and a significant decrease in refinery acid gas production. SRU 1 shutdown due to the insufficient acid gas leading to a second emission. Followup: Yes Notes: acid gas was routed from SRU 2 to SRU 1. Acid gas flaring was avoided and DGA strippers was contained until SRU 1 was restarted. SRU 1 was run at minimal air flow rates to avoid excess H2S consumption due from insufficient acid gas rates. Caustic addition was maximized in tail gas section to mitigate additional SO2 formation. | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,136.0 pounds |
| 114850 2009-05-09 | HDS unit | Cause: HDS unit leak on outlet of E3301. Shut down to do repairs causing release.. Followup: Notes: RQ not exceeded. | Volatile Organic Compounds: 198.0 pounds Hydrogen Sulfide: 8.0 pounds |
| 132188 2011-07-09 | No Information Given | Cause: Planned unit shutdown for maintenance operations. Followup: No Notes: BRQ: According to the Refinery Letter, "unit operations and shutdown timing were adjusted to minimize environmental impact." | Sulfur Dioxide: 1,949.0 pounds Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): 146.0 pounds |
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