Weekend Flaring At Torrance Refinery Was Part Of Maintenance, Company Says

TORRANCE, CA -- The intermittent flaring at the Torrance Refinery over the weekend was a routine part of a maintenance project called a turnaround, plant officials said.

The flaring started around 6 p.m. and continued for 12 hours, the Torrance Police Department said.

"Turnarounds are conducted in compliance with rigorous safety and environmental regulations to improve the refinery's efficiency, ensure mechanical integrity and meet regulatory obligations," PBF Energy, which owns the refinery, said.

The company explained why flaring will occur for several months of the turnaround: "The flare is a key safety device that ensures the safe combustion of excess, flammable gasses. During shutdown and startup of units, you may see intermittent planned flaring."

The company pledged to make every effort to minimize its use.

Last Wednesday, trace amounts of hydrofluoric acid were detected when a pump valve malfunctioned at the refinery, authorities, however, said the public was not in any danger.

The leak occurred in an alkylation unit at the refinery, according to Torrance Fire Department Assistant Chief Steve Treskes.

A laser detection device picked up a leak of 1.4 parts per million of hydrofluoric acid that emanated from a nipple valve on a pump and sent a signal to an operator, who shut down the pump and redirected the flow to a backup, Treskes said.

"The system worked as it's designed," Treskes said.

The leak involved a product called Sulfane, an additive of which contained trace amounts of hydrofluoric acid, Treskes said.

The detected level of 1.4 parts per million was below the reportable level of 2 parts per million, he said, but regulatory agencies, including the South Coast Air Quality Management District, were notified because of ongoing public concerns over the refinery and its processes, according to Treskes.

"It was a small leak caught by the sensor," he said. "There was no danger to the public, no off-site impact."

Hydrofluoric acid is used in a refinery's alkylation unit to manufacture high-octane grades of gasoline.

Last fall, EPA inspectors found broken equipment designed to help contain any accidental release of hydrofluoric acid remained disabled for weeks and that the plant's risk management plan contained errors and inaccuracies that understated the danger to the community from a fire or chemical release, according to the Daily Breeze.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has held hearings the past two Saturdays in Torrance about proposed new or amended regulations aimed at reducing planned and unplanned flaring and requiring more air quality monitoring when flaring occurs.

The regulators were also asking state lawmakers to approve Assembly Bill 1645 to eliminate use of the highly toxic hydrofluoric acids by refineries in favor of safer alternatives.

-- City News Service contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of the Torrance Refinery