Thunder-like noise sounded and houses vibrated throughout Lacombe County Saturday night as Nova Chemicals’ Joffre plant experienced an unplanned shutdown suddenly around 10 p.m.
The Ethylene 3 plant at Nova Chemicals, the largest plant on the site, experienced an automatic shutdown after the system detected an equipment malfunction, said Joffre site leader Rick Van Hemmen.
“We were experiencing equipment issues with one of the major compressors on the plant,” he said. “The compressor tripped and as a result, the control system shut down the plant.”
Heavy flaring followed the shutdown, as would be expected, said Van Hemmen.
“That happens anytime we shut down.”
Safety burnoff ensues as part of the shutdown’s transition process, he continued, generating a lot of light and noise.
The “air blowers” that assist with combustion also create a lot of noise, he said.
There were no safety concerns during this shutdown and the site and surrounding community were not at any risk, said Van Hemmen.
“The control system identified the equipment problem well before it progressed and became a safety hazard,” he said.
Nova Chemicals began investigating the compressor Sunday and discovered a problem with its seals.
The seals will be replaced later this week and Van Hemmen expects Ethylene 3 to be up and running again by Saturday.
There is no necessary reporting of these incidents to higher officials when they occur and no one is at risk, said Van Hemmen.
“If the flare was black and smoky, we would then report to Alberta Environment.”
Van Hemmen said they apologize to the community for any disturbance Saturday night.
“We want to be a responsible neighbour and remain as invisible as possible.”
Interruptions like this are obviously not ideal and not supposed to happen, said Van Hemmen.
Plants are expected to run 24/7 all year round except for scheduled shutdowns once every six years for maintenance.
That being said, there is on average one unexpected shut down a year at one of the plants, said Van Hemmen.
He also wanted to note that a scheduled shut down for Ethylene 1, a smaller plant on site, will begin today.
As such, residents around Lacombe County shouldn’t be alarmed when they notice heavy flaring coming from the plant.
rfrancoeur@www.reddeeradvocate.com