AM-00-45 PRESERVING KNOWLEDGE IN THE FACE OF EXTENDED RUNLENGTHS BETWEEN UNIT TURNAROUNDS

Description:

This paper will explore the possible application of knowledge management (KM) to capture, organize, and disseminate critical, unit-specific knowledge for use during turnarounds. As refiners and chemical manufacturers extend unit runlengths from the historical 2-3 year interval to 5-6 years between turnarounds, they are confronted with the loss of senior personnel with unit-specific knowledge. When these senior personnel depart, they take with them critical knowledge and expertise, which can adversely impact safe and efficient turnaround conduct. A knowledge management solution may hold the key to retaining this knowledge between turnarounds by preserving the legacy of the senior experts, even after they leave. A KM solution, with explicit and tacit knowledge content derived from experts' contributions and complemented by a culture that rewards those contributions may be the right vehicle to preserve the rich knowledge necessary to manage the turnaround safely and efficiently.