Case Study: Petrochemical Weather
A chemical plant in Port Arthur, Texas belongs to one of the largest integrated oil and gas companies in the U.S. The company explores for oil and gas in more than 30 countries and has reserves of 7.61 billion barrels of oil equivalent. It has a refining capacity of 2.59 million barrels per day and sells fuel under commonly known brands. Other operations include chemicals, gas gathering, fuels technology and power generation.
In order to fully prepare for the damaging effects of a hurricane, a decision to shut down the facility must be made three days before arrival of the storm. This is a costly decision, not only because the plant is not in production but also because product must be removed from all pipes and lines and protective material inserted into the line so that the product doesn’t adhere to the inside of the pipes. Thus, very detailed information about the track and forecasts of the possible effects is required by the managers making these decisions.
The plant wanted not only detailed forecasts about the most likely track for any storm but also information about the chance the storm may deviate from the primary forecast track. In addition, forecasts for effects from the storm – and the timing of those effects – are critical matters when the plant manager makes his decision. The company selected ImpactWeather’s TropicsWatch Select service. This level of service allows the plant to conduct conference calls with an ImpactWeather hurricane forecaster briefing their managers throughout a storm event.
In September 2005, Hurricane Rita was bearing down on the Texas coast. ImpactWeather’s forecasters phoned for conference calls with the company’s managers frequently over the 3 days leading up to arrival of the storm. While the track of the storm went through several adjustments, the managers of the plant were fully aware and ready for all contingencies the storm presented. With a near direct hit, the preparations were completed well in advance so that personnel were able to evacuate prior to the arrival of the storm.
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