Repairs on track at Williams’ Geismar olefins plant

Aug. 6, 2013
Williams Olefins LLC, a subsidiary of Williams Partners LP, plans to restart its Geismar Olefins plant in April 2014, after repairs following an explosion earlier this summer (OGJ Online, June 13, 2013), according to recent company announcement.

Williams Olefins LLC, a subsidiary of Williams Partners LP, plans to restart its Geismar Olefins plant in April 2014, after repairs following an explosion earlier this summer (OGJ Online, June 13, 2013), according to recent company announcement.

The restart will also bring online an expansion that will increase by about 50% the plant’s ethylene production capacity.

Williams Olefins has been able to carry out expansions throughout most of the plant except for the immediate area of the explosion near the propylene fractionator. Based on initial damage assessment, Williams Partners has been engaged in the engineering, procurement, and demolition of affected equipment.

As of now, it said, major items slated for replacement include piping and heat exchangers associated with the propylene fractionator, large portions of the electrical power cable and control wiring in the plant, and support structures and piping damaged in the incident.