News and media releases

Carbon management collaboration for Deer Park

04/03/2008

Using carbon more efficiently and optimising its assets across the carbon energy value chain are key priorities for Shell Deer Park Refining Company. To meet these objectives, the refinery near Houston, Texas, USA, has joined up with Airgas, Inc., one of the largest US distributors of industrial and speciality gases, to build an on-site 450-ton-a-day liquid carbon dioxide plant.

Shell Global Solutions (US) Inc. helped in identifying the opportunities for carbon management at the refinery.

By collecting and purifying the gas vented from the refinery’s hydrogen plant, Deer Park’s annual carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced by more than 3% a year. Not only will this help to reduce the carbon footprint of the refinery, it will also aid asset optimisation.

The Airgas Carbonic plant, expected online in late 2008, will purify and liquefy the carbon dioxide before shipping it for commercial and beverage-grade use and to produce dry ice. A new pipeline will supply raw gas from the hydrogen plant to the two-acre Airgas facility under a 15-year agreement with Shell Oil Company.

“By building this facility, Airgas will better serve its carbon dioxide customers in the region and have a stronger network of plants for liquid merchant customers and for its own dry ice production,” says Ted Schulte, Airgas Division President of Gas Operations, which includes Airgas Carbonic and Airgas Dry Ice.

“We are optimising operations by developing and implementing solutions across the carbon energy value chain. This project reiterates Shell’s collaborative approach in managing the carbon dioxide associated with hydrogen production,” says Aamir Farid, General Manager, Shell Deer Park Refining Company.