Process compressor shutdown causes smoke to pour from Shell cracker plant
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — You may have seen the smoke pouring out of the Shell cracker plant in Beaver County over the weekend.
It was because of a process compressor shutdown.
In a Facebook post from Sunday, Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals said the issue resulted in hydrocarbon material flaring up. It lasted about 15 minutes.
The company says actions were taken to eliminate the smoke as soon as possible. It's now working to find out what caused the interruption.
The full Facebook post can be found below:
Today, at approximately 12:08 p.m., a process compressor shut down resulting in flaring of hydrocarbon material in a controlled manner. The flaring lasted about 15 to 20 minutes, initially with smoke, as actions were taken to minimize and eliminate the smoke as soon as possible.
Operations are stable and we're working to determine the cause of the interruption. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
As we've shared, flares are important environmental controls and safety devices used in refineries and petrochemical processing plants like ours. They are utilized as a safe way to burn hydrocarbon gases, as an alternative to releasing the gases directly into the atmosphere.