A 1.5-mil-mt/yr residue hydrogenation unit caught a fire at Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical in Shandong Province in the afternoon of Oct 9, according to a company source.
"It is unknown what caused the fire, and we can't tell whether to shut the unit or cut crude runs,"said the source.
Qilu Petrochemical originally plans to shut the unit for 35 days of maintenance on Oct 20.
The company may have to lower crude throughput or increase residue or bitumen output, if the fire-hit unit is shut down, according to an industry source.
Qilu Petrochemical has a topping capacity of 10.5-mil mt per year. It mainly refines Shengli crude and sour crude from the Middle East.
