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WorksheetsUSCSB - Torrance Refinery Explosion
Total questions: 26
Worksheet time: 23mins
Where is the Torrance Refinery located?
Just outside of San Francisco
Just outside of Dallas
Just outside of Los Angeles
Who owned the refinery at the time of the explosion?
British Petroleum
Shell
Pemex
ExxonMobil
What does FCC stand for?
Fluid catalytic cracker
Fluid catalytic converter
Fluid cracking compound
Federal Communications Commission
What are heavy hydrocarbons?
The light-weight hydrocarbons found in crude oil.
Hydrocarbons that are easy to process.
The long-chaing hydrocarbons found in crude oil.
Heavy hydrocarbons are ___________ or ___________ in the FCC unit.
break
broken
cracking
cracked
converted
What is a catalyst?
A substance that causes or accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected.
A substance that causes or accelarates a chemical reaction while being consumed itself.
A substance that increases the activation energy needed to get the reaction started.
A substance that lowers the activation energy needed to get the reaction started.
Where are the heavy hydrocarbons fed first?
Into a heat exchanger
Into a boiler
Into a reactor
What has to happen to the large molecules found in crude oil in order to obtain gasoline?
The molecules have to react and become new ones.
Nothing.
The molecules have to be "cracked" with the help of a catalyst.
The molecules are separated only by using heat.
What happens in the reactor?
The heavy hydrocarbons are mixed with air.
The heavy hydrocarbons are washed.
The heavy hydrocarbons are converted into lighter hydrocarbon vapors.
The hydrocarbon vapors are combusted to produce energy.
What happens at the top of the reactor?
The heavy hydrocarbon vapors are collected
The lighter hydrocarbon vapors are separated from the catalyst
Gasoline is produced
What happens after the hydrocarbon vapors are separated from the catalyst?
They flow to the main distillation column
They are fed a second catalyst
They are recycled into the reactor
This component is important and allows the catalyst to separate from the lighter hydrocarbon vapors
Slide valve
Safety valve
Check valve
When the slide valve opens, the catalyst goes to the _________
Distillation column
Regenerator
Reactor
What is the layer called that is formed on the catalyst during the reaction?
Coke
Dr. Pepper
Sprite
Why is air added to the catalyst in the regenerator?
Air has oxygen and oxygen is needed to burn of the coke off the catalyst.
Air has oxygen and oxygen is needed to burn the catalyst.
Air is added to cool down the catalyst.
When the coke (outer black layer) is burned off the catalyst, __________ is released.
Methane gas
Propane gas
Flue gas
What is the piece of equipment in the gas system called?
ERP = Electrostatic remover of particles
EPS = Electrostatic particle system
ESP = Electrostatic precipitator
What prevents flammable hydrocarbons from flowing into the air side of the FCC unit?
Two slide valves and a catalyst barrier
Three slide valves and two catalyst barriers
A safety valve and a catalyst barrier
What piece of equipment triggered the refinery's control system?
The shredder
The expander
The compresor
During safe park mode, the flow of __________ into the _________ is turned off.
hydrocarbons, reactor
flue gas, reactor
catalyst, distillation column
The flow of air into the regenerator is ________ during _________
stopped, safe park mode
slowed, maintenance
stopped, reaction
Why was steam forced into the reactor?
To prevent hydrocarbons from the distillation column from flowing back inside the FCC.
To prevent hydrocarbons from the regenerator from flowing back insde the FCC.
Steam was needed to clean the reactor.
Does the ESP remain energized during safe park?
Yes
No
Sometimes
Is a catalyst barrier the best way to seal the air side of the FCC during safe park?
No
Yes
What happened when the catalyst barrier fell back into the regenerator?
A pathway for steam to flow between the reactor and the regenerator was created
A pathway for hydrocarbons to flow between the reactor and regenerator was created
A pathway for hydrocarbons to flow to the distillation column was created.
What did the operations personnel think was the cause of the expander's failure?
They thought coke and Dr. Pepper had spilled
The coke from the regenerator had found its way to the expander
Catalyst had likely accumulated
