LyondellBasell has said that it expects a crude distillation unit at its Houston refinery to be out of service for approximately four weeks to repair damage sustained in a fire on May 17.
The refinery has two crude distillation units designed to process very heavy crude oil. One distillation unit will operate while the unit involved in the fire is being repaired.
Each unit is capable of processing approximately 50% of the refinery’s stated crude consumption capacity of 268,000 barrels per day on a calendar day basis. The refinery’s configuration enables the company to maintain production of finished fuel products through the operation of downstream processing units while crude distillation units are out of service, LyondellBasell said.
No other operating units were damaged in the fire, which was extinguished in less than one hour, and there were no injuries, the company said.
LyondellBasell is a chemical and refining company that manufactures products at 59 sites in 18 countries.