Page 58 - FINAL Phillips 66 50 Year Book

1990s

1990s

The 1990s saw Humber Refinery upgraded to improve its production of
needle coke and anode-grade petroleum coke – raw materials sold to
produce electrodes and anodes used in the global steel and aluminium
industries. In the typical refinery, low-valued fuel coke is a by-product
of the heavy crude refining process. Humber was the opposite: the
refinery’s expertise in these specialised product lines earned it even
more recognition.

Sales of LPG in the UK received a major boost thanks to not one but
six new company initiatives, reported ConocoWorld in 1993. LPG, a by-
product of oil refining, is produced at the refinery as gas, then liquefied
and stored in the underground caverns constructed in the 1980s.
Until now, the product had been pumped two miles from the caverns
to storage ‘bullets’ in Immingham. The bullets were sold for scrap and
an extra pump and pipeline were installed at the caverns, meaning the
LPG could be pumped directly onto loading racks on the tankers, 24
hours a day, 365 days a year.

Two customer phone lines were installed at the Immingham terminal
and, for the first time, LPG was sold under the familiar Jet brand. To
reflect this, the delivery fleet’s livery was updated, and the customer
base was extended to smaller user markets, primarily heating for
poultry farms. The changes were managed by a new team – making,
in all, six forward-thinking initiatives. The message was clear: ‘We are
competitive, and we are here to stay.’

There was also change within the refinery, too: a two-year programme
to create one brand new, blast-proof control room – replacing five
individual rooms located around the site – was nearing competition.