Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi - Executive Summary |
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VALERO REFINING COMPANY-TEXAS CORPUS CHRISTI REFINERY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Building Community Awareness and a Balanced Partnership The information on the following pages is offered as a portion of the Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi Facility Risk Management Plan (RMP). Included are descriptions of the facility accident prevention and safety program, emergency preparedness and response program, regulated chemicals, five-year accidental release history, alternative release scenarios, and the worst case scenarios. The sharing of this type of information is a means to improve community awareness, not a prediction of the probability that either a worst case or alternative release scenario would ever occur. These potential scenarios are estimates required by the Environmental Protection Agency and are used to illustrate the importance for risk communication, risk reduction, safety, prevention, and emergency preparedness and response. Commissioned in 1983, Valero's Corpus Christi refinery produces high-quality, premium products from low-value feed stocks. This highly specialized facility produces an exceptionally high yield of gasoline and gasoline blendstocks and is one of the few refineries in the country that can produce 100 percent of its gasoline as reformulated gasoline (RFG). In addition, it is one of the few refineries outside of the state of California that produces and sells the CARB Phase II gasoline. Both RFG and CARB gasolines have fewer toxics and lower emissions than conventional gasoline. Clean fuels produced at Valero are marketed in the Northeastern United States, Texas, and California in areas where the Environmental Protection Agency has mandated their use. Low-sulfur diesel fuel and some petrochemical feedstocks are also produced. Several industry experts have rated this 195,000 barrel-per-day facility as one of the most complex, high conversion fuels facilities in the United States. The Valero refin ery is a fully permitted facility operating entirely under Best Available Control Technology (i.e. no grandfathered units). Also, Valero has spent $40 million on pollution control equipment over the last 8 years. For these activities and demonstrated commitment to the environment, Valero received the 1995 CLEAN TEXAS 2000 Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence. In addition, Valero consistently receives annual safety awards from the National Refiners Association. Located at 5900 Up River Road, Valero covers approximately 253 acres and has over 4700 feet of frontage on the Corpus Christi Ship Channel. The site employs almost 500 full time employees with an annual payroll around $25 million. In addition, between 50 to 100 contractor employees are in the plant on a daily basis assisting with maintenance and small construction projects. Annually, Valero has local material and service purchases of approximately $40 million. Valero is very proud of its employees' involvement in the community. One hundred percent of Valero's employees contribute to the United Way of the Coastal Bend. The Valero Volunteer Council is involved in many community projects during the year including Adopt-a-School, mentoring, Junior Achievement, and Operation Paintbrush. Over 30 volunteer projects are accomplished annually all making our community a better place in which to live. For more information call VALERO REFINING COMPANY - TEXAS 512-289-6000 Prepared in association with the Nueces County Community Team Accident Prevention and Safety Programs Designing for Safety: - Process equipment is designed and constructed by technically skilled personnel for safe operation. - Emergency relief systems are in place to prevent uncontrolled releases to the environment. - A water spray system is designed to shower the Alky unit area and "knock down" vapor clouds. Also water for fire fighting is located at strategic locations throughout facility - Containment curbs around process un its provides spill control. - Automatic "shut-off" devices are strategically located in the process to minimize or eliminate any potential releases to the environment during upsets. Operating Safely: - Automatic "shut-off" devices are used in strategic locations to avoid releases and upset conditions. - Pressure control and relief systems provide safe methods for venting to the flare in case of unit upset. - Management ensures personnel have the necessary process knowledge and experience to safely operate equipment. - Operators, mechanics, and contractors working in the area are trained and qualified to safety standards. - Work permits are issued to control any hazardous work within the unit or facility. Maintaining Our Plant: - Trained personnel periodically evaluate process equipment for mechanical integrity. - Changes to the equipment or process are properly designed and completely documented. - Following process equipment or control changes, safety reviews are held pri or to starting up to ensure proper operation and mechanical integrity. - Preventative maintenance programs keep equipment in good operating condition before problems occur to avoid equipment failure. Auditing Our Operations: - All critical safety equipment is periodically inspected to ensure proper operation and mechanical integrity. - All incidents are fully investigated and addressed to prevent recurrence. - Qualified personnel are trained to anticipate and avoid potential hazards by routinely completing a detailed process hazards analysis. - Routine audits are conducted to ensure safe practices are followed. Emergency Preparedness & Response Programs Training and Preparing: - Emergency response drills are performed periodically for the entire site. The drills include participation from Corpus Christi and Nueces County Emergency Response Agencies (fire department, police department, emergency management, and Refinery Terminal Fire Company). - The Valero Emergency Respons e Team operates under the Incident Command System, with the Incident Commander operating from designated Emergency Command Centers. - Valero maintains an on-site fully trained emergency response team called VALSTAR, Valero Safety Through Active Response. This team responds to all reported plant emergencies and will contact outside agencies for support when necessary. - All Valero personnel are trained for basic emergency preparedness to the level appropriate for their position. If a Release Occurs: - Valero Refining Company will immediately take all appropriate actions to minimize and mitigate an incident resulting in a release of hazardous chemical vapors or flammable chemicals. - Valero has detailed emergency response plans and procedures for operational personnel and response teams. - In the event of an accidental release of a toxic vapor cloud or a flammable gas, Valero will immediately make all necessary notifications to local emergency response agencies. - Valero will no tify public safety providers and local emergency management who will inform citizens by various means. Regulated Toxics Alternative Release Scenario: Hydrogen Fluoride Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) is an acid. Anhydrous Hydrogen Fluoride is normally stored under pressure as a clear, colorless liquid. At ambient conditions, HF readily vaporizes to a gas when fuming from an open pool or venting from a pressurized container and may produce a visible white cloud of condensate. Hydrogen Fluoride is used to produce a high-octane gasoline blending component. It is also used to produce aluminum, fluorocarbons refrigerants, blowing agents, pharmaceuticals, in stainless steel pickling, welding, fertilizer production, fluoride production, and to etch glass and pottery. HF is a pungent, poisonous gas with an irritating odor at low concentrations. It is a highly corrosive substance and brief exposures of high concentrations to gaseous or aqueous forms of hydrogen fluoride is serious, potentially resulting in severe and painful burns to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes, severe respiratory irritation, and even death. Inhalation of HF is extremely serious, requiring immediate medical attention. Description of the Alternative Release for Hydrogen Fluoride Approx. 2,800 lbs of Hydrogen Fluoride (HF) is released to the environment from the failure of a ?" line on a process storage vessel. Within five minutes, of the start of the release, automatic water spray controls approx. 90% of the vapor release and foam spray over HF pools controls evaporation. Shut-off valves are triggered closing off the flow from the vessel. Within fifteen minutes, the vapor release is stopped by emergency response actions. The circle represents a level of concern of 0.79 miles from the point of release. Five-Year Accidental Release History for Hydrogen Fluoride Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi, has an excellent operating history in which there were no Hydrogen fluoride releases resulting in on-site or off-site damages during the previous five-years. Alternative Release Scenario: Chlorine Chlorine is a greenish-yellow gas handled under pressure. It has a pungent sharp odor. It is used to purify water, to bleach paper, wood pulp, and textiles, and is a building block for making a wide variety of other chemicals and products. Chlorine gas is primarily a respiratory irritant. In sufficient concentration, the gas irritates the mucous membrane, the respiratory tract, and the eyes. In extreme cases difficulty in breathing may increase to the point where death can occur from respiratory collapse or lung failure. Five-Year Accident Release History for Chlorine Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi, has an excellent operating history in which there were no chlorine releases resulting in on-site or off-site damages during the previous five-years. Description of the Alternative Release for Chlorine 210 lbs chlorine vapor is released from the failure of a 1/4" line from a 1-ton cylinder. The release continues for 30 minutes until the line is blocked in. The distance to the level of concern for chlorine is 0.39 miles from point of release. Alternative Release Scenario: Hydrogen Sulfide Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, toxic flammable gas that is denser than air. It is generated when hydrogen is used to remove sulfur from crude oil and petroleum products such as diesel fuel. It also occurs naturally in hydrocarbons such as natural gas and in the gases from volcanoes, sewers, and swamps. It is converted into sulfur, inorganic sulfides, and sulfuric acid, which in turn are used to produce a variety of useful products such as fertilizer, paints, explosives, batteries, paper, detergents, dyes, plastics, rubber, leather, and medicines. Low concentrations produce a "rotten egg" odor while higher concentrations paralyze the sense of smell. Breathing of hydrogen sulfide is serious, requiring prompt medical attention. Brief exposure to high levels may cause dizziness, drowsiness, tremors, and even death. Lower levels can produce headaches, dizziness, and bronchitis. Five-Year Accident Release History for Hydrogen Sulfide Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi, has an excellent operating history in which there were no hydrogen sulfide releases resulting in on-site or off-site damages during the previous five-years. Alternative Release History for Hydrogen Sulfide Approximately 2,900 lbs of hydrogen sulfide mixed with other organic chemicals are released from a 1-inch hole in piping to a high-pressure separator before the line is blocked off. The distance to the level of concern for hydrogen sulfide is 0.40 miles from the point of release. Worst Case Scenario: Hydrogen Fluoride The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires facilities with significant inventories of certain toxic chemicals to develop release scenarios. The release scenarios, a worst case scenario and an alternative case scenar io, are part of the facility's Risk Management Program and are designed to show the potential impact on the community based upon guidance from the EPA. Local government agencies and area emergency response personnel can then use the information from the scenarios for emergency response planning. A worst case scenario is described as the release of the largest toxic chemical inventory within 10 minutes during weather conditions which maximize the distance a vapor cloud travels. In addition, a worst case scenario assumes that a facility's process safety controls, automatic safety systems, and on-site emergency response personnel will be totally useless. These requirements, mandated by EPA, make the worst case scenario a very unlikely event. The worst case release scenario for Valero involves a process storage vessel containing 210,000 lbs of hydrogen fluoride. The entire quantity is released and vaporizes over a 10 minute period and the resulting vapor cloud travels down wind. A l evel of concern to the community extends 17 miles downwind from the point of release. Although very unlikely, the worst case scenario is useful to encourage discussion in the surrounding community about hazardous chemicals in the workplace, industrial areas, and community. Informing the community on how to respond during emergency conditions arising from toxic chemical releases is the focus of this effort. For this reason, alternative release scenarios are prepared to more closely simulate events like those recorded in industrial historical incidents. An alternative release scenario involves much smaller chemical releases and allows consideration of the benefits from a facility's safety systems and emergency response programs. Most importantly, local government agencies and area emergency response personnel can use the information from the alternative scenarios for emergency response planning. The potentially affected area from a simulated toxic release is shown on a map as a ci rcle. For toxic chemicals, the circle represents the downwind area which airborne chemicals could potentially cause impacts to human health. Each toxic chemical has a different amount that is considered harmful if a person is exposed for more than one hour potentially resulting in serious health effects, such as respiratory irritation or nausea. Finally, facilities are also required to compile a five-year accident release history for the listed chemicals on site. This history lists all events that have actually occurred at the site and the impact of those events. Only accidental releases that result in death, injuries, significant property damage, evacuations, shelter-in-place, or environmental damage are listed in the five-year history. Regulated Flammables Liquid Petroleum Gas Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPGs) are a family of chemicals that occur in natural gas, crude oil, and as reaction products in the refining process. They are gases at normal temperature and pressure and a re stored at elevated pressures to keep them in a liquid state. LPGs major uses are gasoline manufacturing, home heating fuels, chemical manufacturing, motor vehicle fuel, and as a propellant in aerosol sprays. LPGs are colorless, odorless, and highly flammable. They are heavier than air and when inhaled, produce lightheadedness and drowsiness. The most significant hazard associated with LPGs is fires and explosions. Five-Year Accidental Release History for Flammables Valero Refining Company - Texas, Corpus Christi, has an excellent accidental release history in which were no flammable releases resulting in on-site or off-site damages during the previous five-years. Alternative Release Scenario: Liquid Petroleum Gas Explosion Approximately 2,000 lbs of LPG are released as a vapor cloud from a process leak. The vapor cloud explodes causing a level of concern reaching 300 feet from the source. The incident would be minimized and controlled according to the facility emergency re sponse procedures. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires facilities with significant inventories of certain flammable chemicals to develop release scenarios. The release scenarios, a worst case scenario and an alternative case scenario, are part of the facility's Risk Management Program and are designed to show the potential impact on the community based upon guidance from the EPA. Local government agencies and area emergency response personnel can then use the information from the scenarios for emergency response planning. A worst case scenario is described as the release of the largest flammable chemical inventory within 10 minutes during conditions which maximize the distance a vapor cloud explosion impact would travel. In addition, a worst case scenario assumes that a facility's process safety controls, automatic safety systems, and on-site emergency response personnel will be totally useless. These requirements, mandated by EPA, make the worst case scenario a ve ry unlikely event. The worst case scenario for Valero involves a product storage vessel containing 5,400,000 lbs of liquid petroleum gas (LPG). The entire quantity is instantly released and vaporizes into a vapor cloud. The vapor cloud detonates causing a level of concern to the community extending 1.4 miles from the point of release. Although very unlikely, the worst case scenario is useful to encourage discussion in the surrounding community about hazardous chemicals in the workplace, industrial areas, and community. Informing the community on how to respond during emergency conditions arising from flammable chemical releases is the focus of this effort. For this reason, alternative release scenarios are prepared to more closely simulate events like those recorded in historical incidents. An alternative release scenario involves much smaller chemical releases and allows consideration of the benefits from a facility's safety systems and emergency response programs. Most impor tantly, local government agencies and area emergency response personnel can use the information from the alternative scenarios for emergency response planning. The potentially affected area from a simulated flammable release is shown on a map as a circle. For flammable chemicals, the circle represents the farthest area which a vapor cloud explosion could potentially cause impacts to human health. The force of the explosion is estimated in "pounds of overpressure" and considered potentially harmful if a person is exposed to more than one pound of overpressure per square inch. This force is roughly equivalent to the effort needed to break glass windows or knock a standing person down. Finally, facilities are also required to compile a five-year accident release history for the listed chemicals on site. This history lists all events that have actually occurred at the site and the impact of those events. Only accidental releases that result in death, injuries, significant property d amage, evacuations, shelter-in-place, or environmental damage are listed in the five-year history. |