AM-17-73 Implementing Best Practice Shutdown, Turnaround, Outages (STO) Strategies via Integrated Planning

Description:

Turnarounds provide a valuable opportunity to conduct mandatory system overhauls, critical inspections and special maintenance activities while a refinery’s equipment is temporarily offline. However, performing tasks during a Turnaround can cost three to four times more than when the site is up and running, not including the costs associated with loss of production from extended downtime. To remain competitive, management must have a Shutdown, Turnaround, and Outage (STO) Strategy to help reduce the event’s complexity, costs and downtime while enhancing overall production output. This presentation highlights the key steps for implementing a best practice STO strategy, supported by a long-term strategic business case. With a special focus on “Integrated Planning,” a structured approach towards allocating activities between the different functional discipline areas and how to properly shift and utilize resources will be outlined. Integrated Planning is a tactic to spread STO responsibilities across key functional groups to reduce the size of an event, thereby minimizing complexity, cost and risk. This presentation will explain how one company developed a strategy and supporting tactics to efficiently execute the new approach to conducting STOs. Using examples drawn from a project conducted in the Canadian Oil Sands, the methodologies utilized by the organization as they implemented and optimized a long-term Turnaround/Outage strategy will be explained. Real-world examples include utilizing sitespecific equipment and design for effective STO strategy implementation and highlighting the financial, safety and productivity benefits gained.