Total SA reduced production at its 225,500 barrels per day Port Arthur, Texas, refinery on Saturday after a contract worker was killed when the bulldozer he was driving in a pit beneath a refining unit flipped over in petroleum coke dust and scalding water, said sources familiar with plant operations. Total and the worker's employer, Kinder Morgan Inc, both confirmed the worker's death, Reuters reported. The 60,000 bpd coker was not damaged in the incident, they said. One of the sources called it "an operational hazard" to have people working in the coke pit. The man suffered "third-to-second degree burns over 100% of his body" after being submerged in water with a temperature of 93°C. In a delayed coking unit, residual crude is injected into giant drums where it is heated until it hardens into petroleum coke, a process that usually takes 24-48 hours. The coke is knocked out of the drums by high pressure hot water jets and falls into the coke pit.
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