Thailand’s PTTAR shuts Mab Ta Phut refinery on mechanical woes

SINGAPORE (ICIS news)--Thailand’s PTT Aromatics and Refining (PTTAR) shut its 145,000 bbl/day refinery at Mab Ta Phut on Wednesday due to problems at the plant's condensate splitter, an industry source said.

The refinery would be off line for around three days, the source said.

The Mab Ta Phut refinery’s condensate splitter 1 has a capacity of 70,000 bbl/day. The unit is linked to reformer unit 1, which produces reformate feedstock for the refinery’s aromatics unit.

The refinery was scheduled to undergo a shutdown in November 2010 for around 30 days, the source said. However, the shutdown might be postponed depending on the strength of refining margins at that time, the source added.