Valero plans CDU upgrades at Port Arthur, Texas (U.S.) refinery in February
Valero Energy plans to perform upgrades to the large crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 380,000-bpd Port Arthur, Texas refinery in February, said people familiar with the plant’s operations.
A Valero spokesperson did not reply on Tuesday to a request for comment about the refinery’s maintenance plans.
Valero plans to perform a series of upgrades to the AVU-146 CDU beginning in February aimed at boosting the unit’s capacity from an average of 235,000 bpd to 260,000 bpd, the sources said.
Among the improvements will be upgrades to processing of bottoms - heavy, gunky residual crude oil that is usually sent to the coker or used in asphalt, the sources said.
The refinery may be able to keep AVU-146 in operation while the upgrades are underway, the sources said.
CDUs begin the refining process by breaking down crude oil into feedstocks for all other units at the refinery. Cokers convert residual crude into either feedstocks for motor fuels or petroleum coke, which can be used as a coal substitute.
The Port Arthur refinery is Valero's largest by capacity.
Comments