Machinery Turnaround Practices

Rev 1, Apr 2024
Machinery Turnaround Practices (Pumps, Compressors and Turbines)
Use automation to verify performance, and increase operating margins
By Manjul N Saxena, Principal Engineer, GMC, Australia
This is critical techno-commercial know-how of GMC, Australia
© This document is property of Global Machinery Consultants Pty Ltd., Australia. A.C.N No. 094 649 699, A.B.N. 20 094 649 699.
www.gl-mach.com Tel: + 61 456 980 655 E-mail: m.saxena@gl-mach.com 1
Machinery downtime and falling operating profits
Globally the “Process Industry” spends @US$250 billion on plant maintenance, equipment reliability
and plant turnarounds (2022). This is small compared to the size of the industry.
• About half spend less than 1%; and ~90 percent of the companies spent less than 2% of their
annual revenue on plant equipment reliability and maintenance.
• The operating income and operating margins of the process industry has fallen by ~39%.
• Lower spend on reliability and maintenance dramatically lowers the operating and profit margins,
a key performance parameter for any management to consider.
Tel: + 61 456 980 655 E-mail: m.saxena@gl-mach.com 2
Industry practice on turnaround(s)
Plant turnarounds are expensive and involves preparation period of 12 to 18 months. These
turnaround last from 4 weeks to 8 weeks depending upon the scope of the turnaround. Rotating
equipment performance verification can help gain between 7 to 15 days of extra production per year
by reducing surprises; and also change the of scope of work during major turnaround.
Consider:
• Automating data collection, performance verification and analysis before any major turnaround to
refine the work activity list.
• Compare supplier provided performance curves / parameters against the field performance.
• This performance verification and review of the maintenance records will also help to identify
potential bad actors.
Automate Data Collection, Performance Verification and Analysis
Automating data collection to conduct a performance verification can help identify problems before
they happen and refine the work activity list. For example,
• Check differential head developed against the speed squared to understand the condition of the
machinery internals and help develop list of spare parts required for turnaround,
• Check power consumed against design, or
• Verify expected vs actual temperature rise of process fluids etc.
Use Automated Data to Help Identify Bad Actors
Rotating machinery can operate between 4 to 10 years without major overhaul. Use performance
review to identify bad actors. Consider following review steps:
1. Review of the actual operating conditions against the as-built data sheet. Verify field
performance. Identify any off-design or unintended operation.
2. Use verification data to identify maintenance deficiencies, continuously.
3. Incorporate defects arising due to ageing plants; example cracks in foundation etc.
4. Benchmark specific maintenance practices data against reliability achieved; example alignment
and bearing mounting practices etc.
5. Review of as-built data for design, process and material deficiencies. Develop list of manufacturing
defects; example trueness of castings to maintain alignment.
Consider SIMOPS review to reduce turnaround periods
Many facilities have multiple furnaces and/or process trains/units within the same site. This creates
the need for simultaneous operations and turnarounds of different facilities at one site, also called
SIMOPS (Simultaneous Operations). Develop SIMOPS strategy at the design stage, but this is not
always possible. Bring relevant plant design, operations and maintenance teams together and conduct
SIMPOPs discussions before major turnaround. It should include following steps :
• Identify HAZARDS and Risks to plant and people during partial site shutdown;
• Quantify and qualify the level of risk/hazard; consider risk / hazard elimination measures and
where not possible consider operational control measures;
• Include elimination measure(s), if possible, in plant turnaround procedure documentation;
• Include control measures in work permits and turnaround work packages.
Industry practice on turnarounds driven by rotating machinery
• Based on the experience of various sites following are the possible duration of
operations between major turnaround for
ü Compressors – 8 years or more
ü Dry gas seals – 8 to 10 years
ü Gas Turbines – 4 to 8 years with intermediate short shutdowns for borescope
inspection
ü Steam turbines – 5 years or more
• Six years of SAFE operation between major turnaround is achievable.
Process industry turnaround practices
Industry practice of uninterrupted operation between shutdown
Operating time between

# Industry / sector Best in Class practice Driving factors
major turnaround
1 year–boiler inspection
1 Refining 1 year to 4 years 4 years
4 years in Australia
Cracked gas compressor

2 Petrochemicals 1 year to 2 years 2 years
fouling
3 LNG Plants Usually 4 to 8 years 8 years Gas turbine
4 Offshore Platform As required to 3 years 3 years Gas turbine
5 FPSO Usually 5 years 5 years Shipping bureau
Centrifugal compressor sizes have increased
• Compressors are generally un-spared,
• have high first cost, and
• define plant capacity.
Table – Changes in plant capacity
# Industry / sector Capacity in 1970 - 80’s Current plant capacities
1 Refining 3 to 5 MMTPA 15 MMTPA or higher
2 Ethylene 0.4 to 0.8 MMTPA 1.5 to 2.0 MMTPA
7.8 MMTPA (Qatar) – Frame 9 driver

3 LNG Main Refrigeration duty 1.5 to 2 MMTPA
5.4 MMTPA – Frame 7EA driver
4 Offshore Compression 2000 to 10,000 kW 5000 to 30,000 kW
Consider impact of compressors trips
Process compressors are expensive and usually un-spared. The main refrigerant compressors of LNG
plant may cost more than US$150 million (2012-15). Reliability of these machines is paramount. Their
unscheduled downtime is expensive.
For example,
• The tripping of the main process compressors in an Ethylene plant of 400,000 TPA capacity may
result in the flaring of inventory in excess of US$500,000.00
• One month downtime of the main compressor(s) in an LNG plant can result in lost production in
excess of US$100 million.
• Tripping of the main compressors (gas injection, gas export or gas lift) at an Offshore platform
producing 100,000 barrels of oil daily would result in a revenue loss of $8 million per day at the Oil
price of $80 per barrel.
Review Boilers and Steam Systems Practices
• Factory regulations (underpinned by old boiler acts) in some countries require the lift test of the
safety valves on the boilers every 11 months, thereby setting the operating period between the
turnarounds. Other countries allow 24 to 48 months of operation before requiring inspection of
the boiler and the lift test of PSV.
• Australian regulators allow longer boiler operating time allowing qualitative approach by reviewing
the operating records including:
ü Boiler operating temperature records,
ü Tube metal thickness survey and verification,
ü Water quality records etc..
• There is a case for many countries to review their boiler test practices.

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Rev 1, Apr 2024

Machinery Turnaround Practices (Pumps, Compressors and Turbines)

Use automation to verify performance, and increase operating margins

By Manjul N Saxena, Principal Engineer, GMC, Australia

This is critical techno-commercial know-how of GMC, Australia

annual revenue on plant equipment reliability and maintenance.

a key performance parameter for any management to consider.

• Check power consumed against design, or

• Verify expected vs actual temperature rise of process fluids etc.

2. Use verification data to identify maintenance deficiencies, continuously.

• Include elimination measure(s), if possible, in plant turnaround procedure documentation;

• Include control measures in work permits and turnaround work packages.

ü Steam turbines – 5 years or more

• Six years of SAFE operation between major turnaround is achievable.

Operating time between

Cracked gas compressor

3 LNG Plants Usually 4 to 8 years 8 years Gas turbine

4 Offshore Platform As required to 3 years 3 years Gas turbine

5 FPSO Usually 5 years 5 years Shipping bureau

Table – Changes in plant capacity

# Industry / sector Capacity in 1970 - 80’s Current plant capacities

1 Refining 3 to 5 MMTPA 15 MMTPA or higher

2 Ethylene 0.4 to 0.8 MMTPA 1.5 to 2.0 MMTPA

7.8 MMTPA (Qatar) – Frame 9 driver

4 Offshore Compression 2000 to 10,000 kW 5000 to 30,000 kW

the operating records including:

ü Boiler operating temperature records,

ü Tube metal thickness survey and verification,

ü Water quality records etc..

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