(Adds company not replying, hydrocracker operations,
background)
HOUSTON, June 14 (Reuters) - Royal Dutch Shell Plc
began restarting the second stage of the hydrocracker at its
227,400-barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana refinery, sources
familiar with plant operations said on Monday.
The second stage of the 40,000-bpd hydrocracker was taken
out of production on June 8 because of a malfunction, the
sources said.
Shell did not reply to a request for comment.
The first stage of the hydrocracker continued to operate
while the second stage was shut, according to the sources.
Hydrocrackers convert gas oil or other feedstocks into
diesel and other motor fuels by using a catalyst in the presence
of hydrogen under high heat and pressure.
(Reporting by Erwin Seba; editing by Jonathan Oatis)