Royal Dutch Shell Plc shut the CDUs (crude distillation units) at its Deer Park, Texas, refinery due to a malfunction Sunday. The 318,000 barrel-per-day facility shut down the 70,000-bpd DU-1 CDU and then the 240,000-bpd DU-2 CDU, according to sources.
The CDUs were shut due to a failed seal on a pump that provides feedstock for other units.
The Shell refinery in Deer Park is a 50-50 joint venture between Shell and Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), which is Mexico’s national oil company.
Officials were unsure if the CDUs at the refinery would be able to restart quickly.
Source: Reuters, “Shell Deer Park, Texas, refinery shuts CDUs after malfunction, sources say,” February 14, 2021