Accident: Marathon Martinez Renewable Fuels Fire
Location: Location: Martinez, CA
Accident Occurred On: 11/19/2023 | Final Report Released On: 03/13/2025
Accident Type: Flammable Vapor
Investigation Status: The CSB's investigation was approved and released on 3.13.2025
The incident involved a fire event at the Hydrodeoxygenation Unit recycle furnace. One operator sustained serious burn injures as a result of the fire.
Revise API RP 556 Instrumentation, Control, and Protective Systems for Gas Fired Heaters, or successor API products, with the following:
Implement engineering safeguards to detect and prevent afterburning in the fired heater involved in the November 19, 2023, incident. The safeguards may include the use of instrumentation such as combustibles measurements, flame detectors, and/or thermocouples that measure tube metal, flue gas, and process fluid temperatures. The safeguards shall be capable of being monitored from the control room.
For the fired heater involved in the incident, after Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s “Process Heater Not-to-Exceed (NTE) Limits and Alarms” standard is updated according to 2024-01-I-CA-R5, implement tube metal temperature alarming consistent with corporate guidance to alert operators when safe operating limits are exceeded and to specify predetermined response actions, such as shutting down the fired heater remotely. The predetermined response actions must include actions that specify when to stop troubleshooting and remove personnel from the vicinity of the fired heater.
Implement changes to improve Walk the Line performance at the Martinez facility by ensuring that the facility’s practices are consistent with tools in the AFPM Safety Portal and guidance in Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s refining reference document titled Operations Excellence. At a minimum:
Complete a comprehensive gap assessment of the Martinez facility against Marathon Petroleum Corporation policies. At a minimum, address the following policies:
a. Operating Limits;
b. Process Hazard Analysis; and
c. PSM/RMP Refining Operating Procedures.
Develop and implement action items to effectively address findings from the assessment.
Update the corporate “Process Heater Not-to-Exceed (NTE) Limits and Alarms” standard with tube metal temperature alarming guidance to alert operators when safe operating limits are exceeded and to specify predetermined response actions, such as shutting down the fired heater remotely. The predetermined response actions must include actions that specify when to stop troubleshooting and remove personnel from the vicinity of the fired heater.
Update the corporate “Heater Application Standard” with the following requirements:
Confirm the results of the Martinez facility’s comprehensive gap assessment required in 2024-01-I-CA-R4. Upon completion, conduct an Operations Excellence full assessment on the Martinez facility. Develop and implement action items to effectively address findings from the assessment.