It's the heart of any refinery: the crude unit. When it comes to cleaning and maintenance, time is of the essence and there is no room for error. That is because any outage of the crude unit -- planned or unplanned -- means unprocessed oil. And unprocessed oil means potentially unrecoverable profit.
Historically, refinery operators bid work to separate service providers, hoping to control costs and schedule. Yet all too often, the result is just the opposite, with both schedule and cost overruns.
To minimize that risk, refinery operators should consider contracting with a provider that can bundle services: degassing/decommissioning the unit to clear all hydrocarbons; performing the mechanical scope, whether complex or general in nature; and re-commissioning the unit, placing it back in service.
The benefits of bundled services
Bundled services allow for schedule optimization, reduction in duplication of certain effort and related expenses, more efficient project management and communication, and better safety performance and productivity as a result of crew continuity.
Schedule optimization, which can dramatically reduce the duration of tasks and eliminate shifts and possibly even remove days from the schedule, is achieved through:
- Decreased logistical challenges in confined units where otherwise multiple contractors might be fighting for space.
- Effective management of resources and utilization of cross-trained personnel for cleaning and re-commissioning.
- In the case of discovery work, sharing of on-site personnel resources through application of personnel resources to critical tasks first rather than crewing up and adding more cost.
In heat exchanger or tube bundle projects, sole-sourcing work to a single contractor also brings the following benefits:
- Utilization of contractor-owned equipment to extract the tube bundles and transport them to the cleaning pad, shell side cleaning of the exchanger shells and re-installation in the unit.
- A single point of contact for all equipment and real-time tracking of the materials.
- More efficient inspection and repair of equipment, allowing bundles to be re-installed more quickly.
- Mitigation of potential bottlenecks at the pad by extracting critical bundles or high priority items first, which, in turn, puts focus on service rather than simply task completion.
Finding the right partner
Bundled services can offer significant benefits over hiring and managing multiple contractors but only to the extent the refinery operator finds the right contractor with which to partner.
Look for one whose project managers offer expertise proven through decades of experience providing the specific services needed. Ask about historical performance and the contractor's record of repeat business with existing customers. Finally, consider a contractor willing to enter into a long-term strategic alliance. Doing so can ensure dedicated, qualified resources and work flow predictability, reduced costs, flexibility and a shared commitment to safety, consistent performance and teamwork.
Contractors willing to establish longterm strategic alliances perceive themselves to be an extension of the refinery's own workforce.
Bottom line: Working with a contractor that offers bundled services can help you ensure your refinery is back in full production in record time.
For more information, call Jason Neiser at (281) 636-0535, email jneiser@matrixservice.com or visit www.matrixservice.com.
