Texaco's Pembroke refinery processes first Doba crude

ChevronTexaco Corp. subsidiary Texaco Ltd. reported it has successfully processed its first shipment of Doba crude at its Pembroke refinery in southwest Wales, following completion of a $12.8 million plant reconfiguration.

June 24, 2004

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, June 24 -- ChevronTexaco Corp. subsidiary Texaco Ltd. reported it has successfully processed its first shipment of Doba crude at its Pembroke refinery in southwest Wales, following completion of a $12.8 million plant reconfiguration.

The heavy, acidic Doba crude is similar to North Sea crude that Pembroke currently refines, but Doba has a higher calcium content—250 ppm.

To enable Pembroke to refine Doba crude, which comes from Bolobo, Miandoum, and Kome oil fields in southern Chad, Texaco coated pipe interiors with a chemical inhibitor that provides a protective film, which is regularly monitored. With BakerPetrolite chemical company, Texaco also devised a process to treat the calcium in the refinery's desalter.