Shell Norco, Louisiana refinery gasoline unit cuts production -sources (updated)

NorCom Information Technology GmbH & Co KgaA

13/09/2019 18:54

(Updates with company statement; details on outages, restart
plans)
    HOUSTON, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc  RDSa.L 
cut production on the gasoline-producing unit by a small amount
at its 225,300 barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana, refinery
after two boilers failed on Thursday night, sources familiar
with plant operations said on Friday.
    Shell spokesman Ray Fisher said several operating units were
shut at the Norco refinery and chemical plant complex because of
an overnight boiler outage. He declined to identify the units,
but said units would be restarting over the weekend.
    Shell began restarting one of the boilers that went down
Thursday on Friday morning, the sources said. The Norco complex
has four boilers producing steam for power and to use in the
refining process. 
    One boiler remained in operation overnight and one boiler
had been shut prior to Thursday for a planned overhaul.
    In addition to the 112,000 bpd gasoline producing fluidic
catalytic cracking unit (FCCU), production on the 14,800 bpd
alkylation unit was also reduced, the sources said. 
    Shell will stop the planned overhaul and hopes to bring that
boiler back into production by early next week, according to the
sources. 
    The Norco refinery's FCCU, unlike most cat crackers,
converts residual crude oil into unfinished gasoline. Most FCCUs
process gas oil.
    The alkylation unit converts refining byproducts into
high-octane components, which are blended into gasoline. 

 (Reporting by Erwin Seba
Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Berkrot)
 ((erwin.seba@thomsonreuters.com; +1 713 210 8508; Reuters
Messaging: erwin.seba.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))