Valero’s McKee Refinery Reports Planned 8-hour Flare

HOUSTON, TX (DTN)–Diamond Shamrock Refining Company, operator of Valero’s 200,000 bpd McKee Refinery in Sunray Texas, has filed an initial air emission event report with Texas regulators disclosing a planned opacity exceedance tied to scheduled maintenance on the facility’s Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) electrostatic precipitator (ESP) discharge electrodes.

The maintenance event is scheduled to start on Monday (4/27), running from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT.

Opacity at the FCCU Regeneration Stack Vent is estimated to reach 100%, far exceeding the authorized limit of 20%.  The company stated the work is intended to enhance the long-term reliability of the ESP, but that a brief interruption of performance could occur during the activity.

Operations and maintenance personnel will follow all appropriate procedures to minimize any interruption, according to the filing.