The Daily Insight
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What happened at BP Texas City?

The Texas City Refinery explosion occurred on March 23, 2005, when a hydrocarbon vapor cloud was ignited and violently exploded at the ISOM isomerization process unit at BP’s Texas City refinery in Texas City, Texas, killing 15 workers, injuring 180 others and severely damaging the refinery.

Where is the oil refineries in Texas?

The majority of the refineries in the state of Texas are clustered near major sea ports along the Gulf Coast, predominately in the Houston area.

What are some of the major causes of accidents at the BP Texas City refinery?

It is one of the worst industrial disasters to date. The explosion was caused by the overfilling of the raffinate splitter tower and a blowdown drum releasing hot hydrocarbons. The resulting vapour cloud ignited, destroying the ISOM unit.

Where are US refineries located?

Although there are refineries in 30 states, just three states dominate US refining: Texas (47 operating refineries), Louisiana (19), and California (18). As of January 2015, these three states contain 45% of all US refineries and 59% of all US refining capacity.

Is marathon part of BP?

BP announced today it has reached an agreement to sell its Texas City, Texas refinery and a portion of its retail and logistics network in the Southeast U.S. to Marathon Petroleum Corporation for $2.5 billion (which includes $0.6bn of cash at closing, an estimated value of $1.2bn for hydrocarbon inventories and a $0.7 …

How old is the Philadelphia refinery?

Known as Philadelphia Energy Solutions today, it began refining oil on the banks of the Schuylkill River in 1870. Over the years, it has expanded to include 3000 storage tanks and enough piping to reach Florida — most of it wrapped in asbestos.

What happened at the BP refinery in Texas City?

BP Refinery: March 2005 On March 23rd, 2005 in Texas City, Texas, a horrendous explosion and fire at the British Petroleum (BP) oil refinery killed 15 workers and injured another 180. At the time, it was one of the worst industrial accidents to have occurred in the U.S. since the late 1980s.

What happened to BP’s Carson refineries?

BP announced plans to divest its Carson and Texas City refineries in February 2011 as part of a major strategic refocusing of the company’s global refining portfolio. The Texas City refinery became part of BP with the 1998 merger with Amoco.

How many people work at the Texas City Refinery?

The refinery employs some 2,150 BP staff and contractor numbers can vary between 1,000 and 3,000 each day. Three natural gas liquids pipelines connecting the Texas City Refinery with local suppliers and customers and some out-of-service lines in the Gulf Coast were included in the transaction.

What was the date of the BP explosion in Texas?

The National Response Center (NRC 753543) notified EPA of an explosion at the BP petrochemical plant in Texas City, Texas on 23 March 2005. The explosion occurred at approximately 1:20 PM local time.