How to turn around a plant in seven easy steps
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 .
Figure 1 . Before any plant turnaround , it is crucial to engage early with critical parts and service suppliers because significant fluid systems are not simple entities . Images © 2022 Swagelok Company π www . valve-world . net Valve World November 2022
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