ìThe work should have no significant impact on (gas) prices, said Mike Astin, environmental manager at the Woods Cross refinery. ìWeíve made allowances for the period weíll be shut down,î he said.
The refinery began shutting down late last week for up to 26 days of additions, improvements and cleaning, which will make its operation more efficient and allow the refinery to process Utah crude oil, an oil which is difficult to refine because of its properties.
Astin said the refinery has built up inventory in its tanks and will continue to make and blend gasoline during the period the refinery is shut down. Holly has also purchased oil from other refineries to supplement its inventory.
That should mean the Utah market shouldnít be hurt any more than it already is. On Monday, the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas was $4.01 per gallon, down from a high of $4.22 on July 18, according to AAA, which monitors gas prices nationwide and posts them on their website daily.
The refineryís shutdown is something that is needed at all refineries periodically.
Among improvements being made this year is the addition of a 15,000-barrel-per-day hydrocracker, which breaks apart chains of petroleum molecules so they can more easily be refined into gasoline.
The hydrocracker wonít be operational until October, Astin said, but itís what will be used to refine the Utah crude oil. ìWeíve had people ask why we donít refine more local crude oil. Itís because itís a black, sticky, hard-to-handle, waxy crude that gums up the equipment,î Astin said.
The ìcrackerî will be able to break down even that waxy crude oil, enabling Holly to buy more of the product from oil fields in eastern Utah, Astin sid.
Also during the shutdown, repairs to pipes, pumps and heat exchangers will be made and equipment cleaned or replaced, like the cones in the catalytic cracker reactor, Astin said.
ìItís like taking your car in for a tune-up and telling the mechanic to check out everything else, and he calls you back and tells you thereís a hole in the exhaust pipe, so you have it replaced too,î Astin said.
The work will also help the environment, Astin said, allowing Holly low-pollution type burns.
When completed, the work should mean the refinery can increase its refining capacity and will allow Holly to ship crude oil into the Salt Lake area, according to the Holly Corp. website.
ìWeíve been planning this for about a year,î Astin said, something they had to do to get contractors and employees here to do the work. ìIf we donít schedule it in advance the contractors wouldnít be available.î
The refinery produces about 26,000 barrels per day, which will be increased when the work is complete.
mwilliams@davisclipper.com
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