TotalEnergies began a planned 60-day overhaul on the small crude distillation unit (CDU), along with a reformer and hydrotreaters at its 238,000 barrel-per-day Port Arthur, Texas refinery, people familiar with plant operations said on Tuesday.
The 35,000-bpd continuous catalytic reformer (CCR), three diesel hydrotreaters with a combined throughput of 84,000 bpd, along with a 42,000-bpd naphtha hydrotreater and a sulfur block were shut along with the ACU-2 CDU and its associated 51,000-bpd vacuum distillation unit-1 (VDU-1), the sources said.
A TotalEnergies spokesperson did not reply on Tuesday night to a request for comment.
The 150,000-bpd ACU-1 CDU will remain in operation while ACU-2 is shut.
CDUs operate at atmospheric pressure and break down crude oil into feedstocks for all other units at the refinery.
VDUs also break down crude oil into feedstocks, but operate at vacuum pressure.
Reformers convert refining byproducts in octane-boosting components added to unfinished gasoline.
Hydrotreaters remove sulfur from motor fuels and their feedstocks to comply with U.S. environmental rules.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Rashmi Aich)