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Insights in a Refinery Turnaround

Pit Stop for a Refinery – The Turnaround–Challenge

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At a short distance from the site porta-cabins, a number of men can be seen smoking in front of a temporary wall. With their parka collars turned up against the wind, they are just standing there alone or in small groups with no sign of any real activity. “They are crane operators," says Gross laconically. He knows the men and understands what kind of impression they are making. But appearances can be deceiving. “They already positioned and erected their cranes yesterday evening. Now they have to wait while the foremen get together with their workers to discuss what the teams will be doing for the rest of the day."

Ready, set, go! A clever Turnaround Management turns shutdowns into headstarts – Around 3,500 worker were involved to restart a complete refinery facility.
Ready, set, go! A clever Turnaround Management turns shutdowns into headstarts – Around 3,500 worker were involved to restart a complete refinery facility.
(Picture: Nadine Rupp/Bilfinger)

Giving the Green Light for a Successful Turnaround

The last few minutes before the break of day are enormously important: It is in that time that the stage is set for a productive work day. Everything that needs to be done is discussed one more time, and a Last Minute Risk Analysis (LMRA) is carried out before the green light is given. If anything is forgotten now, operations will come to a halt later on and “the foreman will have a lot of running around to do” adds Jürgen Schuh with a smile. Schuh is in charge of Turnaround New Markets at Bilfinger and in his role as Turnaround Manager he is responsible for smooth operation of the plant pit stops.

A Close-Up on Process Plant Turnarounds
Gallery with 14 images

This is a huge project. A stock of 160,000 parts have to be available on site. 19 huge fans the size of airplane propellers along with the associated cooler units have to be replaced. Some 80 sub-projects involving hundreds of workers need to be coordinated and managed. Very little of what happens during a refinery revamp is routine work. Huge columns, pipe networks and equipment are shut down, emptied, disassembled, inspected, refurbished and, if necessary, replaced. Several hundred operations and up to 100,000 procedures have to be planned, coordinated and carried out.

Additional Information
Facts and figures
A mega-scale to-do list

More than 730 employees from seven Bilfinger companies (Bilfinger Maintenance Nord, Bilfinger IS Nederland, Bilfinger Slovensko, Bilfinger Chemserv, Bilfinger VAM, Bilfinger PSD and Bilfinger Rohrleitungsbau) are involved in the turnaround.

  • 48,000 man-hours by as many as 60 employees were invested in planning for the mechanical process systems, pipelines and other refinery equipment. 140 employees will be spending about 70,000 hours to coordinate activities on site.

  • Up to 200 metal workers will spend 55,000 hours getting the columns, boilers, pipes, fittings and fixtures in shape.

  • 8,000 man hours will be needed to produce pre-fabricated parts at the Bitterfeld site.

  • 135,000 m3 of scaffolding and assembly platforms will be erected on site.

  • 105 scaffolders will be on site at peak times.

  • 85 workers will remove the insulation from pipe bridges, equipment and enclosures.

  • Up to 80 employees will be doing the final clean-up at the refinery.

A Million Dollar Project Depends on the Turnaround

While repairs, inspection and maintenance work is being performed in one part of the plant, equipment is being replaced, revamped or optimized somewhere else. The cost of a single shutdown can easily run into the millions. The turnaround of a complex process plant is a little bit like open-heart surgery and something, which only a handful of experts are able to do.

Bilfinger is a specialist for these really tough jobs: With a workforce of 38,000, the company's Industrial Services segment posted sales of around 3.6 billion Euros in 2012. That makes industrial services by far the biggest field of business for the Bilfinger group. The focus of the internationally oriented conglomerate is on projects in the process industry and the energy sector.

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