IDCON’s Shutdown Turnaround Optimization Process reviews the best practices to safely reduce shutdown duration and costs.
The process reviews the 6 distinct phases of shutdowns or turnarounds at plants of any type. This process can be applied to both annual shutdown/ turnarounds and outage down days. The six phases of the Shutdown Turnaround Optimization Process are:
- Strategic Review Phase – this review considers your current business drivers, event frequency, risk minimizing techniques and the organizational structure
- Work List Review Phase – this utilizes Risk Based Work Selection techniques, Routine vs shutdown work
- Planning Review – Best practices in Planning work, selecting and managing contractors, safety procedures, pre-shutdown checklists
- Scheduling Review – Best practices in scheduling work, shutdown procedures, integrated scheduling
- Execution Review – Operations role, communication strategies, recording delays and scope changes, managing resources, capturing information
- Closeout/Critique Review – what agenda items to include, preparation, running the meeting effectively, preparing reports to prepare for the next event
Here are some Shutdown Turnaround best practices for you to consider:
- All utilities requirements for Shut Down (SD) and Start Up (SU) calculated and defined (flare, blow down, steam boiler, plant air (compressors), water, nitrogen, etc.)
- Tag isolation valves that will be exercised at the SD – grease valves
- Develop a detailed SD and SU schedule defining when mechanical resources are required (i.e. handover, hand-back, blinding, etc.)
- Function tests completed prior to SU – including emergency block valves, emergency SD devices, control valves, heat exchangers.
- Prepare flange make-up and torqueing procedures & provide training
- Blind and job locations tagged in the field with weatherproof tagging
