Even though different geographic regions throughout the U.S. are often characterized by weather challenges that are on polar opposite ends of the meteorological spectrum - pun intended - the way those regions' facilities prepare for extreme conditions are, at their core, very similar.
Bottom-line success and recovery depend on having an effective response plan and executing that plan in an efficient, sometimes prescient, manner.
"The first thing we would look at is what's coming," said Andy Woods, plant manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. in Port Arthur, Texas. "Typically, if you look at a weather forecast, you should know what to expect when a hurricane is coming. But it's very, very important to understand the details of what the weather forecasters are telling you."
Planning should start well before the weather event begins, Woods observed.
"In the case of a hurricane, it's very difficult to predict exactly where it's going to hit," Woods said during a webinar presented by AFPM. "If it doesn't hit, then you're fine. If it does hit, then you need to be prepared to get your facility back up and running."
Woods recalled the initial forecast for Hurricane Harvey, the historic weather system that plowed into the Houston area in 2017. Early forecasts indicated the storm would produce 12 to 30 inches of rain. By the time the wind and rain subsided, Harvey dumped more than 50 inches of precipitation.
"We saw a lot of damage to utilities during the hurricane, so it's important to understand the impact and what you can do to prepare for it," Woods said. "Whatever the event, there are going to be things you need to do before and after for recovery. That could be generators, plywood or wire -- whatever you need to take care of [your operations].
"When the worst-case scenario does happen, what are you going to need to do? How are we going to bring contractors in, and how are we going to get materials shipped to us? You need to understand the worst-case scenario. Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
Woods recommended that facilities assess the effectiveness of their response efforts after every event.
"Plans are all going to [have] different approaches, but make sure your plan is kept relevant," Woods said. "Ask what you need to do differently the next time."
Pre-planning and support systems
Joe Kuphal, senior manager of maintenance and reliability for Marathon Petroleum Corp. in the Twin Cities in Minnesota, agreed with Woods regarding the importance of having a solid response plan in place.
"Prepping is the biggest thing," Kuphal said. "I think the best way to prepare for extreme weather scenarios is to start looking at support systems and build your plan from there."
Kuphal said his plant addresses potential extreme cold and flooding emergencies by "pulling pre-plans from other scenarios."
"Obviously, extreme weather may not be the only time you have to do electrical shedding or nitrogen shedding and things of that nature," he said. "Most plans have been built on other scenarios like power loss, and we've actually built those into our more comprehensive, extreme weather plans so we can prepare accordingly."
According to Kuphal, loss of instrumentation, including loss of support systems such as seal support systems, lube oil temperatures, coolers, etc., is "obviously a big deal."
"From an instrumentation standpoint, we spend a lot of time 'hardening' our plant," he said. "And if you haven't done an equipment criticality study in your facility, I would also recommend [conducting] that so you know which pieces of equipment are critical for sustaining plant operation."
Misty Kirkland, maintenance and industrial support for Motiva Enterprises, moderated the discussion.
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