7 steps to STO success

Aug. 21, 2019
Follow this expert advice to ensure your shutdowns, turnarounds, and outages run smoothly.

I’ve survived numerous stressful outages. So, let me share seven valuable tips.

First, line up extra craftspeople that you can bring in if necessary. By this, I mean have boilermakers available from companies other than the one hired to do the turnaround, and arrange for additional scaffolders, electricians, etc. The foremen managing these extra troops shouldn’t come from your primary contractor. Your primary contractor’s foremen will be swamped meeting scheduled goals.

As an example, during a 15-year internal inspection of a low-pressure vessel, we discovered enough cracks to tie up boilermakers from the primary contractor for eight days. This was unexpected and blew our schedule. We had to postpone work on other tanks until the next outage and set aside some projects. Knowing tank inspections were involved, we should have planned to have appropriate auxiliary staff on call to handle the other tanks and projects. In this case, we should have lined up extra staff including code inspectors and dye penetration technicians as well as foremen.

We learned our lesson after one turnaround from hell; on a similar project three months later, such preplanning enabled us to finish a day early!

To learn more, read "Maintenance: 7 Tips To Make Your Outage A Success" from Chemical Processing.

Sponsored Recommendations

April 14, 2025
This paper addresses where leaks commonly occur, leak detection methods, and practical advice for an audit and repair plan. You'll learn why an ongoing leak detection and repair...
April 14, 2025
Here are some things you can do in between formal preventive maintenance visits on your electric screw compressor to extend compressor life and prevent downtime.
April 14, 2025
They cost more than refrigerated dryers. They need more parts and service than refrigerated dryers. They increase demand for compressed air. So when should you use a desiccant...
April 14, 2025
Follow these ten steps for energy savings in your compressed air system.