Houston Controls

Houston Controls Supports Challenging LyondellBasell Coker Turnaround

This $100+ million turnaround scope called for a tightly controlled outage with multiple units of the refinery down for inspection and repair. The bulk of the work was to be performed in the Coker unit. A complete change-out of all thermowells, thermocouples and orifice plates, re-calibration of a large number of existing instruments, removal and replacement of control valves, and verification of the interlock system operation was to be performed, along with extensive documentation of the pre-1970’s equipment.

Houston Controls supported the entire turnaround with Planners and Designers for over one year during the planning phase. Houston Controls provided the Coker and other smaller units with instrument technicians, electricians, quality control personnel, and instrument fitters 24/7 during the three-month execution phase. Houston Controls provided additional forces 24/7 for tight control and issue of critical IEA material to the field, integrating with the existing plant stores personnel, and providing daily updates of critical information to key personnel.

Houston Controls also was responsible for preparing loop folders for equipment check-off, and managing the collection of drawing "red-lines" and completions to be rendered to the plant forces for ultimate inclusion in the plant’s records. Houston Control’s portion of the turnaround budget was $1.7 MM, with manpower at peak reaching 45. The Client originally estimated that the scope of work would require as many as 75 personnel, but by close cooperation with the Client’s planning and scheduling forces, this number was reduced to 45, a substantial savings for the Client.

During the project, a large crane to be used for removal and reinstallation of the Coker drums and deck sustained a disastrous failure, and as a result, a large percentage of the plans originally developed for the execution of the work could not be used. Houston Controls fully supported LyondellBasell’s changed scope with additional qualified technicians, providing a can-do attitude towards executing the now out-of-sequence packages of work, and ensuring that work was executed efficiently and in coordination with the other forces on the job. Additional work plans were also developed as needed based on discovery work. Houston Controls technicians routinely found previously unknown issues, brought them to the attention of the owner, assisted in development of a solution, received authorization, and executed the solution, all within a matter of hours.

Houston Controls maintained its "0 TRIR" (Total Recordable Incident Rate) safety record during this Turnaround by maintaining focus on the specific hazards faced by IEA personnel, attendance of company officers, leaders, and supervisors at Safety meetings, strict adherence to Plant safety rules, careful teaming of less experienced technicians with more experienced personnel where appropriate, routine execution of Job Safety Analyses at the jobsite, and extension of our Safety Culture into each facet of the project. Houston Controls was proud to complete this project so successfully. We look forward to showing you how our services can mean your success.