Environment & Safety
Fire at Pemex gas plant in Mexico kills 10 workers
Pemex said the fire broke out late in the morning and was contained just after midday. Rescue teams shut down the valves at the reception station and Pemex sent a special team of firefighters to control the blaze. Pemex said Tuesday afternoon that it had confirmed 10 deaths as a result of the accident.
Phillips 66 restarts all Alliance refinery units after Hurricane Isaac outage
The 247,000 bpd refinery was taken offline during the approach of Isaac, which made landfall in southeast Louisiana Aug. 28 as a Category 1 hurricane and caused flooding at the refinery. Phillips 66 said Saturday it had restarted some unspecified units at Alliance.
Investigation into Chevron refinery fire in California finds thinned pipe wall
An inspection of a 4-foot segment of a pipe leading from the refinery's crude distillation unit showed its walls were 1/16 of an inch thick, down from its normal 5/16 of an inch, said Daniel Horowitz, spokesman for the Chemical Safety Board, an independent agency that probes refinery accidents.
Shell proceeds with Alberta oil sands CO2 capture
Starting in late 2015, Quest will capture and store deep underground more than 1 million tpy of carbon dioxide produced during the bitumen processing, reducing direct emissions from the upgrader by up to 35%. Shell Canada owns 60% of the joint venture, which also includes Chevron and Marathon Oil.
EPA waives clean gasoline rules for eight US states following Hurricane Isaac
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson determined that extreme and unusual supply circumstances exist, which may result in a temporary shortage of gasoline compliant with federal regulations. The waiver will help ensure an adequate supply of gasoline in the impacted states until normal supply can be restored.
US reiterates tough stance against BP on Gulf spill
In the filing, made in response to a previous BP request to accept a $7.8 billion settlement between the company and thousands of plaintiffs over economic losses and property damage, the Department of Justice said that BP had a culture of recklessness, and also pointed the finger to Transocean.
Singapore charges Shell with safety lapses over Pulau Bukom refinery fire
The incident arose last year during maintenance work on a pipeline that started from a naphtha tank and passed through a pumphouse where products were blended. The Pulau Bukom refinery is Shell's largest.
CO2 capture from SMRs: A demonstration project
Technical and economic results from this project will be key in determining the most effective path to commercialization.
HP Automation Safety: ‘Sticktion’: A dangerous failure mode
I set a wet glass on the old wooden kitchen table at our home. It sat there all night. The next morning, when I went to grab the glass, it stuck to the table. Yes, this event has happened before. But,..
HP Brief
European refiner affirms renewables project Total has reaffirmed its partnership and financial backing to the technology of renewable products company Amyris, the companies said in a recent statement...
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