HOUSTON: Royal Dutch Shell is restarting a heavy oil hydrocracker at its 209,787 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Convent, Louisiana, said sources familiar with plant operations.The 45,000 bpd hydrocracker, called the H-Oil Unit, was shut earlier on Sunday after a fire, the sources said.
"No injuries, no offsite impact," said Shell spokesman Ray Fisher in response to a question about the fire. He did not provide information on the status of the H-Oil Unit.
The fire broke out at about 1:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on Sunday, the sources said.
The H-Oil Unit is an atypical hydrocracker because it converts residual crude oil into motor fuels, especially diesel. Residual crude is normally processed by coking units.
Hydrocrackers use hydrogen and a catalyst under high heat and pressure to produce motor fuels, usually starting with gas oil as a feedstock.