Shell refutes news of reduced operating rate of cracker plant

12 Aug '10

1 min read

Royal Dutch Shell operates a steam cracker with a ethylene production capacity of 800,000 tons per annum at the Shell Eastern Petrochemicals Complex (SEPC) in Singapore. It was reported in the media that the plant is running at a lower capacity.

Speaking exclusively with a senior official source of Shell, fibre2fashion was informed that, "The flare system at Shell's Pulau Bukom manufacturing site was activated in the afternoon of 3 August 2010 due to an unplanned disruption to a process unit and there is no cause for alarm as the flare system is a major safety device and the rest of the operations were not affected”.

The official added by saying that, “When such disruptions occur, flammable hydrocarbons are routed to the flare system where it is combined with steam and safely burnt. This system acts as a "safety relief valve" to allow for combustible gases to be burnt and released as water and carbon dioxide”.?

The official concluded by saying, “Occasional flaring is a normal and vital part of keeping the site safe. ?Shell takes flaring seriously. It is aggressively managed and our sites strive for zero routine flaring”.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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