PLANT

SHUTDOWN
BNN40204

7
INTRODUCTION
The refinery, petrochemical, chemical,
and process industries comprise a
very capital-intensive sector
When planning for maintenance,
process plant need to slow down or
stop producing finished products
They operate round the clock during
normal operations; therefore,
periodic maintenance is required
The shutdown period will cost the
refinery a few million dollars, due to
lost production
Maintenance has to take place at a
process plant in order to assure its
reliability
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
• Major maintenance
• Every 3-5 years
• 1-2 years planning
•
Types of
Last about 20-60 days
shutdown Unplanned shutdowns
• Unexpected deteriorating
…..process condition
• Short notice, limited time
…..for planning (3-4 weeks)
Planned shutdowns
• Smaller scope than
……full turnaround
• 2-6 months planning
• Outage last about 1-15 days
Emergency shutdowns
• Entire refinery must be
brought down immediately
without warning
 • 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

Turnaround valves on pressure vessels) and resetting to their set pressures

Maintenance • 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
PRE-SHUTDOWN
INTRODUCTION
The pre-shutdown works comprise just the The list itself is the result of past experiences
beginning of the list for a shutdown manager of many shutdown managers and planners,

Long delivery items

Prefabrications
End-of-Run Monitoring of Plant
Tagging and Marking
All of these activities need
planning and preparation
Turn around
Temporary Facilities
Accommodation and Facilities
but they must be completed
before the start of the even
start date
Employing barricades
others
  A significant part of the planning and preparation of a
Turnaround is the timely procurement of hundreds, or even
thousands, of items – materials, spares, proprietary plant
equipment and so on.

 Necessary to analyze the work list as early as possible to ensure

sufficient time is allowed for the various procurements

What to look for

• Rotating equipment (or spares);
ong Delivery Items •
•
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.)
 What to do
When long delivery items are identified the following procedure
should be followed:
• Make out a list of the items.
• Find out if they have already been ordered.
• Arrange for storage or lay-down area (which may be on site or
remote) and ensure the item will then be protected and
maintained.
• Arrange for any goods inward inspection and quick return of any

ong Delivery Items damaged item to the supplying vendor.

• If item will not be delivered until after the start of the
Turnaround, calculate when it will be available for installation.
• Report any major problems to the policy team (e.g. delivery
times which will mean that installation of the items concerned
will extend the duration of the Turnaround).
 Pre-turnaround meeting
8 weeks to 4 weeks ahead of turnaround
• Presentation on progress by the respective planner;
the progress of all vendors has to be monitored very
closely,
• Review of mobilization by all vendors
• Review of material availability
• Review of visual inspection and load test of all lifts,
lifting tackles, chain blocks, ropes, chains, and slings
to be used during the turnaround
• Review of fine-tuned shutdown and start-up plan
• Highlight areas of concern, poor mobilization by vendors, etc.
• Review of prefabrication work and the poor progress should
be highlighted.
• Review of progress on temporary facilities for shutdown/start-
up.
• Initiation of pre-turnaround site work like scaffolding erection,
insulation pocket removal, bolt servicing, etc
• Resolution of issues related to turnaround.
• An area-wise turnaround Control Point Office (CPO) is to be
established near the units
 Pre-turnaround meeting
2 weeks ahead of turnaround
• Presentation on progress by the respective planner.
• Review of prefabrication work progress. The prefabrication work will be in the final stages by now.
• Review of progress of site activities as the site activities will constantly grow to peak during turnaround.
• Resolution of issues related to turnaround.
• Decisions required to be taken now have to be carefully thought over and should be fast as the time available is very short

Activities during the week prior to turnaround

Hot work preparations:
• Covering of all drain pits with steel plates and isolating the oily water system so that sparks
from any welding work may not ignite the oil and spread the same
Site facilities:
• Setting up of tea/snack points, drinking water facilities, toilets, etc. These facilities are to be
located suitably so that it is not difficult for the workmen using the same.
 Pre-turnaround meeting
Decommissioning check list, examples:
• All flanges are marked as per the spade list
• Steam hoses and water wash connections are made ready
• Slop tanks are emptied and their material pumped out.
• Oil catcher pumps are checked and kept ready to pump out oil
• Operations are to check all gas meters and oxygen meters for readiness
• The shutdown plan is available in the control room and all the shift officers are conversant
with the plan
Manpower deployment:
All manpower should be deployed in the respective area and in the respective shifts as per the organization
chart on the day the shutdown activities are to begin. Vendor manpower should also be deployed as per plan.
 • From 2 months before the shutdown, the end-of-run conditions of the unit and
critical observations like temperature survey and pressure drop, fouling of
exchanger, behavior of column operation, condition of furnace, etc. should be
examined.

• This will facilitate the assessment of the present condition of the equipment
and likely damages while making necessary preparatory arrangements, so that

End-of-Run there are fewer surprises/extra jobs upon opening of the equipment.

Example:
Monitoring No
Pump
Monitoring Parameter Frequency

Of Plant 1 Discharge pressure 4h at field

2 Motor current 4h at field
Column
1 Yield pattern of various products/streams Continuously in DCS
2 Delta P across trays/packing beds Continuously in DCS
 • The pre-shutdown tagging and marking should be done for reducing time lag.

• The unit maintenance engineer along with the production coordinator will
visit all the job sites of minor/tag jobs to see and assess the type of job
involved therein.

• Inspection and maintenance area engineers will jointly mark/tag the area/
location where insulation needs to be removed for inspection and to carry
Tagging and out recommended repairs/replacement jobs and also to facilitate the hookup
of new facilities with existing ones as per project requirement.

marking
 • Temporary cafeteria or eating facility
Ensure that some provision is made, including vending equipment.

• Temporary first aid

Large contractors should provide their own licensed EMT or first aid ……
technician along with a facility for primary

• Temporary parking
Temporary parking areas used during 24-hour shutdowns should be provided

Temporary …..with adequate lighting.

• Temporary showers and change rooms

facilities The need for, and provision of, such services should be determined and
…..administered before the shutdown begins

• Temporary storage:
Storage for material, tools, and equipment should be the responsibility of the
……vendor or contractor.

• Temporary toilets and water:

Portable toilets and potable water stations should be brought into the ……
temporary structure area.
 • This is usually a piping job or structural job or column tray mock assembly
and can cause problems or time delay during execution.

• In this case, the materials or items that make up the fabrication may be
issued to the site and prefabrication may be completed before the start of
the shutdown.

• A copy of the prefabrication documentation, that is, isometric or other

Pre-
drawings, welding procedures, pressure testing procedures, etc., may be
obtained from the engineering department.

fabricated • If anything on the prefabrication bill of materials is on long delivery, try to

expedite it and ensure it reaches the site before the shutdown

work
 • Barricades should be considered to restrict the movement into, or
presence of personnel in, restricted areas.

• The barricades can consist simply of “barricade tape,” or may be as

formal as individuals posted as sentries for any of the following
situations:

 To limit entrance to, or egress from, any particular area of the plant or
facility for safety reasons.

Employing  To define travel corridors for contractors to and from their parking lot
and break areas into their work area within the site.

barricades  To protect all personnel from hazardous areas or to minimize access to

such areas, and to limit “right to know” training for all temporary
personnel.
 Accommodation and Facilities
Accommodation (offices, rest rooms, stores, etc.) and facilities (canteens,
washrooms, toilets, etc.) need to be in position before turnaround starts
Crowd Control
Obtaining an accurate accounting of all outside personnel admitted into a plant

Contractors’ Insurance Certificates

Most companies require minimum liability protection as well as proof of
worker’s insurance coverage for on-site contractors or other outside services.

Safety Training

Others Ensure that contractor employees and our employees are trained to protect
themselves from all potential and existing hazards.

Emergency Showers and Eyebaths

Extra emergency showers and eyebaths should always be considered when
the number of working personnel increases

Special Machines
As the technologies of maintenance become sophisticated, they increasingly
involve expensive equipment needing more specialization in their application.
(e.g., Thermal imaging, Remote cameras, videos, introscopy, Bolt tensioning and
torqueing, Laser alignment and measurement)
PLANT SHUTDOWN
• The day finally arrives when all planning and preparation are (hopefully) complete, the materials and equipment
are in place and the resources have been organized and briefed. The business of shutting the plant down and
executing the Turnaround begins.
• Prior to the start of the shutdown phase all necessary tools, equipment, materials and isolation plates are identified
and laid out on the plant so that will be available when required
• The Turnaround manager supports the plant manager and may supply resources to carry out the following
supporting tasks:
 transporting shutdown equipment around site (hoses, drain valves etc.);
 fitting and removing isolation plates;
 positioning and connecting water cooling and washing equipment;
 fitting shutdown valves and pumps;
 breaking and remaking joints to the plant team’s instructions;
 cleaning up spillage of fluids and other substances;
 carrying out any other task which progresses the shutdown;
 the plant team ‘cools’ the plant down and decontaminates it before handing it over to the Turnaround manager.
 A plant may be handed over in total or one system at a time.
CASE STUDY (pump shutdown)
Normal Pump Shutdown Procedure
1. Put controller C-01 on manual mode and give 0% output.
C-01 2. P-01 can be stop either using DCS push button or from local push button XPB-100010.

V-06 P-01 Draining and Preparation for Maintenance

1. Ensure that P-01 motor is stop.
2. Isolate the manual valves (V-01, V-05) at suction and discharge line of P-01. NOTE: All the
V-05 isolated valves must be tag using company red tags.
3. Keep PI- lined up so that pressure in pump casing and associate piping can be monitor.
4. Connect flexible hose to suction drain valve (V-02) of P-01.
5. Slowly crack open the suction rain valve to depressurise the pump casing and associate piping
V-03 6. Once pressures at PI indicate no pressure, open PI bleeder to assist with the draining process.
7. Disconnect flexible hose at suction drain valve (V-02).
V-04
8. Connect demin water flexible hose to bleed valve of PI.
9. Back flush traces of Urotropine solution in discharge and suction line and drain it out to
V-01 trench.
10.Stop flushing process and disconnect demin water flexible hose at bleed valve of PI.
From tank Housekeeping the area.
V-02 11.Apply LOTO procedure to the pump and its associated piping and equipment prior to
handover to maintenance.
12.Pump is now ready for maintenance.
Routine (shutdown)

The turnaround manager’s

routine
 Routine (shutdown)
Night shift progress
• On the Turnaround schedule, for the purposes of controlling resources and durations, work done on
night shift is treated in the same way as work done during the day

• .Normally, night shift is used to progress the network and any work which has fallen behind schedule
– the most crucial work on the Turnaround – and yet it is often the least managed activity

Control of work
• The Turnaround control team will have generated a number of documents to control work and the manager
must keep up to date with current progress by visiting the planning office (or cabin) daily to get an update on
the progress
 The Turnaround schedule
 Look ahead schedules
 Work control sheets
 Routine (shutdown)
Critical path job
• On the Turnaround schedule, for the purposes of controlling resources and durations, work done on
night shift is treated in the same way as work done during the day

• .Normally, night shift is used to progress the network and any work which has fallen behind schedule
– the most crucial work on the Turnaround – and yet it is often the least managed activity

Control of work
• The Turnaround control team will have generated a number of documents to control work and the manager
must keep up to date with current progress by visiting the planning office (or cabin) daily to get an update on
the progress
 The Turnaround schedule
 Look ahead schedules
 Work control sheets
 Routine (shutdown)
Expenditure
The cost co-ordinator should produce a daily report detailing current expenditure (actual and committed) and AFC
(anticipated final cost) for each of the designated areas of the Turnaround as well as for the overall total

Safety
• The Turnaround manager should visit the safety cabin and check on any current safety issues. Every day – there is
always news on safety and it’s usually bad. It is one thing to formulate a safe system of work during the relatively calm
days of the preparation phase when everyone is thinking rationally
• The Turnaround manager has ultimate responsibility for the safety performance of the event.

Logistics
• The logistics teams should be visited and the current situation and any anticipated difficulties noted. The current
disposition of tools, equipment, materials, proprietary items, consumables, services, utilities, accommodation and
facilities must be understood and any problems, requiring the input of the manager, resolved
 Routine (shutdown)
Workshop
The Turnaround manager (or his nominee) should regularly visit workshops to check on progress. Nowadays, most
workshops are off-site and it is imperative that the old adage ‘out of site, out of mind’ does not apply

Site safety
Monitoring is a vital component of the safe system of work. Using the unsafe acts/unsafe conditions routine, the
manager should tour the site daily to check on safety and housekeeping. The Turnaround manager should also
regularly take part in formal site safety inspections and spot checks

Permits to work
Permit to work issuers must be visited and any problems discussed. permits should be available when required. If
they are not, the root causes of the delays must be exposed and dealt with.

Co-ordination
The plant and engineering/maintenance managers should be met regularly to resolve any technical problems, discuss, and
approve or reject, requests for extra or additional work, formulate strategies to keep the event on schedule, resolve any
industrial relations problems, resolve any interface conflicts, discuss and define the consequences of any change of intent
 Routine (shutdown)
The daily Turnaround programme

The Turnaround manager should regularize the

activities of the event’s other key personnel by
issuing a daily Turnaround programme. Because
of the large amount of work that has to be
carried out on a Turnaround, having a daily
programme is essential. The more ‘in control’ of
the routine work the team is, the more time is
available for dealing with the unexpected
 Routine (shutdown)
Control
• A daily control meeting should be chaired, with the following agenda:
1. Safety officer’s report.
2. Area engineers’ reports.
3. Project managers’ reports.
4. Plant managers’ report.
5. Engineering/maintenance manager’s report.
6. Quality team’s report.
7. Turnaround manager’s summing up and actions

• When the meeting is over, the Turnaround manager writes his daily report and issues it.
• The report should be restricted to one sheet of A4 paper and circulated as widely as possible
The Daily
Control
Meeting
 Some of the typical faults that cause the shutdown to over-run and intrude into the
time allowed for the mechanical duration are:

Problems with physical items

Items which are necessary to shut the plant down (tools, plates etc.) are either
not there when they are required or are found to be unsuitable.
Duration over-run
Activities take longer than planned. This may be due to the planned time being

Shutdown unrealistic (it may have just been a guess) or the process used to perform the
activity being ineffective (e.g. four tones of steam being used when 10 was
required).
Over-run Emissions and spillage
Product or service fluids are emitted or spilled and have to be cleaned up
before work can proceed.
Inexperience
Personnel employed to shut the plant down not having the necessary
experience to do so in a timely and effective manner
Disorganization
The shutdown team leader loses control of the work due to bad planning, poor
briefing or ineffective communication.
POST-SHUTDOWN
Demobilizing the site
Most of the work of demobilizing the site is arranged by the logistics co-ordinator, but it is still the responsibility of
the Turnaround manager to ensure that it is carried out in a proficient and proper manner.

The final inspection and handover

When the Turnaround manager is satisfied that the site has been fully demobilized and cleaned, he arranges a final
site inspection with the plant manager, accompanied by the logistics co-ordinator and any person nominated by the
plant manager

• all agreed work has been completed;

• all traces of the Turnaround have been removed;
• the plant is clean and tidy;
• any damage done during the Turnaround has been repaired.

The plant manager should identify anything that is not satisfactory. The logistics co-ordinator records it on a
punch list.
POST-SHUTDOWN
Contract Closure
Contract closure follows with making sure the contractor or vendor receives final payment as well as
documentation and evaluation of how services were provided throughout the contract

Administrative Closure
Administrative closure includes the following:
 Documentation of the shutdown work
 Confirmation that the product is in alignment with requirements and specifications
 Analysis of shutdown success or failure
 Analysis of the effectiveness of the management process
 Lesson learned documentation

Recording performance
When all of the work has been completed and the plant is back on line, it is time to take stock of actual performance
against planned performance. Measurable data is collected from many sources and recorded on a metrics shee
Performance
review
record sheet
POST-SHUTDOWN
The post-mortem debrief
The Turnaround has been completed. The personnel who performed it have all returned to their
normal jobs. The plant is back on line. The site has been cleared and the handover certificate has been
signed. However, that is not the end of the story.