Turnaround Planning

Operating industrial plant sites is difficult and challenging at best. At one time or another all operating units must shutdown to upgrade or recondition equipment, conduct tie-ins, or make inspections or repairs. Many times these events present more challenges because experienced personnel may be limited. Teaming with Process Technical Services (PTS) can help make your shutdown be on time, within budget, and back in operation safely and efficiently. Our competent personnel are skilled in turnaround planning and know how to put the pieces together to insure a successful turnaround. Since 1987, PTS has provided professional and technical support services industry wide with the systems, experience and reliability required of today’s workforce.

A shutdown involves stopping process operations, de-inventorying the process, and cleaning up the process so that it is safe for maintenance personnel to open and work on the equipment. Careful turnaround planning is essential to ensure that all work is completed in a safe, effective, and timely manner

After the plant is shut down it can be decommissioned and placed in a standby state for an extended period of time, it can be decommissioned and dismantled, or it can be repaired or modified and placed back in service. This latter situation is where careful turnaround planning can reduce the downtime, while ensuring that high standards of workmanship and safety are maintained.

Most shutdowns occur to correct a situation with the process that is posing a safety, environmental, quality or capacity problem. All shutdowns are comprised of both planned and unplanned elements. The unplanned events usually occur from discoveries made after the plant is shutdown. These unplanned events can sometimes greatly extend the downtime, unless the turnaround planning has anticipated and planned for the unexpected. Careful turnaround planning can reduce the number and extent of unplanned activities.

The planning and scheduling tools used during the construction and commissioning of a process plant can also be utilized effectively for shutdowns and turnaround planning. Replacement materials must be carefully identified and located at the site to facilitate using them to replace or repair used materials. Testing of relief valves must be performed. Refurbishing of process flow control valves may be necessary, pumps refurbished, heat exchangers cleaned, plugged and/or retubed, distillation column packing examined and repaired, compressors serviced, and control system sensors checked and replaced if necessary. The list of things that need to be accomplished during an annual or biennial turnaround is nearly endless.

In some respects turnaround planning is more complex than the original pre-commissioning activities. During the pre-commissioning (construction) phase, the plant was simply being assembled from its parts. During a turnaround half the work involves disassembly of the plant before new and refurbished parts can be re-installed. Often this requires special techniques and tools.

Industries such as petrochemical, chemical, refining, fertilizer, gas separation, LNG, LPG, GTL, food and drug, pulp and paper, hazardous waste, pipeline, terminal, and power generation have relied on PTS. The highly qualified specialists employed by PTS have made it a technical services leader worldwide by providing industry with practical, dependable, and proven methods. PTS specialists include managers, supervisors, engineers, designers, advisors, operators, I/E technicians and mechanical personnel for all types of projects requiring turnaround planning.