Page 65 - FINAL Phillips 66 50 Year Book

In straight cash terms, Conoco’s spend on this project represented a
small fraction of the huge investments they made. Capital replacement,
environmental projects and new equipment spends ran at an average of
$50 million each year. More than $70 million was spent in 1994 alone,
such as a new Sulphur Recovery Unit and a closed Coker Blowdown
system to cut Hydrocarbon emissions. Running a profitable refinery
is almost a never-ending process; it has, and always will, continue to
invest.

Conoco’s philosophy of flexibility and technical evolution firmly
established the Humber Refinery as a world leader. Having invested
more than £500 million to date in an almost continuous modernisation
programme, the company paid credit to a workforce ever ready to meet
change head-on. With a constant eye on new horizons, the refinery
stayed ahead of the competition. In July 1994, a record rate of 204,000
barrels a day was set – an increase of 300 per cent on its original
capacity.

Former general manager Duane Skogen was not wrong when he
described the refinery as being like a butcher’s shop, making use of
everything until there is ‘nothing left but the squeal in the pig.’
Above: No.2 Sulphur Degassing Plant.
By now it was producing a huge range of products; even an ozone-
friendly aerosol propellant, marketed by Conoco’s parent company,
DuPont. But its petroleum coke production continued to make it
unique. Conventional European refineries normally sold the heavier
components of crude oil as heavy fuel oil; Humber Refinery converted
it into high value coke, making it one of the world’s largest producer of
premium coke.