Salim Akçaoğlu, Gökhan Özkan and Yavuz Bingöl, Tüpraş, Turkey, discuss how the company managed a battery shutdown under the challenging circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.
B
attery shutdown management is an important process behind the closure of all units in a refinery. Tüpraş recently carried out a battery shutdown at its Izmir Refinery, the purpose of which was to ensure maximum availability of the refinery at minimum costs, by maintaining sustainable performance and reliability with the principles of ‘doing the right things’ and ‘doing the right jobs’. Under normal circumstances, preparations for a battery shutdown of this capacity should start approximately 18 months in advance of the works to ensure excellent shutdown management. This process consists of six main steps, each of which includes specific tasks, outputs, and approval stages: n Determining the battery shutdown strategy. n Establishing the work scope. n Detailed planning and programming. n Carrying out the pre-planned works. n Execution of battery shutdown. n Carrying out post-planned works.
Milestones should be established to allow sufficient time for the planning and preparation of complex and long-term materials, specific resources, and technical constraints. Sufficient time should be allocated to the preparation phase. It is necessary to follow the turnaround management process for efficient and successful shutdown management. During the shutdown period, there are four important considerations: health, safety and environment (HSE), work scope, resources, and downtime. Normally, HSE, work scope and downtime are constant, while resources are variable. The aim of this article is to express how these four topics change and how they were managed under the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. Turnaround methodologies, methods and practices are generally predictive and plan-driven. In a traditional approach, the needs, requirements and constraints of a turnaround are understood, and the plans are developed accordingly. Turnaround methodologies, especially for the HYDROCARBON 55
ENGINEERING
June 2022
