Let’s face it, life is full of surprises, and so are refineries and chemical plants. When there is an emergency or time crunch, Turnaround Welding Services can mobilize and fast. Quick action, adaptability, superior craftsmanship and leadership are what make the “bulldogs” at Turnaround Welding the “can do” premier welders that most prudently call upon in time of need.

Here are some examples of quick action
A Gramercy, La., plant had a failure in the economizer section of a boiler. Turnaround Welding responded immediately and discovered that eight rows of 36 two-inch tubes were damaged.

The Turnaround Welding crews built jumpers to bypass the damaged tubes. One hundred forty-four welds were made. A successful hydro test was conducted on an “S” stamped boiler. All was completed in short order. It took Turnaround Welding only three 12-hour shifts to get the plant up and running again.

An Odessa, Texas, plant called Turnaround Welding regarding an unplanned turnaround. The project had already been approved and work was scheduled to take place during a short 20-day window.

Turnaround Welding responded to the request with a hearty “Yes, we can do it!” Crews were immediately mobilized and work began. The “bulldogs” tackled three furnaces, two boilers and multiple piping jobs. More than 700 welds were made and only two of the 700 required repairs. But that wasn’t even the big stuff. The major task was an underground cooling water-piping job that was discovered by inspections just two days before the start-up date! It took just six shifts for Turnaround Welding to fabricate a new 30-inch by 24-inch header with 12-inch associated piping totaling a single pass of 4,800 square inches.

A Gulf Coast chemical plant had an emergency. They phoned Turnaround Welding Services for help. A power outage had caused six of their ethylene furnaces to crash. The “bulldogs” mobilized on site and began work on the furnaces all within one business day. They worked closely with the plant management to assure that all their needs were met so production could be back on line ASAP.

One heater had to be completely re-tubed while the other five required only partial re-tubing. Turnaround Welding’s super welding team completed more than 80 old-to-new welds plus 130 new welds. The team replaced two exchangers via a track system engineered by AltairStrickland and Turnaround Welding Services with only one week’s notice. All six heaters were on line in just 18 days without any safety incidents.

Adaptability
Stepping up to the plate after others have struck out requires humble confidence. In this case a contractor working at a Wilmington, Calif., plant had been working on various piping projects in one unit for a whole year. The contractor’s weld rejection rate was 45 percent, and the plant needed to call in the “bulldogs” to get their schedule back on track.

Turnaround Welding Services crews mobilized. They first identified the status of every job, then found the several locations where materials such as spools, valves and trim were lying. Next they had to adjust to the predetermined schedule, man-hours and resources that had been put into place.

The resulting feat included more than 500 welds with only one repair. The critical path 16-inch heavy-wall high-pressure piping was installed. And, they finished ahead of schedule with no injuries.

Superior craftsmen and leadership
A Canadian ammonia plant called about problems with a newly designed converter. The previous contractor had installed the design, but it had taken them 45 days to complete the work. This was too long for the plant to be out of production, so they called Turnaround Welding Services. They gave the “bulldogs” just 28 days to perform critical path repairs. They were surprised when, after only 17 days, the work was complete and the plant re-adjusted their work load so they could start up again, but this time 11 days sooner than even they had expected!

A refinery in Martinez, Calif., was running out of time to execute a fast paced capital project. Engineering was late, and a turnaround was just around the corner. Turnaround Welding Services began fabrication within eight days of their initial meeting with plant personnel.

It was quite a project! More than 170 tons of steel were erected, which proved to be the critical path. Steel delivery dates were crucial to having all the piping installed, but steel delivery dates were late, so Turnaround Welding continually adjusted their schedule to meet the ever-changing arrival dates.

In the end, the “bulldogs” completed more than 4,000 shop welds in parallel with steel erection. This was done in a short six-week period with less than a 1-percent weld rejection rate. Next, the team attacked the installation portion of the project. This involved the installation of more than 9,000 feet of pipe and preparing for all the turnaround tie-ins. Whew! The work totaled more than 55,000 man-hours. The work was completed on time, within budget, and, best of all, without so much as a single first aid.
Getting clients out of a jam

A chemical plant in Orange, Texas, called Turnaround Welding to replace a ruptured radiant coil in an ethylene furnace. In less than two weeks the chemical plant was back up and running at full capacity. All welds had been executed flawlessly with no rejects, no leaks upon start-up and no safety issues.

A refinery in Beaumont, Texas, had a ruptured boiler. When the unit was opened for damage assessment, it was discovered that there were several issues with the internal tubes requiring around 100 tube welds, baffles and guides. But the burners and heat shields were also damaged and needed replacement. Turnaround Welding repaired all the damage with no repairs to welds, no safety issues and no leaks upon start-up. They were in and out in just more than two weeks, and the plant was producing steam at full capacity once again.

Just when the “bulldogs” were finishing the ruptured boiler repairs, the same Beaumont refinery had another emergency — another boiler decided to act up. Turnaround Welding had to open the steam and mud drums and plug several tubes. Under the client’s direction, they also tested the boiler and closed both the steam and mud drum. The work was completed in less than one week, and this boiler No. 22 was acting as it should.

But the story doesn’t end just yet. As the Turnaround Welding project manager was about to leave the facility, the client called for a meeting. They wanted the “bulldogs” to take over a failing piping turnaround on four of the eight drums at the coker unit. In just two days Turnaround Welding rounded up 100 “bulldogs.” No sooner were the four drums completed than the client asked if the team would stay on and take over work on the remaining piping on the other four coke drums. At project completion, Turnaround Welding had installed nearly 1,000 spools and had made 5,000 welds in all with few weld repairs.

A Texas City, Texas, refinery was having difficulties with a failing turnaround. The project at a pipestills unit had been ongoing for nearly one year when Turnaround Welding arrived with 30 craftspeople per shift. The team was given a portion of the piping called “Hotwell,” which was a couple hundred spools and about 350 welds. Client management quickly realized that these “bulldogs” meant business and that they were a hot commodity that could be of great help in completing the turnaround. More work was given to the “bulldogs” and more people were brought in (manpower quickly rose to 113 per shift).

The “bulldogs” made more than 6,000 welds and installed nearly 1,000 spools. There were no safety issues for the remainder of the job, and the “bulldogs” had zero recordables on the project.

In conclusion
Good welding skills and a tenacity to get the job done right, regardless of the challenges, is essential to the success of all turnaround, maintenance, revamp and emergency projects. Whether plugging a single tube in a boiler, re-tubing a furnace or participating in a complete turnaround, Turnaround Welding Services’ “bulldogs” have what it takes!

Learn more by calling (225) 686-7101, toll free at (888) 211-7101, or visit www.turnaroundweldingservices.com.