(Updates with company statement, description of unit)
HOUSTON, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A catalytic reformer was shut on
Sunday night at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s
211,270-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Convent, Louisiana,
after a brief fire, said sources familiar with plant operations.
The reformer has the capacity to process 40,000 bpd of
feedstock, according to Refinitiv Eikon.
Shell spokesman Ray Fisher said the fire was quickly
extinguished and there were no injuries.
Fisher also said Shell is investigating the cause of the
fire.
He declined to discuss the status of individual units at the
refinery, but said, "We will bring our units back on line only
when it is safe to do so."
Fenceline air monitoring showed no offsite impact from the
fire, Fisher said.
Reformers convert refining byproducts into octane-boosting
components that are added to gasoline.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba
Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)