Exxon Mobil Corp. shut down equipment associated with a key gasoline unit at its Beaumont, Texas, refinery Saturday, the company said in a filing to state environmental regulators.
The fluid catalytic cracking unit’s wet gas scrubber was shut Saturday afternoon, following the detection of pipeline leaks on a pump in the scrubber, says the report filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Pipe clamps were installed to stop the leaks, and the scrubber was restarted Sunday afternoon, the report said.
Wet gas scrubbers are used to remove sulfur dioxide and other particulates from the flue gas stream exiting the fluid catalytic cracker, by washing the gas with a scrubbing liquid.
ExxonMobil is investigating the incident, according to the report. The report did not say whether the incident affected production at the refinery, which has a capacity of 348,500 barrels a day. The refinery is the nation’s sixth largest, and third largest in ExxonMobil’s system.