BP Products North

Reviewed by Dr. Subramani Velu BP Products North America, Inc.Refining Technology Naperville, IL, USA velu.subramani bp.com. 

Refining and Logistics Technology, BP Products North America, Inc. 

In September 2005, BP Products North America Inc. agreed to pay over 21 million in penalties for safety and health violations following the investigation of the fatal explosion at its Texas City. The penalties are part of a settlement agreement with the US Department of Labor s OSHA [22]. 

About five years later, in August 2010, OSHA announced that BP Products North America Inc. agreed to pay a penalty of 50.6 million more to resolve failure-to-abate citations issued after a 2009 follow up investigation. In addition BP agreed to take immediate steps to further worker protection. BP allocated 500 million for those safety enhancements [23]. 

On March 23,2005, at a BP Products North America-owned and -operated refinery, a fire and explosion resulted in 15 deaths, 170 injuries, and extensive property damage. An investigation team led by BP employee J. Mogford released a report titled Fatal Accident Investigation Report, Isomerization Unit Explosion Final Report, Texas City, Texas, USA. The 192 page report may be accessed at the website listed in the end-of-chapter references. 

It is easier to write about a culture that includes safety as a core value than it is to factually describe a situation in which the culture deteriorates over time, the effect the deterioration has on increasing risk and the position in which such deterioration places a safety professional. The following are excerpts taken from a report that was internally produced by BP Products North America (2005) pertaining to a fire and explosion that occurred on March 23,2005, at an owned and operated refinery in Texas City, Texas. As a result of that incident, 15 people were killed and over 170 were harmed. It is important to note that these excerpts, taken from the Executive Summary— Fatal Accident Investigation Report, represent a self-evaluation. 

OSHA reaches settlement agreement with BP Products North America Inc. The company pays more than 21 million in fines following a fatal explosion at its Texas City plant. It is the largest penalty ever Issued by OSHA. 

Over the years with the different editions 1 have received help from very many companies concerned with the production of plastics materials and from very many individuals. For this edition I should specifically like to thank Susan Davey, Academic Information Services Manager of the University of North London, Rebecca Dolbey and Ray Gill of Rapra Technology Ltd, Peter Lewis of the Open University, Simon Robinson of European Plastics News, Christopher Sutcliffe of Crystal Polymers Ltd and Graham Bonner of BP Chemicals. 

Thermodynamically, the carbonylation of methyl acetate (AG298 -10 kJ/mol) is considerably less favourable than that of methanol (AG298 -74 kJ/mol). This means that the reaction does not reach completion but attains an equilibrium which is dependent on the temperature and the CO pressure. Two variants are currently practised commercially that developed by Tennessee Eastman, based on a Halcon process, and a BP process in which acetic acid and the anhydride are co-produced in proportions which can be varied according to demand. Syngas for the Eastman process is made from coal which is mined close to the plant in Tennessee and the acetic anhydride produced is used to make cellulose acetate for film production. The BP process uses syngas generated from North Sea gas which is piped directly to the BP plant in EIull. [Acetic anhydride manufacture M. J. Eloward, M. D. Jones, M. S. Roberts, S. A. Taylor, Catalysis Today, 1993, 18, 325]. 

BP Global Special Products Ausiraia, 144-152 Fitzgerald Rd., Laverton North, Milbourne, Victoria, Australia (Teh 61 3 9368 0088 FAX 61 3 9369 6070)... 

Amoco Performance Products Inc., Greenville, South Carolina, USA—acquired Union Carbide s carbon fiber production at Greenville, where a range of carbon fibers from pitch, cellulosic and PAN precursors were made under the trade name of Thornel. PAN precursor is also produced there. In the early 1990s, also acquired BASF s carbon fiber production. BASF, in 1985, had acquired the Celion carbon fiber production from Celanese at Rockhill, North Carolina. Meltspun PAN was also produced at Rockhill, but this was discontinued in favour of using precursor from Toho Rayon. Became BP Amoco and was purchased by Cytec Industries Inc. 

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