[QUOTE=frogger;3576396]We have been hearing this same old story for the past half-dozen years. Is this intentional or are the companies that own these refineries just incompetent? Or are we going to hear how it's all the fault of regulations?
The phrase "Pay at the pump" is so appropriate.
QUOTE]
very nice.
A modern refinery contains many hundreds or thousands of miles of pipe, hundreds of thousands of valves, nearly 2000 pieces of complex and expensive rotating equipment, countless process control computers, and have to run full out for up to 5 years at a time with very high pressures (up to 3000 psi), very high temperatures (up to 1300 degrees f), corrosive and extremely flammable liquids and gasses with volumes that are staggering. Some of the largest refineries process over 10,000 gallons per minute! Amazing considering how complex the refining and purification process is.
Take your car up to redline for 5 years and let us know what happens.
No, refinery interuptions and problems are not intentional. Ever. There are way too many good people doing just the opposite, worknig very hard to prevent an upset.
Incompetent? I'd like to invite you to follow me around for a day. I work with about 1000 people who are anything but incompetent. They are proffesionals who understand that there are a million things that can cause a refinery upset, explosion, or fire and they work hard to prevent each and every one of them.
A serious mistake in an operating unit of a refinery can cost people's lives but I have no problem walking through one of these units, I trust the people who operate and maintain them.
I can remember when refineries typically ran at 80 to 85% of capacity because that was all that was needed and it wasn't as hard on the equipment. Now refineries run as close to 100% of capacity as possible, and that capacity has been increased over the years by improvements and modifications to the point where many refineries are now running at 150% or more of original capacity. The gasoline being made today is many times cleaner and more complicated than before also, which makes it even harder to keep on spec.
Even with all that, refineries today are more relaible and safer than ever.
There have always been refinery upsets, fires, and explosions. I've lived through many of them.
You are hearing more about them lately because today any upset affects the market because domestic supply is lower than demand. It wasn't always like that. There used to be a significant excess capacity. Now that number is a negative.
Suggesting that the people who run these refineries are either crooked or incompetent is ridiculous and suggests you know absolutely nothing about how a refinery is run or how it works.
Next time do some research before making accusations like that.