ivers of cars crawl
through the city of Los
Angeles, California,
USA. With more than
18 million people in
the greater metro area,
the city has the most
congested streets in
the United States.
But area residents won’t let a
little gridlock slow them
down. All they need is
a full tank of gas—or a
;ight out of town for a
break from the tra;c.
;at’s where Chevron’s El Segundo re;nery comes in. ;e largest re;nery on the West Coast, El Segundo provides 20
percent of the gasoline used in the L.A. area, plus 40 percent of the jet fuel to
Los Angeles International Airport, the world’s sixth-busiest airport.
“We’re one of the biggest suppliers in this area, so it’s very important for us to
meet our commitments to all of our customers,” says R.J. Cardello, El Segundo
re;nery major capital projects manager, Chevron, El Segundo, California, USA.
But in 2009, aging of the re;nery’s coke drums began jeopardizing Chevron’s
ability to meet the region’s fuel demands. Some of the industry’s oldest, the
drums, which heat crude oil up to 920 degrees Fahrenheit (493 Celsius), had
been in use since 1968. Cracks were upending the re;nery’s operations, and the
