Husky Energy Refinery Explosion Echoes Exxon’s Torrance Blast

An explosion at a Husky Energy Inc. refinery in Superior, Wis., that injured 11 of the company’s workers and contractors came during a planned maintenance shutdown of the fluid catalytic cracking unit, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board said Aug. 2.

That same type of refining equipment was cited as the cause of a 2015 explosion at the Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery in Torrance, Calif. Both the Husky Energy and ExxonMobil refineries had hydrofluoric acid on site that did not ignite but prompted concerns the damage could have been much worse. ExxonMobil ...