The refinery, petrochemical, chemical, and process industries comprise a very capital-intensive

sector

They operate round the clock during normal operations; therefore, periodic maintenance is required

Maintenance has to take place at a process plant in order to assure its reliability

When planning for maintenance, process plant need to slow down or stop producing finished
products

The shutdown period will cost the refinery a few million dollars, due to lost production

A planned engineering event during which refinery’s processing unit (or entire refinery) perform
maintenance, inspection and repair is called turnaround

Planned refinery turn- arounds

Planned shutdowns

Unplanned shutdowns

Emergency shutdowns

Internal inspection of all static process equipment/piping, which cannot be done during normal
operation

Cleaning, maintenance, repair, and complete overhaul of all rotating/ reciprocating equipment,
electrical equipment, and instrumentation equipment

Complete overhaul of all pressure-relieving devices (e.g., relief valves on pressure vessels) and
resetting to their set pressures

Cleaning and complete overhaul of all regulating, controlling instruments, electrical switchgears,
electric motors, etc. whose outage can be done only during a turnaround of the plant.

Upgrading technology through the use of modern equipment

Carrying out items of work that improve the safety aspects of the plant

Long delivery items

• Rotating equipment (or spares);

• Large or specialized valves;

• Non-standard equipment;

• Large quantities of non ex-stock items (e.g. reformer tubes or column trays);

• Exotic materials;

• Catalyst and packing;

• Items procured from foreign countries;

• Items needing special permits or certificates;

• Items requiring further work after delivery (assembling, painting etc.)