Bayway Refinery
Encyclopedia
Bayway Refinery is a refining facility in the Port of New York and New Jersey
, owned by ConocoPhillips
. Located in Linden
and Elizabeth, New Jersey
, it is the northernmost refinery on the East Coast of the United States. The oil refinery
converts crude oil (supplied by tanker ships from the North Sea
, Canada
and West Africa
) into gasoline
, diesel fuel, jet fuel
, and heating oil
. As of 2007, the facility processed approximately 238000 oilbbl/d of crude oil, producing 145000 oilbbl/d of gasoline and 110000 oilbbl/d of distillates. Its products are delivered to East Coast customers via pipeline transport
, barge
s, railcar
s and tank truck
s.
The facility also houses a petrochemical
plant which produces lubricants and additives and a polypropylene
plant which produces over 775 million pounds per year of polypropylene. The refinery has its own railway container terminal and heliport.
The workers at the plant have been unionized under the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
(Local No. 877) since 1960.
The refinery has had and continues to have environmental issues; a recent Eyewitness News investigative report characterizes the Bayway Refinery as a "repeat offender" of environmental regulations.
founder John D. Rockefeller
acquired several hundred acres of the former Morse family estate between Linden and Elizabeth, New Jersey
as the site for his latest refinery. Construction of temporary office buildings began on October 15, 1907 and work clearing the heavily wooded land began immediately. The cornerstone of the Machine Shop, the first permanent structure at the site, was laid on January 18, 1908, and construction continued throughout the year. The first crude stills at Bayway were completed in late 1908 and on January 2, 1909, they were symbolically fired up by William C. Koehler (c1880-1953). The facility began processing an initial 10000 barrels (1,589.9 m³) of crude oil per day. Capacity was expanded to an estimated 17176 oilbbl/d by 1911. Over the next several years the plant continued expanding and increasing capacity and workforce.
In 1911, Standard Oil was broken up into smaller units in accordance the Sherman Antitrust Act
. One of these successor companies was Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, the precursor to Esso and later Exxon, which retained the ownership of the Bayway facilities.
Bayway became a leading research facility within the S.O. New Jersey enterprise. It was the first facility in the United States to employ the use of hydrogenation
process to get greater yields from their crude products, and in 1919, scientists at Bayway created the world's first petrochemical
: isopropyl alcohol
.
The Ethyl Corporation
, a joint venture of General Motors
and Standard Oil
, built a plant for the manufacture of tetraethyl lead (TEL, the "lead" in leaded gasoline) at the refinery over the course of three months in 1924. Within the first two months of its operation, the facility had seventeen cases of severe lead poisoning
leading to hallucinations and insanity, and then five deaths in quick succession. The plant was shut down by the State of New Jersey in October, and Standard Oil was forbidden to manufacture TEL there again without state permission.
In the years leading up to World War II, the plant was upgraded and optimized to secure the defense of the country. On December 12, 1941, in response to the formation of the Axis powers, Bayway went dark, the blackout was instituted to protect the facility from enemy attack; it would last until the end of the war. During World War II, the plant constructed its first catalytic cracker
, or "cat cracker", which went into operation on January 18, 1943. This development proved essential to the production of fuel to support the Allied war effort, especially high octane aviation fuel, and also allowed the production of synthetic butyl rubber and materials used to manufacture explosives.
After the war, the usage of coal for heating declined sharply in the United States. In 1947, Esso invested $26 million in a refinery expansion program to meet an increased post-war demand for gasoline and heating oil, and constructed a second, much larger catalytic cracker with an initial processing capacity of 49000 oilbbl/d, replacing the original 1943 unit. The "Cat" came online in October 1949 and was the largest in the world during the twentieth century, and as of 2008 was the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1965 Enjay Chemical, a subsidiary of the Esso Chemical Company (which later became Exxon Chemical) in the Standard Oil Company New Jersey (mostly known publicly by the Esso, Enco and Humble brands) assumed all of the chemical processing assets and products at Bayway. In 1973, the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey was renamed Exxon
, and the facility likewise became known as the Exxon Bayway Refinery.
On the night of December 5, 1970 there were a series of powerful explosions that occurred at the refinery which resulted in multiple injuries and no fatalities in and around the plant. Windows were shattered as far away as Staten Island
, and the explosion was felt more than thirty miles away.
1976 brought about the installation of the most iconic structure at the refinery, the Wet Gas Scrubber
. Visible from the New Jersey Turnpike with its giant plumes of water vapor, this device eliminates 7-8 tons of dust per day as well as gases generated from the catalytic cracking process. To this day it is recognized as one of the most efficient and effective units of its kind in the world.
On the night of January 1–2, 1990, a cracked underwater pipeline leaked about 567000 gallons (2,146.3 m³) of fuel oil into the Arthur Kill. Because the waterway was already so heavily industrialized, Exxon argued that it should not have to pay any damages. The court disagreed, ordering the company to pay $15 million in reparations.
On April 8, 1993, the Tosco Corporation
finalized proceedings to purchase the refinery from Exxon for a sum of $175 million, although the Exxon Chemical Company continued to run the Chemical Plant. During this time Bayway was operated by Bayway Refining Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tosco Corporation. Under the direction of Tosco, Bayway was able to reorganize and upgrade the facility, and years of operating at a loss for Exxon in the later 1980s were turned around swiftly.
The Morristown and Erie Railway
became the contract switcher for the refinery in 1995, and set up the Bayshore Terminal Company to handle the management of 8,000 railroad car
s full of various refinery products each year. Since 2007, the EMD SW1500
diesel locomotive has been assigned to the plant.
In 1999, the Infineum company (a joint project of Exxon Chemical, Shell International Chemicals and Shell Chemical) took over operation of the chemical plant. Infineum researches and produces crankcase
lubricant additives, fuel additives, and specialty lubricant additives, as well as automatic transmission fluid
s, gear oil
s, and industrial oils.
Tosco was bought by Phillips Petroleum
in 2001, which was merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips in 2002.
In 2003 a new polypropylene
facility went online that produces 775 million pounds per year.
stated it would take the following actions at their Bayway facilities:
Port of New York and New Jersey
The Port of New York and New Jersey comprises the waterways in the estuary of the New York-Newark metropolitan area with a port district encompassing an approximate area within a radius of the Statue of Liberty National Monument...
, owned by ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
. Located in Linden
Linden, New Jersey
- Local government :, the Mayor of Linden is . The former longtime Mayor of Linden is 82-year-old John T. Gregorio, who served as mayor of Linden for 30, nonconsecutive years and was repeatedly tagged with scandal during his mayoral career, including one felony conviction, later pardoned, which...
and Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
, it is the northernmost refinery on the East Coast of the United States. The oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
converts crude oil (supplied by tanker ships from the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
) into gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, diesel fuel, jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
, and heating oil
Heating oil
Heating oil, or oil heat, is a low viscosity, flammable liquid petroleum product used as a fuel for furnaces or boilers in buildings. Home heating oil is often abbreviated as HHO...
. As of 2007, the facility processed approximately 238000 oilbbl/d of crude oil, producing 145000 oilbbl/d of gasoline and 110000 oilbbl/d of distillates. Its products are delivered to East Coast customers via pipeline transport
Pipeline transport
Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through a pipe. Most commonly, liquids and gases are sent, but pneumatic tubes that transport solid capsules using compressed air are also used....
, barge
Barge
A barge is a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of heavy goods. Some barges are not self-propelled and need to be towed by tugboats or pushed by towboats...
s, railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
s and tank truck
Tank truck
A tank truck or road tanker is a motor vehicle designed to carry liquefied loads, dry bulk cargo or gases on roads. The largest such vehicles are similar to railroad tank cars which are also designed to carry liquefied loads...
s.
The facility also houses a petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
plant which produces lubricants and additives and a polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
plant which produces over 775 million pounds per year of polypropylene. The refinery has its own railway container terminal and heliport.
The workers at the plant have been unionized under the International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Teamsters
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of several local and regional locals of teamsters, the union now represents a diverse membership of blue-collar and professional workers in both the public and private sectors....
(Local No. 877) since 1960.
The refinery has had and continues to have environmental issues; a recent Eyewitness News investigative report characterizes the Bayway Refinery as a "repeat offender" of environmental regulations.
History
In 1907 Standard OilStandard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
founder John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
acquired several hundred acres of the former Morse family estate between Linden and Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth, New Jersey
Elizabeth is a city in Union County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 124,969, retaining its ranking as New Jersey's fourth largest city with an increase of 4,401 residents from its 2000 Census population of 120,568...
as the site for his latest refinery. Construction of temporary office buildings began on October 15, 1907 and work clearing the heavily wooded land began immediately. The cornerstone of the Machine Shop, the first permanent structure at the site, was laid on January 18, 1908, and construction continued throughout the year. The first crude stills at Bayway were completed in late 1908 and on January 2, 1909, they were symbolically fired up by William C. Koehler (c1880-1953). The facility began processing an initial 10000 barrels (1,589.9 m³) of crude oil per day. Capacity was expanded to an estimated 17176 oilbbl/d by 1911. Over the next several years the plant continued expanding and increasing capacity and workforce.
In 1911, Standard Oil was broken up into smaller units in accordance the Sherman Antitrust Act
Sherman Antitrust Act
The Sherman Antitrust Act requires the United States federal government to investigate and pursue trusts, companies, and organizations suspected of violating the Act. It was the first Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies, and today still forms the basis for most antitrust litigation by...
. One of these successor companies was Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, the precursor to Esso and later Exxon, which retained the ownership of the Bayway facilities.
Bayway became a leading research facility within the S.O. New Jersey enterprise. It was the first facility in the United States to employ the use of hydrogenation
Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation, to treat with hydrogen, also a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically...
process to get greater yields from their crude products, and in 1919, scientists at Bayway created the world's first petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
: isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is a common name for a chemical compound with the molecular formula C3H8O. It is a colorless, flammable chemical compound with a strong odor...
.
The Ethyl Corporation
Ethyl Corporation
Ethyl Corporation is a fuel additive company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. The company is a manufacturer, blender and distributor of fuel additives...
, a joint venture of General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
and Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
, built a plant for the manufacture of tetraethyl lead (TEL, the "lead" in leaded gasoline) at the refinery over the course of three months in 1924. Within the first two months of its operation, the facility had seventeen cases of severe lead poisoning
Lead poisoning
Lead poisoning is a medical condition caused by increased levels of the heavy metal lead in the body. Lead interferes with a variety of body processes and is toxic to many organs and tissues including the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys, and reproductive and nervous systems...
leading to hallucinations and insanity, and then five deaths in quick succession. The plant was shut down by the State of New Jersey in October, and Standard Oil was forbidden to manufacture TEL there again without state permission.
In the years leading up to World War II, the plant was upgraded and optimized to secure the defense of the country. On December 12, 1941, in response to the formation of the Axis powers, Bayway went dark, the blackout was instituted to protect the facility from enemy attack; it would last until the end of the war. During World War II, the plant constructed its first catalytic cracker
Cracking (chemistry)
In petroleum geology and chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or heavy hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds in the precursors. The rate of cracking and the end products...
, or "cat cracker", which went into operation on January 18, 1943. This development proved essential to the production of fuel to support the Allied war effort, especially high octane aviation fuel, and also allowed the production of synthetic butyl rubber and materials used to manufacture explosives.
After the war, the usage of coal for heating declined sharply in the United States. In 1947, Esso invested $26 million in a refinery expansion program to meet an increased post-war demand for gasoline and heating oil, and constructed a second, much larger catalytic cracker with an initial processing capacity of 49000 oilbbl/d, replacing the original 1943 unit. The "Cat" came online in October 1949 and was the largest in the world during the twentieth century, and as of 2008 was the largest in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1965 Enjay Chemical, a subsidiary of the Esso Chemical Company (which later became Exxon Chemical) in the Standard Oil Company New Jersey (mostly known publicly by the Esso, Enco and Humble brands) assumed all of the chemical processing assets and products at Bayway. In 1973, the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey was renamed Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
, and the facility likewise became known as the Exxon Bayway Refinery.
On the night of December 5, 1970 there were a series of powerful explosions that occurred at the refinery which resulted in multiple injuries and no fatalities in and around the plant. Windows were shattered as far away as Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, and the explosion was felt more than thirty miles away.
1976 brought about the installation of the most iconic structure at the refinery, the Wet Gas Scrubber
Wet scrubber
The term wet scrubber describes a variety of devices that remove pollutants from a furnace flue gas or from other gas streams. In a wet scrubber, the polluted gas stream is brought into contact with the scrubbing liquid, by spraying it with the liquid, by forcing it through a pool of liquid, or by...
. Visible from the New Jersey Turnpike with its giant plumes of water vapor, this device eliminates 7-8 tons of dust per day as well as gases generated from the catalytic cracking process. To this day it is recognized as one of the most efficient and effective units of its kind in the world.
On the night of January 1–2, 1990, a cracked underwater pipeline leaked about 567000 gallons (2,146.3 m³) of fuel oil into the Arthur Kill. Because the waterway was already so heavily industrialized, Exxon argued that it should not have to pay any damages. The court disagreed, ordering the company to pay $15 million in reparations.
On April 8, 1993, the Tosco Corporation
Tosco Corporation
Tosco was an independent US based petroleum refining and marketing corporation. It was founded in 1955 in Santa Monica, California by A&P heir Huntington Hartford, and originally focused on extracting oil from oil shale and developing alternative energy sources.-Oil shale operations:In 1964...
finalized proceedings to purchase the refinery from Exxon for a sum of $175 million, although the Exxon Chemical Company continued to run the Chemical Plant. During this time Bayway was operated by Bayway Refining Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Tosco Corporation. Under the direction of Tosco, Bayway was able to reorganize and upgrade the facility, and years of operating at a loss for Exxon in the later 1980s were turned around swiftly.
The Morristown and Erie Railway
Morristown and Erie Railway
The Morristown and Erie Railway is a freight short line railroad based in Morristown, New Jersey. It operates freight rail service five days a week in Morris County, New Jersey and surrounding areas...
became the contract switcher for the refinery in 1995, and set up the Bayshore Terminal Company to handle the management of 8,000 railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s full of various refinery products each year. Since 2007, the EMD SW1500
EMD SW1500
The EMD SW1500 was a diesel locomotive intended for switching service and built by General Motors' Electro-Motive Division between June 1966 and January 1974. 808 examples were constructed. It was closely related to the less powerful EMD SW1000 model, forming a line of switchers powered by the new...
diesel locomotive has been assigned to the plant.
In 1999, the Infineum company (a joint project of Exxon Chemical, Shell International Chemicals and Shell Chemical) took over operation of the chemical plant. Infineum researches and produces crankcase
Crankcase
In an internal combustion engine of the reciprocating type, the crankcase is the housing for the crankshaft. The enclosure forms the largest cavity in the engine and is located below the cylinder, which in a multicylinder engine are usually integrated into one or several cylinder blocks...
lubricant additives, fuel additives, and specialty lubricant additives, as well as automatic transmission fluid
Automatic Transmission Fluid
Automatic transmission fluid is the fluid used in vehicles with self shifting or automatic transmissions. It is typically colored red or green to distinguish it from motor oil and other fluids in the vehicle...
s, gear oil
Gear oil
Gear oil is a motor oil made specifically for transmissions, transfer cases, and differentials in automobiles, trucks, and other machinery. It is of a higher viscosity to better protect the gears and usually is associated with a strong sulfur smell. The high viscosity ensures transfer of...
s, and industrial oils.
Tosco was bought by Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum
Phillips Petroleum Company was founded in 1917 by L.E. Phillips and Frank Phillips, of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Their younger brother Waite Phillips was the benefactor of Philmont Scout Ranch....
in 2001, which was merged with Conoco to form ConocoPhillips in 2002.
In 2003 a new polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
facility went online that produces 775 million pounds per year.
2005 environmental control measures
Thanks to the terms of a settlement with the Department of Environmental Protection, ConocoPhillipsConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
stated it would take the following actions at their Bayway facilities:
- Install a cover on wastewater separator or a new covered separator, and controls, by December 2008. This measure, which will cost approximately $8 million, will reduce emissions of volatile organic compoundVolatile organic compoundVolatile organic compounds are organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at ordinary, room-temperature conditions. Their high vapor pressure results from a low boiling point, which causes large numbers of molecules to evaporate or sublimate from the liquid or solid form of the compound and...
s, (VOCs) at the treatment unit by 95 percent. - Install a new fuel gas system by December 2010 to burn cleaner natural gas instead of fuel oil, reducing SO2 emissions by thousands of tons per year. This will cost $28 million to $38 million.
- Install new pollution controls on heaters and boilers by December 2010 at cost of $20 million, reducing annual NOx emissions by approximately 900 tons.
- Reduce emissions of VOCs by implementing an enhanced leak detection and repair program.
- Reduce VOC and acid gas emissions by minimizing flaring, the uncontrolled burning of emissions that bypass controls.
- Audit and reduce benzene emissions.
External links
- state.nj.us January 27, 2005 "ConocoPhillips to Spend $60 Million to Reduce Pollution at Bayway Refinery"
- The Center for Public Land Use: Bayway Refinery
- ConocoPhillips website