USA – Marathon Extinguishes Fire at Galveston Bay Refinery Alkylation Unit

Marathon Petroleum has extinguished a fire that occurred Tuesday at its Galveston Bay refinery in Texas, according to a filing with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).

The company reported that the incident took place in the refinery’s alkylation unit number two while crews were draining a vessel. Residual hydrocarbons ignited during the process, triggering the fire.

Refinery personnel quickly isolated the affected equipment and applied water spray, allowing the fire to be brought under control without further escalation, the filing said.

Alkylation units are used to improve gasoline quality by increasing octane levels while reducing vapor pressure and sulfur content.

Photo credit: Marathon Petroleum. All rights reserved.