Why El Segundo facility?
By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor | Posted: Sunday, May 18, 2008
A beach community in the heart of metro Los Angeles would seem to have little in common with a largely rural county in southeast South Dakota.
So why did the Journal send business editor Dave Dreeszen and chief photographer Tim Hynds to the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, Calif. this month?
It's perhaps the closest comaprison of the envionmentally sensitive refinery and energy center that Hyperion Resources has promised to build in rural Union County site. Hyperion leaders singled out Chevron's operation as having the most similiar refining process and pollution-control equipment.
Here are some of the major similarities and differences between the two refineries.
Production
With a capacity to refine 400,000 barrels of crude per day, Hyperion's would be nearly twice as large as the 260,000-barrel-per-day Chevron refinery. Chevron transforms crude into low-sulfur gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, the three basic fuels that Hyperion plans to manufacture.
Crude sources
Chevron gets its crude from all over the world. The bulk comes from Saudi Arabia, with California's Central Valley supplying a smaller domestic share. Lately, more crude has been coming from South America, said Chevron spokesman Rod Spackman.
With the exception of California source, Chevron's crudes are lighter. Hyperion plans to refine a heavier crude, from the sand fields of Alberta crude.
Delivery/distribution
About 80 percent of the crude oil processed at El Segundo arrives via tankers. It's offloaded into underwater pipelines at the refinery's offshore marine terminal in Santa Monica Bay. Domestic crude flows into the refinery via pipeline.
Chevron also uses pipelines to distribute its finished fuel products.
That system seems to have greatly reduced the need for truck traffic in and out of the El Segundo complex.
A pipeline would bring the Alberta crude south to Hyperion's site, just north of Elk Point. Finished fuel products would be sent out by truck, rail or pipeline.
Refining process
Hyperion Project Executive J.L. "Corky'' Frank said the two refineries would be "very similar.'' except for the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit, or "cat cracker,'' the largest gasoline conversion unit at El Segundo.
Instead, Frank said Hyperion plans to use a hydrocracker, a newer technology that produces fewer emissions than a cat cracker. The tradeoff is somewhat reduced gas production capacity. As a result, Hyperion expects its product mix to have a higher percentage of diesel fuel than El Segundo, he said.
Power plant
Since the 1980s, Chevron's own cogeneration facility has supplied most of the steam and heat for the refinery.
Hyperion proposes to power its refinery with a clean energy technology called integrated gasification combined-cycle, or IGCC. The process uses petroleum coke, a refining byproduct similar to coal, as a fuel stock. Before burning, IGCC turns the coke into a gas, making it easier to separate out carbon dioxide than it would be if coke were burned first.
California's strict environmental laws, which banned coal-fired power plants for refineries, requires Chevron to use cleaner-burning natural gas in its power plant.
Emissions/state regulations
Hyperion claims its energy center, outfitted with with Best Available Control Technologies, would have 80 percent less annual emissions than the average rate for the 21 refineries in California. But Hyperion has not made direct comparisons with El Segundo or any other specific refinery in the state, Frank said.
California's air quality laws are the nation's most stringent because the state has the country's worst air pollution. Because South Dakota's air is considered clean, it's considered in compliance with federal air quality standards.
With a few minor design changes, Frank said he assumes Hyperion's proposed refinery also could be permitted in California.
So why did the Journal send business editor Dave Dreeszen and chief photographer Tim Hynds to the Chevron oil refinery in El Segundo, Calif. this month?
It's perhaps the closest comaprison of the envionmentally sensitive refinery and energy center that Hyperion Resources has promised to build in rural Union County site. Hyperion leaders singled out Chevron's operation as having the most similiar refining process and pollution-control equipment.
Here are some of the major similarities and differences between the two refineries.
Production
With a capacity to refine 400,000 barrels of crude per day, Hyperion's would be nearly twice as large as the 260,000-barrel-per-day Chevron refinery. Chevron transforms crude into low-sulfur gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, the three basic fuels that Hyperion plans to manufacture.
Crude sources
Chevron gets its crude from all over the world. The bulk comes from Saudi Arabia, with California's Central Valley supplying a smaller domestic share. Lately, more crude has been coming from South America, said Chevron spokesman Rod Spackman.
With the exception of California source, Chevron's crudes are lighter. Hyperion plans to refine a heavier crude, from the sand fields of Alberta crude.
Delivery/distribution
About 80 percent of the crude oil processed at El Segundo arrives via tankers. It's offloaded into underwater pipelines at the refinery's offshore marine terminal in Santa Monica Bay. Domestic crude flows into the refinery via pipeline.
Chevron also uses pipelines to distribute its finished fuel products.
That system seems to have greatly reduced the need for truck traffic in and out of the El Segundo complex.
A pipeline would bring the Alberta crude south to Hyperion's site, just north of Elk Point. Finished fuel products would be sent out by truck, rail or pipeline.
Refining process
Hyperion Project Executive J.L. "Corky'' Frank said the two refineries would be "very similar.'' except for the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit, or "cat cracker,'' the largest gasoline conversion unit at El Segundo.
Instead, Frank said Hyperion plans to use a hydrocracker, a newer technology that produces fewer emissions than a cat cracker. The tradeoff is somewhat reduced gas production capacity. As a result, Hyperion expects its product mix to have a higher percentage of diesel fuel than El Segundo, he said.
Power plant
Since the 1980s, Chevron's own cogeneration facility has supplied most of the steam and heat for the refinery.
Hyperion proposes to power its refinery with a clean energy technology called integrated gasification combined-cycle, or IGCC. The process uses petroleum coke, a refining byproduct similar to coal, as a fuel stock. Before burning, IGCC turns the coke into a gas, making it easier to separate out carbon dioxide than it would be if coke were burned first.
California's strict environmental laws, which banned coal-fired power plants for refineries, requires Chevron to use cleaner-burning natural gas in its power plant.
Emissions/state regulations
Hyperion claims its energy center, outfitted with with Best Available Control Technologies, would have 80 percent less annual emissions than the average rate for the 21 refineries in California. But Hyperion has not made direct comparisons with El Segundo or any other specific refinery in the state, Frank said.
California's air quality laws are the nation's most stringent because the state has the country's worst air pollution. Because South Dakota's air is considered clean, it's considered in compliance with federal air quality standards.
With a few minor design changes, Frank said he assumes Hyperion's proposed refinery also could be permitted in California.
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Dave Wilson wrote on May 22, 2008 10:06 PM:
Problems at El Segundo wrote on May 21, 2008 10:39 AM:
Google El Segundo Refinery May 2008
Having Flares, Toxic Release, and Shut Downs. We don't want them here.
"
AnnieO wrote on May 19, 2008 10:08 PM:
Yo Weneedthis, Union county residents DO mind! "
Thorgood wrote on May 19, 2008 3:43 PM:
Tom Larson wrote on May 19, 2008 10:07 AM: