Royal Dutch/Shell Group has ceased production at its gas-to-liquids (GTL) and waxes plant at Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia, following an explosion and fire on Dec. 25.
Twelve people were hurt in the blast, but the worst injury was a broken wrist. Damage to the plant is being assessed. At OGJ presstime, a Shell official said an interim report is expected "within the week."
Shell said the explosion occurred at 10:30 p.m. Two out of 14 products tanks, one containing naphtha and one kerosine, caught fire. Firefighters brought the blaze under control by the evening of Dec. 26.
An early damage survey pinpointed the plant's air separation unit and utilities area as the epicenter of the explosion. The blast damaged other parts of the plant, including synthesis units.
The Shell Middle Distillate Synthesis plant at Bintulu has capacity to produce 12,500 b/d of middle distillates and waxes from natural gas feedstock.
The plant is one of only two commercially successful GTL plants worldwide and is seen as a key step in Shell's plans to refine a technology to utilize flared gas or remote gas finds (OGJ, June 23, 1997, p. 16).
The official said Shell does not expect to restart production until an investigation into the cause of the blast is completed: "This will take months rather than weeks."
Copyright 1997 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.
