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Cape Town refinery completes maintenance, safety inspection

19th June 2015

By: Dylan Stewart

Creamer Media Reporter

  

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Multinational energy corporation Chevron completed a month-and-a-half-long R412-million maintenance and safety project at its refinery in Cape Town at the end of March.

The last time a project of this scale was executed at the refinery was 15 years ago, says Chevron Cape Town Refinery GM Doug Pottenger.

The maintenance and safety inspection involved safely shutting down all production units, with the exception of a number of storage tanks, which were used to manage the supply of products.

“Chevron has made contingency plans to mitigate potential constraints on the supply of fuel throughout the maintenance and safety inspection period,” says Pottenger, adding that investing in the maintenance of the refinery ensures adequate product supply across all Chevron’s markets.

During the shutdown period, 777 maintenance inspections were completed, he notes, adding that the refinery recorded 1.5-million work hours during the shutdown to illustrate the refinery’s scale of operation.

A total of 26 cranes were used and 160 t of grit was shovelled by hand during the maintenance period, he states.

In addition, 3 000 additional contractor jobs were generated, including opportunities for artisans, semiskilled and unskilled workers, highlights Pottenger, adding that 47 cabins and 11 large marquees were hired to house contractors.

During the maintenance, the plant was completely shut down. Pottenger tells Mining Weekly that the refinery mitigates supply constraints by accumulating strategic fuel supply in the time leading up to planned maintenance and safety inspection periods.

He notes that yearly maintenance and safety inspections, although not on the same scale as this year’s project, are carried out to maintain the high safety and reliable operation standards that are continually adhered to at the refinery.

The bulk of the R412-million spent will be directly injected into the Western Cape economy, Pottenger points out. The refinery contributes substantially to the Western Cape and national economies through the disbursement of its yearly capital and operational expenditure budgets.

Meanwhile, an independent economic impact report conducted by competition economic analyst Econex in 2013 found that the refinery procures goods and services each year valued at about R2-billion, of which 70% are from the Western Cape.

Further, 3.3% of the Western Cape’s gross domestic product and 2.4% of employment in the province are associated with Chevron’s operations.

Multipoint Ground Flare
Chevron Cape Town Refinery has also invested R450-million in the construction of a multipoint ground flare and a new 100 m elevated flare to replace the refinery’s existing high-level flare, which has resulted in employment for 500 local residents.

The ground flare is world-class technology and forms part of Chevron’s continued efforts to reduce the refinery’s environmental footprint and will improve the refinery’s operational efficiencies with the new elevated flare, says Pottenger.

With a multipoint ground flare, combustion is much more efficient, as it occurs over a larger area, compared with an elevated flare, where combustion occurs from only one release source. The ground flare will replace the existing elevated flare and safely combust all the offgas that is burning at the existing elevated flare. The multipoint nature of this flare means that the gas will be combusted safely, quietly, and smoke-free, he adds.

Pottenger says that, since the ground flare’s successful installation in November 2014, “there is a very noticeable reduction in noise emissions from the refinery”.

The new elevated flare, which will be about 50 m higher than the existing flare, is at an advanced stage of construction; it will be operational at the end of the maintenance and safety inspection. The elevated flare will be used in conjunction with the ground flare.

“The new elevated flare is designed for emergency relief scenarios only. During routine operations, all that will be seen at the top of the flare is a small pilot flame,” Pottenger explains, concluding that this flare will burn gases only occasionally.

Edited by Leandi Kolver
Creamer Media Deputy Editor

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