Aug 18, 2015 exxonmobil refinery blast in torrance photo. Exxonmobil and the new refinery owners, pbf energy, declined to be interviewed but released statements. Examples of such mechanisms and tools include best practice databases. Investigation reportinvestigation report exxonmobil. A major boulevard in torrance was closed after a flaring event caused by a brief power fluctuation at the exxonmobil refinery was producing a large amount of heat. And in documents filed with the environmental protection agency. Exxonmobil refineries and chemical plants worldwide. Breakdowns in safety procedures at the exxonmobil refinery in torrance.
Gas prices may rise after torrance exxonmobil refinery. Hadley said he remains firmly opposed to the use of hydrofluoric acid at the torrance refinery, but also mindful of the complexities of the issue. Not all is at it appears in this photo of a great blue heron and a perfect wave during the coronavirus beach shutdown in hermosa beach. Exxonmobil has failed to respond to subpoenas from federal investigators probing the february blast at its torrance refinery, prompting a call to the justice department in an effort to compel the oil companys cooperation, south bay rep. Investigation reportinvestigation report exxonmobil torrance. Sep 25, 2018 exxonmobil torrance oil refinery details parent. Pbf energy company 3700 w 190th st torrance, ca oil refiners. The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a. The lengthy outage at the plant caused gasoline prices in southern. It takes a decent amount of time for air to travel that far. Even if power to the area is cut, its all still statically charged, which is how it pulls things out of the air. Exxonmobil xom resumes operations at torrance refinery.
Exxonmobil sells torrance refinery to pbf energy news. Hadley said he remains firmly opposed to the use of hydrofluoric acid at the torrance refinery, but also mindful of. Kabc hazmat crews investigated a massive flaring at a refinery in torrance that was caused by an electrical disturbance on wednesday, according to officials. Hazmat crews respond to torrance exxonmobil refinery for. Last years exxonmobil explosion could lead to big changes at torrance plant decrease font size increase font size text size print this page send by email a view of the torrance refinery, obscured by a barbed wire fence running along madrona ave. Exxon mobil corporation, doing business as exxonmobil, is an american multinational oil and gas corporation headquartered in irving, texas.
Torrance refinery, california hydrocarbons technology. Cause of exxonmobil torrance refinery explosion under. Beachlife 2020 musicians will stream online, for free on friday may 1 at 5 p. The explosion filled surrounding neighborhoods with ash, fiberglass, and glass wool. Exxonmobil restarts torrance refinery may 10, 2016, 11. Get our boiling point newsletter for the latest on the power sector, water. Exxonmobil oil torrance refinery gas chp plant ca usa geo. In february, a large explosion occurred at exxonmobils refinery in torrance, california. The torrance refinery, located in torrance, california, is operated by exxonmobil. Exxonmobil torrance final report chemical safety board. The explosion was so severe that it caused residents in the area to experience a shock similar to the effects of a 1. Apr 19, 2015 video video related to torrance exxon refinery explosion. Mar 01, 2015 the exxonmobil refinery in torrance has a history of fires, explosions and leaks.
Ca oil refiners pump up profits through lowest wholesale. Exxonmobil fined over refinery explosion usa today. Explosion reported at exxonmobil refinery in california. Chemical safety and hazard investigation board csb is an independent federal agency whose mission is to drive chemical safety change through independent investigations to protect people and the environment. Petroleum refinery process economics pennwell books. Exxon ordered to disclose some torrance refinery blast documents. The csb is a scientific investigative organization. Retail gasoline prices and fundamentals mccullough research. Chemical safety board csb released its final report into the february 18, 2015, explosion at the exxonmobil refinery in torrance, california. One reporter even referenced the power bump, which was felt in the daily breeze offices on hawthorne boulevard, knocking out elec. The company said in addition to the facility at torrance the agreement also includes a lubricant.
In 2016, the refinery experienced several power cuts and as a result conducted unplanned flaring. February 18, 2015, explosion at the exxonmobil refinery in. This infrastructure is of type gas power plant with a design capacity of 49. Its daily average processing capacity is 150,000 barrels of crude oil. Four california refiners equilon enterprises llc, exxonmobil corp. Provided that the recovered fuel offsets the purchase of natural gas, flare gas.
Exxon mobils outdated equipment and procedures led to torrance. Azco refurbished and recommissioned the buell esp at the exxonmobil refinery in torrance ca. Torrance the cause of an explosion at the exxonmobil refinery was under investigation wednesday. Electricity consumption from desalting varies between 0. Csb investigators say the series of failures leading to the exxonmobil torrance refinery blast are similar to the causes of the august 6, 2012, fire at the chevron refinery in richmond, california, a fire that sent more than 15,000 residents to hospital. More than 200,ooo people live within three miles of the plant. Large flaring event at torrance exxonmobil refinery. Exxonmobil refinery maintains a location in torrance, calif.
The timing of the announcement of a power failure at exxonmobils torrance refinery is another matter. These are the only two refiners that report californiaonly oil refining profits. Final csb report of explosion at exxonmobil refinery in. This flume is calibrated for a maximum flow of 27,776 gpm or 40 mgd.
Exxonmobil completes sale of torrance refinery to pbf jul 1, 2016, 2. Explosion, fire at exxonmobil refinery rocks torrance. Explosion, fire at exxonmobil refinery rocks torrance the. The last discharge to surface water occurred in february 1998. Large fire explosion rocks exxonmobils torrance refinery. The company has refining operations in more than 25 countries, 42,000 retail services stations in more than 100 countries and lubricants marketing in nearly 200 countries and territories. More than a day after the accident, no representative from exxonmobil had directly contacted the torrance fire chief and city officials still did not know what was in the substances that were released into the surrounding areas. Explosion at exxon mobil refinery in torrance, california.
Sep 22, 2016 he said he has met with flare and the refinery action alliance, as well as homeowners groups, refinery employees, and executives from both exxonmobil and pbf. Torrance refinery action alliance, torrance, california. The torrance refinery of exxon mobil covers 750 acres, and has approximately 650 employees and 550 contractors. Exxon mobil relied on outdated procedures and used equipment beyond its. A gigantic flare lit up the early morning sky around the torrance refinery oct. Feb 18, 2015 torrance police had issued an alert shortly after 10 a. Csb releases final report into 2015 explosion at exxon. Exxonmobil refinery incidents over years include fires. Torrance fire department crews respond to explosion at. Exxon mobils answer to safety questions at torrance refinery. On tuesday, the company said the flaring was caused by two temporary external power interruptions the day before.
Exxon torrance crane collapse shakes refinery operations. The south coast air quality management district hearing board narrowly agreed in april to allow the company to restart the refinery, amid safety concerns from local residents and business owners. There was a large fire explosion at the exxonmobil torrance refinery in southern california on wednesday morning, according to the torrance police department. Giving false testimony or refusing to give testimony in the course of investigations on accidents or actions. Salaries posted anonymously by exxonmobil employees in torrance. May 05, 2017 may 3, 2017, torrance, ca, today, the u. Feb 18, 2015 torrance the cause of an explosion at the exxonmobil refinery was under investigation wednesday. The initial event, a frequency fluctuation on sces system, was extensively reported in the media. Exxonmobil completes sale of torrance refinery to pbf l.
Failure to report to your immediate supervisor, without delay, accidents or personal injury while on duty. Csbexxonmobil torrance refinery investigation report. Power plant coal greece russia expansion cizre morocco bangladesh austria texas natgas pollution woodchips fracking isis strike engineering corruption damascus west virginia elon musk maryville telangana fire kuwait. It processed an average of 155,000 barrels of crude oil per day and produced 1. The exxonmobil refinery in torrance has a history of fires, explosions and leaks. The explosion injured four workers caused significant property damage to multiple process units within the refinery, and resulted in an offsite accidental release of catalyst dust.
Safety failures caused torrance exxonmobil refinery. Torrance city officials announced the longawaited restart of the exxonmobil refinery, scheduled to begin sometime between 7pm saturday and 7am sunday. Chemical safety boards final report on the february 2015 explosion at the exxonmobil refinery in torrance, calif. He said he has met with flare and the refinery action alliance, as well as homeowners groups, refinery employees, and executives from both exxonmobil and pbf. The scaqmd report acknowledged the higher power requirements for a sa alkylation unit due. That failure ultimately allowed hydrocarbons to flow into the air side of the fcc, where they ignited in a piece of. Torrance police had issued an alert shortly after 10 a. Csbs top torrance recommendation concerns variances. Explosion rocks exxonmobil refinery in torrance, california.
Exxonmobil sells torrance refinery to pbf energy news for. A 300ton crane at a torrance, california, refinery that exxon mobil corp plans to sell fell onto a portion of a gasoline unit at the plant, industry sources said on monday. Investigators are trying to determine what caused the explosion at a torrance oil refinery that sent four workers to the hospital. Exxon ordered to disclose some torrance refinery blast. Torrance refinery agrees to up its power to reduce. Pbf energy company 3700 w 190th st torrance, ca oil. A large flaring event at the torrance exxonmobil refinery wednesday evening was caused by a momentary power outage, the oil company confirmed. Damage to the exxonmobil refinery in torrance from an explosion is seen from 190th street. Even though the refinery tower is shut down theres still air moving through the system that needs to be cleaned and removed. Exxonmobil has struck a deal with pbf energy for the sale of its refinery in california.
Safety failures caused torrance exxonmobil refinery explosion. Feb 18, 2015 the cause of an explosion at the exxonmobil refinery was under investigation wednesday. Brad graverson, torrance daily breeze the exxonmobil refinery explosion in torrance last february that costs californians an estimated 6 to 10 cents a gallon of gas was caused by the failure of the critical fluid catalytic cracker unit, which hadnt worked properly for nine years. Csb releases final report into 2015 explosion at exxonmobil. Absence from your job without notice to and permission from your supervisor. Exxonmobil delays startup of torrance refinery until monday night may 6, 2016. The exxonmobil refinery is seen after an explosion in a gasoline processing unit at the facility, in torrance, calif. Video video related to torrance exxon refinery explosion. Jun 20, 2016 a 300ton crane at a torrance, california, refinery that exxon mobil corp plans to sell fell onto a portion of a gasoline unit at the plant, industry sources said on monday.
Energy, the company that purchased the troubled torrance refinery from exxonmobil. Investigators say the explosion could have been prevented and made safety recommendedations. There was an explosion at the refinery that caused significant damage to the new esp rendering it unusable for at least a year. Exxonmobil refinery in torrance to restart saturday.
There were also questions asking why the emergency refinery sirens did not sound following the accident. He said, i personally believe exxon probably had made a decision that they. Why there could be more blasts like the 2015 exxonmobil. Not only do procedures need to be on the books, but workers must be trained in. The blast caused serious property damage to the refinery and scattered catalyst dust up to a mile away from the facility into the nearby community. Refinery due to brief power interruptions january 9 exxonmobil reported unplanned flaring due to a breakdown at its torrance refinery, according to a filing with the south coast air quality management district late monday. Jul 01, 2016 exxonmobil completes sale of torrance refinery to pbf jul 1, 2016, 2. Large explosion reported at torrance exxonmobil refinery posted 10. Heres a look at some of the more significant incidents in recent years. Large explosion reported at torrance exxonmobil refinery. Fact sheet waste discharge requirements for exxonmobil oil.
Onsite property damage, catalyst particles released to community, near miss in mhf alkylation unit. The first unit was commissioned in 1983 and the last in 1989. The cause of an explosion at the exxonmobil refinery was under investigation wednesday. Feb 18, 2015 explosion rocks exxonmobil refinery in torrance, california. Flares at torrance refinery caused by power fluctuation. Animation of 2015 explosion at exxonmobil refinery in. Exxonmobil oil corporation, torrance refinery ca0055387 fact sheet 5 storm water is monitored at outfall 001b prior to discharge through a 36inch parshall flume to the torrance lateral and to dominguez channel.
1354 1133 1154 266 1047 8 319 1460 1433 1522 649 79 54 1070 916 1449 256 681 97 1601 40 1612 730 612 886 961 481 240 91 267 1048 595 533 1195 393 1496 763 438 1360 597 139 25 340