SPECIAL TOPIC : Disaster Preparation / Mitigation Management cal , state , and federal levels to interact with the industry to respond to all types of disasters and emergencies . 4 This framework helps everyone involved to exchange information , allocate resource distribution , and enable decision-making in the event of an incident . Designed to help develop communication between oil companies , the government , and local sectors , the National Response Framework goes much further than the current ICS ( Incident Command System ) which acts as a template for any industry to manage an incident or disaster on a multitude of levels .
In addition to the legislation , each refinery , power plant , and pipeline should have a clear plan in the event of a natural disaster which is tailored to their specific systems , machinery , and units . By acting in an efficient , methodical manner , not only will the risk of explosion be reduced , but the risk of internal costly damage within the plant will be lowered .
Case Study : Japan
In 2021 , a hugely powerful earthquake in north-eastern Japan knocked out power , disrupted travel ( the bullet train lines were severely affected ) and injured more than 150 people . The refinery most affected , Eneos Corp , was forced to shut down , cutting the country ’ s power supply by 20 %. The Eneos Corp processes as much as 743,000 barrels of oil per day . 6 The refinery near Sendai , situated nearby the epicentre of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake , had to be shut down immediately . A second refinery , near Negishi , was also shut down , causing an overall shortage of 415,000 barrels per day . 6 The refineries were closed for four days and following rigorous checks were reopened to help alleviate the shortage of oil .
Case Study : Hurricane Harvey
In 2017 Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas Gulf Coast , an area that is home to 47 oil refineries 7 and accounts for 4.944 million barrels per day of refinery capacity . 8 Refineries and chemical complexes such as ExxonMobil in Baytown , Shell in Deer Park , and Phillips in Sweeny were shut
Image credit : https :// www . dailypioneer . com / 2018 / trending-news / explosion-and-fire-at-canada-slargest-oil-refinery . html .
down due to the immense flooding being caused by the hurricane . The major Texas Gulf Coast ports of Corpus Christi and Houston were closed to vessels , making crude oil and chemical imports impossible to dock and therefore creating a huge impact to the production line . Pipelines BridgeTex and Longhorn , which carry around 675,000 barrels of oil per day 8 were also shut down as well as the Kinder Morgan Crude and Condensate line . mised due to an already existing backlog of gasoline prior to the shutdown . The financial effect of this shortage meant that while crude oil prices remained stable , gasoline rose by 7 %. 9
Final Thoughts
With the economic impact of natural disasters increasing , due to human progress and development , it is increasingly important that individuals plan , prepare , and protect oil refineries and power plants from impending danger . As the highly hazardous and toxic materials
REFERENCES
1 . CNN https :// edition . cnn . com / 2019 / 10 / 16 / us / oilrefineries-earthquakes-hurricanes
2 . CNN https :// edition . cnn . com / 2019 / 10 / 15 / us / california-refinery-fire / index . html
3 . Research Gate https :// www . researchgate . net / figure / Potential-Effects-of-Flooding-on-Refinery _ fig2 _ 228857089
4 . https :// coking . com /
5 . Petroleum , Refineries and the Future https :// scalar . usc . edu / works / petroleum-refineries-and-the-future / legislation-to-help-refineries-prepare-for-disaster
6 . Reuters https :// www . reuters . com / article / us-refineryoperations-fuji-oil-co / japan-quake-knocks-out-20-ofcountrys-refining-capacity-idUSKBN2AF0YZ
7 . Wikipedia https :// en . wikipedia . org / wiki / Petroleum _ refining _ in _ the _ United _ States #:~: text = The % 20 single % 20largest % 20concentration % 20of ,% 2C % 20 and % 20California % 20 ( 18 )
8 . SP Global https :// www . spglobal . com / en / researchinsights / articles / factbox-refineries-now-facingbrunt-of-harvey-related-flooding
9 . CNBC https :// www . cnbc . com / 2017 / 08 / 27 / usgasoline-prices-jump-as-hurricane-harvey-knocksout-texas-refineries . html #:~: text = Investing % 20Club- , US % 20crude % 20prices % 20sink % 202.7 % 25 % 2C % 20 settling % 20at % 20 % 2446.57 % 2C , as % 20Harvey % 20 hits % 20US % 20refiners & text = Gasoline % 20hit % 20 two % 2Dyear % 20highs , in % 20more % 20than % 20 50 % 20years .
10 . Weather Meteorological Organization https :// public . wmo . int / en / media / press-release / weather-relateddisasters-increase-over-past-50-years-causingmore-damage-fewer #:~: text = The % 20number % 20 of % 20disasters % 20has , extreme % 20weather % 20and % 20improved % 20reporting .
These closures reduced the production of oil in the Gulf Coast by 21.64 % while natural gas output was affected by 25.71 %. 8 Government agencies such as the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement , the US Environmental Protection Agency , and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality were all key players in the reopening of the plants and refineries , offering waivers for parts of Texas bound by the Clean Air Act to use reformulated fuels in order to increase production post shutdown . Supply through pipelines was marginally impacted , however this was minibeing handled carry significant environmental risks , it is each plant ’ s duty to prepare for every natural disaster in order to reduce the risk to others . A natural disaster preparedness plan should be utilized , not just to reduce risk , but to bolster the industry against any and all eventualities .
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mike Dunn is an alumnus of Northeastern State University , receiving a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems . However , deviating from the most obvious professional path , Mike decided to uphold the family legacy and enter the illustrious valve repair industry . Almost two decades later , Mike is the co-owner of JS Machine and Valve Inc ., a premier valve refabrication facility located in Nowata , Oklahoma , and has been involved in the development of several patented products . Due to this extensive experience in refabrication , Mike has a unique insight into common valve related failure modes and the implications thereof .
Foster Voelker II attended the University of Houston , receiving a degree in Mechanical Engineering . After graduation , Foster Voelker began his career as a valve engineer for a large commodity valve manufacturer . During his tenure at this company , he helped to implement a fugitive emission compliance program across several product lines . Foster continued his focus on FE compliance as a project manager for a domestic manufacturer of seal components , helping both OEM valve manufacturers and end users conform to current emissions and regulatory requirements . After which , Foster returned to the valve production sector , consolidating these years of experience as the Director of Engineering for William E . Williams Valve Corporation .
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