Motiva Enterprises shut the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker (FCC) at its 626,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Monday, after a leak developed during a restart attempt, people familiar with plant operations said.
The 81,000-bpd FCC was shut on July 24 to repair a leak in a heavy naphtha line, the sources said.
Motiva began an attempt to restart the unit on Sunday.
A Motiva spokesperson did not reply to a request for comment on Monday night.
Following the discovery of the initial leak in July, the company discovered other leaks on the unit, which delayed earlier attempts to restart the unit.
FCCs use a fine powder catalyst to convert gas oil into unfinished gasoline.
Motiva’s Port Arthur refinery is the second largest in the United States, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Tom Hogue and Jacqueline Wong)