Turnaround season: Executing modifications without taking units offline

The 2026 turnaround season is unfolding under unusually tight operating conditions.

Sustained oil prices at record highs have pushed refiners to maintain high utilization rates, extending operational run length times, resulting in increased stress on critical assets. While favorable for margins, these extended operating conditions accelerate common degradation mechanisms, including thermal fatigue, vibration and erosion/corrosion, particularly across aging piping systems and pressure boundaries.

This environment presents a clear challenge: how to maintain mechanical integrity without incurring the production losses associated with traditional shutdowns.

Turnarounds have historically served as the primary window for inspections, repairs and system modifications. However, full or partial unit outages now carry a significantly higher cost. Even short-duration downtime can translate into substantial lost revenue, forcing operators to reconsider how and when maintenance work is executed.

As a result, there is growing reliance for online intervention techniques that allow certain scopes of work to be performed while systems remain in service.

Among the most widely applied methods are hot tapping and online leak sealing. Hot tapping enables new connections or modifications to be made on pressurized systems without the need to either stop production and/or drain down large volumes of product. Successful execution requires careful evaluation of system conditions, including but not limited to pressure, temperature, product, material properties and wall thickness, along with code compliant components, qualified welding procedures and inspection protocols.

Online leak sealing provides a means of mitigating active leaks — typically failures occur where there is a mechanical connection, flanges, glands, unions, welds etc. — by injecting sealant in a controlled manner into an engineering designed enclosure while the system remains pressurized. While effective in stabilizing leaks, it is generally considered an interim solution, with performance dependent on leak geometry, operating conditions and accessibility. All repairs are classed as temporary and should be permanently repaired at the soonest opportunity.

Although often described as "zero downtime" repairs, these interventions do not eliminate risk. Rather, they shift the work into a controlled environment where engineering rigor and field execution must align. Detailed pre-job planning, adherence to procedure and experienced personnel are essential to achieving safe and reliable outcomes.

As facilities seek to reduce reliance on outage-based maintenance, execution speed is also becoming a key factor. Integrated approaches that align engineering, fabrication and field services can help minimize delays, particularly when custom components are required on short timelines.

The 2026 turnaround season will likely reflect a more selective approach, combining traditional outages with targeted online work. For operators, the objective remains consistent: stay safe and maintain reliability while preserving production continuity in an increasingly high-stakes operating environment.

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