This step-by-step roadmap can help plants achieve more effective and efficient turnarounds that can save plants time and money.
By Randy Rieken, Market Manager, Swagelok Company
Turning around a chemical plant or refinery can be a significant challenge and can involve hundreds of technicians from multiple vendors. Executing important maintenance, revamps, and renewal activities across specific systems or the entire plant takes critical planning to ensure the turnaround runs smoothly.
Plant turnarounds require important processes to be taken offline and production to be halted, which is why these projects must be efficiently handled. If the plant is large, it may take years to plan an effective turnaround and require significant investments on the operator’s behalf. It is not unusual to find that turnarounds can absorb much of the annual maintenance budget even when it is thoroughly planned.
There are seven steps plant operators can take to manage turnarounds effectively. While it does not guarantee the absence of problems, following this road map can significantly improve the chances the turnaround will go well.
1. Engage early with trusted suppliers
Before any plant turnaround, it is crucial to engage early with critical parts and service suppliers, because fluid systems are not simple (Figure 1). They often use specialised parts and components made from highly specific alloys, which can increase lead times on engineered-to-order parts. By engaging suppliers early in the process, any such needs can be met and mapped out long before the parts or support are needed.
2. Identify areas of new opportunity
Though the primary aim of turnarounds is to return all systems to their peak performance, the process does offer a chance to improve the system, which can often lead to higher reliability and better performance.
Plant operators who consulted with their vendors and suppliers early have the advantage here. Once those contacts have been established, operators can call on their suppliers’ expertise when deciding what parts of the system to enhance.
3. Prepare for the unexpected
No matter how well planned a turnaround is, there will be variables and contingencies that will come along unexpectedly. Operators who think about potential scenarios ahead of time may aid overall project efficiency. For example, because of the large and complex nature of the fluid systems throughout chemical plants and refineries, it is practically impossible to know exactly which, and how many, specific components will be needed throughout the turnaround. For that reason, it is beneficial to stock up on a variety of hoses, valves, and adapters prior to the start of the project. Having basic components already on hand can be a significant time saver versus having to order additional parts once installation is already underway.
Of course, no operator wants to be stuck with unused inventory. For that reason, it can be beneficial to seek out terms with suppliers allowing you to stock temporary or consignment inventory so that the right parts are always available. Under these conditions, you will only need to pay for the parts used during the project.
4. Ensure the availability of local support
When unexpected challenges do arise, it is important to be able to access system parts in a timely manner. That is why working with vendors who can offer localised support near the plant is important. Having adequate coordination with vendors who can handle any unforeseen parts sourcing quickly in the event of a problem will help the turnaround proceed without significant interruptions.
5. Keep a close eye on installation of critical parts
In the most ambitious of turnarounds, the number of technicians working at any given time can be overwhelming. Hundreds of workers from different firms and disciplines may be on-site at the same time, and the level of installation expertise may vary. When it comes to doing an effective plant turnaround, this inconsistency can cause significant problems for the plant owners.
One way to standardise the installation skill levels across all the involved vendors is to specify which training and certifications are necessary in the initial request for proposal (Figure 2). If the vendors understand what will be required from a training and certification standpoint, they will provide workers who have certain baseline knowledge and are familiar with proper installation best practices.
6. Seek out prefabricated assemblies
Another way to ensure complex fluid systems are installed properly is to use prefabricated, preassembled, and pretested components. When components are standardised, contractors will be able to install critical systems more efficiently, saving time and money in the long run.
Additionally, using prefabricated assemblies may also address any discrepancies in installation experience between different vendors and contractors. As discussed, grab sampling panels are an excellent example of how prefabricated systems can save time and money, while allowing for safe, efficient sample capture specific to the plant. Elsewhere, mechanical seal support systems improve mechanical seal longevity. Finally, analytical subsys-tems, including fast loops, field stations, calibration and switching modules, sample probes, and fluid distribution headers offer additional efficiencies and consistencies to plant operations while simplifying design footprints.
7. Maintain tight quality control
It is in an operator’s best interest to maintain strict control of the quality and consistency of parts being installed. Specifications that allow too much flexibility may lead some contractors to source less expensive and lower-quality components. Inconsistent quality parts across different systems can lead to in-consistent performance, premature maintenance needs, or downtime later on. Keeping a tight, up-to-date specification that allows only for the use of high-quality components in critical fluid systems is one more way to make turnarounds effective (Figure 3). In addition, the more an operator can avoid intermixing parts from different suppliers, the easier it will be to maintain systems consistently in the future.
These seven steps will help chemical plant or refinery operators achieve faster, more efficient turnarounds while improving the long-term reliability and performance of fluid systems. Partnering with the right supplier—one that can offer local component, design, and installation advice—will help provide the necessary guidance to make plant turnarounds go as smoothly as possible.
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This Featured Story is an article from our Valve World Magazine November 2022 issue. To read other featured stories and many more articles, subscribe to our print magazine. Available in both print and digital formats. DIGITAL MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOW FREE.
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