ExxonMobil’s Beaumont Refinery Reports Flare at Hydrocracker Unit

DAVENPORT, FL (DTN) – ExxonMobil reported Saturday (5/23) a five-hour plus flaring at the hydrocracker unit of its 630,000 bpd Beaumont Refinery in Beaumont, a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said.

The event began at 4:19 p.m. CT Thursday (5/22) and ended at 9:34 p.m. CT, the filing said.

According to the details of the event, a process unit upset triggered flaring at the refinery’s FCC, and also its high-pressure and low-pressure flare systems.

Estimated emissions included approximately 10,160 pounds of sulfur dioxide, 796 pounds of pentanes, 744 pounds of carbon monoxide, 555 pounds of butanes, 190 pounds of unspecified VOCs, 116 pounds of propane and 110 pounds of hydrogen sulfide, among other compounds.

The company said process streams were routed to flare systems to minimize emissions and that no offsite impacts were reported. ExxonMobil also said it expects to meet contractual commitments.

The Beaumont refinery is among the largest refining facilities in the United States and primarily produces gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

DTN reached out to ExxonMobil for additional details but did not get an immediate response.