Coryton Refinery
Encyclopedia
Coryton Refinery is an oil refinery
in Essex
, England
, situated on the estuary of the River Thames
some 28 miles (45.1 km) from the centre of London
.
The refinery is located between Shell Haven Creek
and Hole Haven Creek, which separates Canvey Island
from the mainland.
It is a part of the Port of London
and is the last of the three major refineries on the Thames Estuary
to remain in operation. Output is delivered via the UKOP
pipeline, road and rail.
There is also a 753 MW gas-fired power station
, opened in 2002 and run by Coryton Energy Co Ltd, part of Intergen.
s built an explosives factory at the site. This opened in 1897, with an estate for employees called Kynochtown. Products included cordite
, guncotton, gunpowder
, and cartridges. Kynochs also built the Corringham Light Railway
(CLR), with a passenger branch from the works to Corringham
and a goods branch to the LT&SR at Thames Haven. The Kynoch works closed in 1919. The site and CLR were taken over by coal merchants Cory Brothers Ltd of Cardiff to build an oil storage depot, with Kynochtown being renamed Coryton. Sources differ as to whether Corys, who sold a well known brand of petrol, Corys' Motor Spirit, also built a refinery at the site.
In 1950 Coryton, along with the CLR, was sold to the American Vacuum Oil Company
, later called Mobil
. The CLR to Corringham was closed, but the branch to the former LT&SR at Thames Haven was upgraded to main line standards.
A new refinery came on stream in 1953. Coryton village was demolished and absorbed into the refinery site in the 1970s.
Coryton was operated by BP
from 1996, when Mobil's fuels operations in Europe were placed into a joint venture with BP. Following the 1999 merger of Mobil with Exxon
, the remaining interest in the refinery was sold to BP in 2000. In 2007 the plant was sold by BP to Petroplus
for £714.6m (around $1.4 billion).
A major fire occurred at the facility on 31 October 2007 . Despite the scale of the blast which was reported to cause buildings to shake 14 miles (22.5 km) away, there were no physical injuries and only partial disruption to the refinery.
Distillation unit,
Vacuum distillation,
Fluid catalytic cracker,
Catalytic reformer,
Hydro desulpherisation units,
Gas recovery unit Isomerisation unit,
Alkylation unit.
s for towing, mooring, fire-fighting and pollution control at the plant. They are named 'Corringham', 'Stanford' and 'Castle Point' after nearby locations.
Refining capacity: 10 million tonnes per year
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...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated on the estuary of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
some 28 miles (45.1 km) from the centre of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The refinery is located between Shell Haven Creek
Shell Haven
Shell Haven was a port on the north bank of the Thames Estuary at the eastern end of Thurrock, Essex, England and then an oil refinery. The refinery closed in 1999 and the site was purchased by DP World who received planning consent in May 2007 for the new London Gateway deep water container port...
and Hole Haven Creek, which separates Canvey Island
Canvey Island
Canvey Island is a civil parish and reclaimed island in the Thames estuary in England. It is separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks...
from the mainland.
It is a part of the Port of London
Port of London
The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Once the largest port in the world, it is currently the United Kingdom's second largest port, after Grimsby & Immingham...
and is the last of the three major refineries on the Thames Estuary
Thames Estuary
The Thames Mouth is the estuary in which the River Thames meets the waters of the North Sea.It is not easy to define the limits of the estuary, although physically the head of Sea Reach, near Canvey Island on the Essex shore is probably the western boundary...
to remain in operation. Output is delivered via the UKOP
UK oil pipeline network
The United Kingdom Oil Pipeline is an oil products pipeline opened in 1969 and connecting the two Shell refineries of Stanlow and Shell Haven...
pipeline, road and rail.
There is also a 753 MW gas-fired power station
Coryton Power Station
Coryton Power Station is a 732 MW gas-fired power station named after the nearby Petroplus Coryton Refinery in Thurrock.-History:The site is run by Coryton Energy Ltd. It opened in 2002 and was built by Bechtel, is owned by Intergen, based in Burlington, Essex, and cost...
, opened in 2002 and run by Coryton Energy Co Ltd, part of Intergen.
History
In 1895 the ammunition firm KynochKynoch
Kynoch was a manufacturer of ammunition, later incorporated into ICI but remaining as a brand name for sporting cartridges.-History:Kynoch was established in Witton in Birmingham in 1862 by Scottish entrepreneur George Kynoch when he opened a percussion cap factory in Witton. In 1895 he built an...
s built an explosives factory at the site. This opened in 1897, with an estate for employees called Kynochtown. Products included cordite
Cordite
Cordite is a family of smokeless propellants developed and produced in the United Kingdom from 1889 to replace gunpowder as a military propellant. Like gunpowder, cordite is classified as a low explosive because of its slow burning rates and consequently low brisance...
, guncotton, gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
, and cartridges. Kynochs also built the Corringham Light Railway
Corringham Light Railway
The Corringham Light Railway served the town Corringham, Essex, England. It was incorporated on 10 July 1899 and opened to freight on 1 January 1901 and to passengers on 22 June 1901...
(CLR), with a passenger branch from the works to Corringham
Corringham, Essex
Corringham is a small English town within the unitary authority of Thurrock and one of the traditional parishes. It is situated in the east of the borough of Thurrock and has over time come to be considered an area within the larger neighbouring town of Stanford-Le-Hope. The parish church...
and a goods branch to the LT&SR at Thames Haven. The Kynoch works closed in 1919. The site and CLR were taken over by coal merchants Cory Brothers Ltd of Cardiff to build an oil storage depot, with Kynochtown being renamed Coryton. Sources differ as to whether Corys, who sold a well known brand of petrol, Corys' Motor Spirit, also built a refinery at the site.
In 1950 Coryton, along with the CLR, was sold to the American Vacuum Oil Company
Vacuum Oil Company
Vacuum Oil Company was an American oil company known for their Gargoyle 600-W Steam Cylinder Oil. Vacuum Oil merged with Socony Oil to form Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, and is now a part of ExxonMobil.-History:...
, later called Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
. The CLR to Corringham was closed, but the branch to the former LT&SR at Thames Haven was upgraded to main line standards.
A new refinery came on stream in 1953. Coryton village was demolished and absorbed into the refinery site in the 1970s.
Coryton was operated by BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
from 1996, when Mobil's fuels operations in Europe were placed into a joint venture with BP. Following the 1999 merger of Mobil with 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....
, the remaining interest in the refinery was sold to BP in 2000. In 2007 the plant was sold by BP to Petroplus
Petroplus
Petroplus Holdings AG is Europe's largest independent oil refiner.-History:When the company first formed in 1993 it was known as Petroplus International N.V. being based in the Netherlands. In 1997, it acquired the Antwerp N.V. Refinery from the Daewoo Group. In August 1998, it was listed on the...
for £714.6m (around $1.4 billion).
A major fire occurred at the facility on 31 October 2007 . Despite the scale of the blast which was reported to cause buildings to shake 14 miles (22.5 km) away, there were no physical injuries and only partial disruption to the refinery.
Process Units
These are the main operating units at Coryton Refinery:Distillation unit,
Vacuum distillation,
Fluid catalytic cracker,
Catalytic reformer,
Hydro desulpherisation units,
Gas recovery unit Isomerisation unit,
Alkylation unit.
Statistics
Crude oil is received from tankers of up to . In 2005 BP acquired a fleet of three new 32 m tugTug
Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....
s for towing, mooring, fire-fighting and pollution control at the plant. They are named 'Corringham', 'Stanford' and 'Castle Point' after nearby locations.
Refining capacity: 10 million tonnes per year
- Product output
- petrol 3.6 million tonnes
- diesel 2.7 million tonnes
- keroseneKeroseneKerosene, sometimes spelled kerosine in scientific and industrial usage, also known as paraffin or paraffin oil in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Ireland and South Africa, is a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. The name is derived from Greek keros...
/jet fuel 1.1 million tonnes - LPG 0.2 million tonnes
- Fuel oilFuel oilFuel oil is a fraction obtained from petroleum distillation, either as a distillate or a residue. Broadly speaking, fuel oil is any liquid petroleum product that is burned in a furnace or boiler for the generation of heat or used in an engine for the generation of power, except oils having a flash...
1.7 million tonnes - Bitumen 0.3 million tonnes