Phillips 66 Unit 28 Control Room
Composite and steel upgrade concepts addressed distinct wall-access and equipment conditions at Phillips 66 Unit 28.
Delta Structural Technology’s completed Unit 28 control-room project at the Phillips 66 Sweeny plant involved blast-upgrade planning for connected control-room and equipment-room areas. The engineering study developed both composite and steel reinforcement concepts, reflecting differences in wall access and equipment density. The design discussion connected wall strengthening with roof support rather than treating the building envelope as a single uniform surface.
- Market
- Petrochemical
- Services
- Blast-resistance upgrade planning
- Location
- Old Ocean, Texas
- Structural members
- Walls
Project challenge
The two building areas shared a wall but differed in their internal conditions. The control-room walls had relatively few equipment attachments and included windows, while the equipment-room walls carried more equipment and penetrations. Those differences affected the practicality of FRP placement. The roof systems also required separate evaluation, with joist spacing influencing the upgrade needs.
Project approach
The engineering study prepared for Delta considered steel posts anchored between the foundation and top bond beam, as well as FRP bonded to both faces of masonry walls. Around wall openings, the composite concept used additional local reinforcement. Steel framing concepts addressed locations where equipment or cable trays interrupted a straightforward wall treatment. Roof-upgrade concepts used added steel members to work with the existing joists.
Delivery and coordination
The proposed concepts required coordination of masonry grouting, equipment interfaces, roof details, and access to the selected wall faces. The equipment-room conditions favored different treatments from the more accessible control-room walls. This made selection and detailing location-specific: the engineering team needed to connect the structural objective with the physical space available for installing the upgrade.
Project significance
Unit 28 illustrates the value of evaluating more than one strengthening method for an industrial building. Composite reinforcement and steel framing offer different installation possibilities at equipment-dense walls and open wall areas. The technical lesson is to match the intervention to both structural demand and the facility’s existing configuration.
