Turnaround (refining)
Encyclopedia
Turnarounds are scheduled events wherein an entire process unit of an industrial plant (refinery
, petrochemical
plant, power plant, pulp and paper
mill, etc.) is taken offstream for an extended period for revamp and/or renewal. Turnaround is a blanket term that encompasses more specific terms such as I&Ts (Inspection & Testing), debottlenecking projects, revamps and catalyst regeneration projects. Turnaround can also be used as a synonym of shutdowns and outages
.
Turnarounds are expensive - both in terms of lost production while the process unit is offline and in terms of direct costs for the labour, tools, heavy equipment and materials used to execute the project. They are the most significant portion of a plant's yearly maintenance budget and can affect the company's bottom line if mismanaged. Turnarounds have unique project management characteristics which make them volatile and challenging.
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
, petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
plant, power plant, pulp and paper
Pulp and Paper
Pulp and Paper is the name of the largest United States-based trade magazine for the pulp and paper industry. See also: Paper engineering, Pulp and Paper Merit Badge...
mill, etc.) is taken offstream for an extended period for revamp and/or renewal. Turnaround is a blanket term that encompasses more specific terms such as I&Ts (Inspection & Testing), debottlenecking projects, revamps and catalyst regeneration projects. Turnaround can also be used as a synonym of shutdowns and outages
Downtime
The term downtime is used to refer to periods when a system is unavailable.Downtime or outage duration refers to a period of time that a system fails to provide or perform its primary function...
.
Turnarounds are expensive - both in terms of lost production while the process unit is offline and in terms of direct costs for the labour, tools, heavy equipment and materials used to execute the project. They are the most significant portion of a plant's yearly maintenance budget and can affect the company's bottom line if mismanaged. Turnarounds have unique project management characteristics which make them volatile and challenging.