ABSTRACT
Shutdown planning is uniquely challenging and is considerably more challenging than routine running maintenance as the shutdown durations are kept extremely short because of the need to keep the unit down to a minimum period� The compressed time “allowed” by management generally demands high manning intensity, and delayed material deliveries have the potential to cause the shutdown completion date to slip� Hence, it is essential to complete effective planning of the entire shutdown process on schedule and within budget� In fact, there is a very strong correlation between the length of time allocated to shutdown planning and the shutdown’s ultimate success�
Planning is the technique of picturing ahead every step in a long series of separate operations and so indicating that for each step routine arrangements suffice to cause it to happen in the right place at the right time� The complexity of the planning function is due to the relative complexity of shutdown execution, which is a time of accelerated activity, with numerous vendors, contractors, and heavy equipment engaged in multiple tasks in close quarters� There are three major facets to “planning,” as it is loosely called: planning, scheduling, and control� The prime goal of the shutdown planning process is to produce a detailed, overall time-based plan-not merely a work list�
Planning helps
• To eliminate or reduce uncertainty� • To improve efficiency of the operation� • To obtain a better understanding of the objectives� • To provide a basis for monitoring and controlling work� • To completely define all work required so that it will be readily iden-
tifiable to each participant� • If the task is well understood prior to being performed, much of the
work can be preplanned� • Planning allows the planners to present a clear, well-documented,
properly focused understanding of the shutdown work� • You will come to know what extra skills are required for the work�
Shutdown planning should begin 9-18 months before the anticipated shutdown takes place� Seven areas-procurement, engineering, maintenance, operations, quality assurance, health, safety, and the environment (HSE), security, and administration-will have activities that can be executed during this planning period� To ensure these shutdown planning activities are tracked and completed, they should be included in the master execution schedule�
There are two levels of planning: strategic and tactical�
Strategic management planning: The strategic planning for the next shutdown should start at the conclusion of the current one� Too often, this step is left until 2 or 3 months prior to commencing work, and more often than not concerns only writing job specifications or procuring materials and parts�
Strategic planning comprises those actions undertaken by plant management to establish the vision, goals, objectives, and performance expectations for the shutdown� The purpose of the strategic management plan is to blend the objectives of the shutdown with the goals and business objectives of the organization�
The senior management team must determine when to schedule the next major plant shutdown� Information from marketing, sales, accounting, operations, and maintenance is analyzed and incorporated into the business plan and can provide a long-term strategic plan�
Long-range strategic planning should attempt to forecast maintenance requirements, a minimum of 10 years into the future� It is also important to remember that the plant turnaround procedure is a continuous process�
A practical plant shutdown may be used to eliminate the process fouling condition in one area of the plant� A short shutdown is required to satisfy the regulatory requirement�
Process conditions such as internal fouling and catalyst life may require the plant to be shut down� A risk assessment of acceptable minimum flow rates and product specification will determine when the plant is required to come off-line to correct these process bottlenecks�
Using nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques, inspection of pressure equipments, such as electrical and piping systems, can be carried out and they can be checked for erosion, corrosion, or thermal degradation while the plant is in operation� In many cases, a continuous NDT program is also possible to detect degradation� With a detailed analysis of these data, one can envisage when repair or replacement will be necessary�
Shutdown planning committee: The committee should include the maintenance and production managers, safety representative, procurement or warehouse manager, and be chaired by the plant manager� Alliance contractors should also be invited to participate who may provide information on planning activities�
Treat the shutdown like any other project using classic project management techniques� Applying project management techniques for planning,
monitoring, executing, and controlling the progress of the shutdown can delineate various scheduling, resources, and cost questions such as
• Is the amount of work doable within the allotted period? • What are the critical path jobs for completing the shutdown on schedule? • Have enough resources (personnel, time, money) been allocated? • How much do I anticipate the shutdown to cost? Can I stay within
budget?
