Challenge
Turnarounds (TAR) are scheduled events wherein an entire process unit of an industrial plant (refinery in this case) is taken offstream for an extended period for revamp and/or renewal.
Turnarounds can be expensive, both in terms of lost production while the process unit is offline and in terms of direct costs for the labor, tools, heavy equipment, and materials used to execute the project. They are the most significant portion of a plant’s yearly maintenance budget and can affect the company’s bottom line if mismanaged.
Historically, this particular refinery has had a conservative approach to valve-related TAR planning. A large number of control valves were identified as valves that needed to be overhauled during every TAR opportunity. During the scoping process, the customer would historically err on the side of caution when selecting which control valves should be overhauled. On average, over 80% of control valves were deemed to be in fine shape after they were opened and inspected. This was viewed as inefficient and wasteful. To improve on TAR spending and overall efficiencies in the scoping process, the customer decided to perform more rigorous scoping of the valves in the refinery unit.
Turnarounds can be expensive, both in terms of lost production while the process unit is offline and in terms of direct costs for the labor, tools, heavy equipment, and materials used to execute the project. They are the most significant portion of a plant’s yearly maintenance budget and can affect the company’s bottom line if mismanaged.
Historically, this particular refinery has had a conservative approach to valve-related TAR planning. A large number of control valves were identified as valves that needed to be overhauled during every TAR opportunity. During the scoping process, the customer would historically err on the side of caution when selecting which control valves should be overhauled. On average, over 80% of control valves were deemed to be in fine shape after they were opened and inspected. This was viewed as inefficient and wasteful. To improve on TAR spending and overall efficiencies in the scoping process, the customer decided to perform more rigorous scoping of the valves in the refinery unit.