Richmond, CA

Chevron Richmond Refinery

Scope/Solutions

Founded in the early 1900s, Chevron’s Richmond Refinery produces gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and lubricants. Since the refinery is located within the corporate boundary of the City of Richmond and on San Francisco Bay, it is subject to extensive state, county, and city regulations aimed at assuring seismic safety and protecting the public and environment. Since 2003, SGH has performed a variety of structural and seismic engineering services for Chevron, including seismic assessments, evaluating damaged structures and foundations, and assisting with obtaining building permits, among others.

Highlights of SGH’s services for Chevron include the following:

  • Performed probabilistic risk evaluations of key facilities, including the marine terminal, pipeways, process structures, and vessels to quantify the risk of earthquake-induced failures
  • Performed probabilistic seismic risk assessments of typical process vessels, pipeways, process structures, and the wharf structure to determine the probability of annual damage that could result in a release of hazardous materials beyond the plant boundary
  • Performed nonlinear analyses of representative tanks, process vessels, pipeways, process structures, and the wharf
  • Reviewed designs for code compliance and earthquake safety
  • Assessed fire damage to process structures and recommended repairs
  • Evaluated suitability of existing foundations to support new equipment
  • Peer reviewed seismic upgrades developed by refinery personnel and other consultants
  • Helped negotiate with the City of Richmond to obtain building permits for various construction projects

Project Summary

Solutions
Repair & Rehabilitation
Services
Structures | Advanced Analysis
Markets
Industrial
Client(s)
Chevron Richmond Refinery
Specialized Capabilities
Seismic Engineering | Marine & Civil Works

Key team members

Ronald Hamburger
Consulting Principal
415.343.3015 rohamburger@sgh.com

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