Total reduces Port Arthur refinery output after worker killed: sources
HOUSTON (Reuters) - Total SA reduced production at its 225,500 barrel per day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Saturday after a contract worker was killed when the bulldozer he was driving in a pit beneath a refining unit flipped over in petroleum coke dust and scalding water, said sources familiar with plant operations.
Total and the worker's employer, Kinder Morgan Inc, both confirmed the worker's death. Kinder Morgan operates a petroleum coke terminal in Port Arthur.
Total spokeswoman Tricia Fuller said coker operations were at minimal rates and operators had stopped taking coke from the unit due to the death.
The sources said production at the refinery's other units had been reduced. The 60,000 bpd coker was not damaged in the incident, they said.
"We will restart (the coker) once we know it can be operated safely," Fuller said.
Investigators from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration were expected to open an investigation Saturday, Fuller said.
Bulldozers were being used to push coke and coarse sand-like coke dust from beneath the delayed coking unit because a crane that is usually used to remove coke from the pit had been shut for repairs for several months, the sources said.
Kinder Morgan spokeswoman Sara Hughes said she had no further information about the accident beyond confirmation of the worker’s death.
"The investigation will determine all of the pertinent details related to this incident," Hughes said.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said the 66-year-old victim from Denton, Texas appeared to have died in an industrial accident. His name was not released pending notification of next of kin.
The cause of death would be determined following an autopsy of the victim, said Assistant Chief Deputy Rod Carroll. The man suffered "third-to-second degree burns over 100 percent of his body" after being submerged in water with a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93°C).
Petroleum coke, which can be used as a coal substitute, is made from the gunky, black residual crude that remains after all refinable material has been obtained.
In a delayed coking unit, residual crude is injected into giant drums where it is heated until it hardens, a process that usually takes 24-48 hours.
The coke is knocked out of the drums by high pressure hot water jets and falls into the coke pit.
Total is currently seeking a partner to purchase a 50-percent stake in the Port Arthur Refinery.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Ros Russell and Marguerita Choy)
