Emerson Exchange 365

Turnarounds are as expensive as they are time-consuming, so refinery operators are under constant pressure to get production systems back up and running faster and at the lowest-possible cost. But today’s operators face multiple priorities that divert their attention from proper turnaround planning, leading to added capital expenses, safety issues, and prolonged downtime resulting from unnecessary work

So, how are some refineries cutting their turnaround costs, manpower, and downtime while boosting plant availability and productivity?

Puffer-Sweiven Reliability Specialist Casey Mullen will explain how when he presents “Working Smarter, Not Harder: Reducing refinery control valve capital spending with “out-of-the-box” turnaround strategies,” at the 2016 Emerson Exchange on Wednesday.

Mullen will demonstrate how with today’s technology, training methods, and Emerson products and certified technicians, a refiner can use Emerson’s Six-Step Planning Process for Turnarounds with innovative strategies proven to reduce capital spending.

“As the market changes and meeting customer demands becomes more challenging, the proper planning and execution on turnarounds becomes more and more vital to achieving top-quartile performance,” said Mullen. “Applying a tested process in conjunction with unconventional practices that increase efficiency can be the perfect formula for managing the process, keeping costs down, and optimizing plant availability.”

Emerson’s approach focuses on key steps leveraging Lifecycle Services, Severe Service, FIELDVUE instruments, and Materials Group:

 Outage Development: Engaging early on to determine scope development and criticality

 Project Kickoff: Broadly understanding the scope definition, outage timing and duration, and budget, followed by scheduling a plant walk-down

 Refining the Details: Everything from reviewing technical options and valve prioritization to reviewing applications issues, reconciling valve data, and developing a diagnostics plan

 Internal Planning: Defining the outage manager role, planning resources and equipment needs, setting a communication plan, and training employees

 Outage Execution: Performing work to specification, providing status reports, and documenting all communication

 Outage Review: Conducting a post-outage meeting, presenting a final documentation package, discussing KPIs, and planning for next outage

In unison with the turnaround approach, Mullen will outline five “out-of-the-box” strategies used by various refineries to reduce turnaround times and increase plant availability.

VALVE DIAGNOSTIC SURVEY REDUCES COSTS

A valve diagnostic survey using smart positioners can determine valve health and identify bad actors, as well as issues including high friction, travel deviation, leaks, and drive signals among others. The practice reduces costs, downtime, and materials by preventing good valves from being pulled. A Gulf Coast refinery used the method to reduce its work scope from 309 valves to 218, saving over $577,000.

APPLICATION REVIEW INCREASES EFFICIENCY

A turnaround application review utilizes industry expertise to examine and improve a refinery’s turnaround process. Leveraging past experiences from proven industry professionals offers time-saving and economical maintenance alternatives for improved efficiency. Refineries on the West Coast and in Europe were experiencing competitor valve failures in their hydrocracker unit due to outgassing. In both cases, custom replacement valves designed to adapt to process conditions provided long-term solutions at a lower cost.

REPAIR TURNAROUND ESTIMATION TOOL IMPROVES PLANNING

This tool helps estimate approximate turnaround times during planning and provide early warning to valves that may impact the timeline, mitigating risks. A Houston ship channel refinery used the tool a year prior to its turnaround. Following Emerson’s six-step planning process and valve health assessment, operators identified four valves that were lacking the necessary parts for replacement and were able to work with sub-suppliers to help ensure the parts would be available and delivered on time.

SHAREPOINT PROVIDES GREATER INFORMATION ACCESSIBILITY

SharePoint provides immediate, shared online access to all elements of the turnaround process, saving time and making communication quicker and more efficient while keeping information available in one location. Assigning and executing maintenance priorities can be expedited and information can be immediately disseminated to decision makers for quick resolution on deviations and discrepancies. Unlimited access to captured photos, repair reports, and repair history for future outages among others becomes easier by replacing separate emails data sources in multiple locations.

WEBEX ENHANCES COMMUNICATION

WebEx replaces lengthy travel time and photo images with video conferencing to witness testing and parts condition without needing to leave or visit the plant. Video allows customers to see maintenance situations in real time from their location, clearer and more accurately. This enables decisions to be made quicker and with greater accuracy, saving the customer time and money.