SOLUTIONS ENTERPRISE ASSET MANAGEMENT By Lawrence Crynes
Execute an effective plant turnaround in seven easy steps Follow these tips to make a plant turnaround run smoothly and efficiently
R
efineries and chemical plants do not undertake plant turnarounds lightly due to their inherent complexity. A turnaround can often entail the use of hundreds of technicians from multiple vendors, all aiming to finish important maintenance, revamping and renewal projects either on specific systems or across entire plants at once. In addition, plant turnarounds often require facilities to halt production. Owners and operators have a vested interest to make sure a turnaround goes smoothly. The longer turnarounds take, the longer contractors are on site, which increases costs and risks for the plant’s management. Sometimes, particularly in larger plants, a turnaround can involve years of planning and constitute a major investment by the owner. In fact, it is not unusual for turnarounds to be a significant part of the plant’s annual maintenance budget. As a result, a poorly managed turnaround can be costly for plant managers. Taking all that into account, the following seven tips will help owners and operators ensure effective turnaround management, enabling them to save significant time and money — not to mention headaches.
No. 1. Engage early with trusted suppliers
Given the complexity of many plant turnarounds, it can sometimes take years of planning before the work ever starts. It is important for owners and operators to prepare as much as possible to minimize potential project challenges.
Part of being adequately prepared for a turnaround is the willingness of an operator to enlist the help of critical parts and service suppliers as early in the process as possible. The complexity of major fluid systems means specialized parts and components constructed from specific alloys will be needed for various processes. Such parts typically require longer lead times, so early engagement of authorized vendors will help to ensure these highly engineered parts will be available when needed. By talking with your suppliers early in the process, those timelines can be synched.
No. 2. Identify areas of new opportunity
When turnarounds are planned, owners’ minimal expectations are that systems will be returned to their original working condition. However, turnarounds also offer another key opportunity: a chance for plants to upgrade and improve their systems, which can mean higher reliability and performance. Improving systems does not happen by chance. Owners must sign off on system adjustments well before a turnaround event. Plants that have already reached out to their vendors ahead of time – see tip No. 1 — are at an advantage and can enhance their outcomes by engaging their vendors for expert recommendations on system improvements. Replacing traditional grab sampling elements in a system with pre-engineered and assembled grab sampling panels is just one example of a potential system improvement. This practical option does not require the plant to retool its design. Rather, the vendor will customize the panels to the plant’s specifications and optimize the components inside for accuracy and safety, simplifying future maintenance and repair needs while also enhancing the ability of owners to draw proper samples more easily (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Replacing traditional grab sampling elements in a system with pre-engineered and preassembled grab sampling panels can enable efficiencies from the system design stage to installation to maintenance. Image courtesy: Swagelok Co.
32
• January/February 2021
PLANT ENGINEERING
www.plantengineering.com
