When a Canadian ammonia plant called about problems with a newly designed converter, the Turnaround Welding Services’ (TWS) Bulldogs couldn’t wait to get started. The previous contractor had installed the design, but it had taken them 45 days to complete the work, which was too long for the plant to be out of production. Enter the Bulldogs. With just 28 days given to perform critical path repairs, TWS exceeded every expectation imaginable and finished the work in an astounding 17 days — 11 days sooner than 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. The TWS Bulldogs began fabrication within eight days of their initial meeting with plant personnel.
More than 170 tons of steel was erected, which proved to be the critical path. It was quite a project. Steel delivery dates were crucial to having all the piping installed, but steel delivery dates were late, so TWS continually adjusted its schedule to meet the ever-changing delivery dates.
In the end, the Bulldogs completed more than 4,000 shop welds in parallel with the steel erection work. This was done in a short six-week period with less than 1-percent weld rejection rate. The TWS team also attacked the installation portion of the project. This involved installing more than 9,000 feet of pipe and preparing for all the turnaround tie-ins. The work totaled more than 55,000 man-hours. As usual, the Bulldogs completed the work on time, within budget and without an accident.
Even bad weather can’t stop them
As TWS was working on a fast-paced capital project and a turnaround at a refinery near San Francisco, their only antagonist was 10 days of heavy wind and rain.
The project involved pipe fabrication, pipe installation and structural steel installation over a three-month period involving three units — an FCCU, a crude plant and a gas plant. It was an 80,000-plus man-hour project involving 20,000 feet of pipe and 450 tons of steel. The completion date for the turnaround portion of the project changed three times. Each change shortened the window for pre-turnaround work.
Eddie Garza, TWS president, explained how the company approached unforeseen challenges related to the project. “We adjusted our schedule, our manpower and our approach to meet our client’s changing needs,” he said. “We take pride in our ‘can do’ reputation of not just performing safely and productively but also delivering quality services on time.”
Garza continued by mentioning how TWS remains flexible under pressure. “We are known for our ability to adapt to change without missing a beat,” he said. “That’s one of many reasons our clients use us again and again, and look to us at crunch time.”
But it’s not just adapting to change that TWS is concerned about, it’s doing so safely. “Despite the changes and the spell of bad weather, we delivered what we promised,” said Garza. “We did the FCCU, crude and gas plant work on time without a single recordable accident — just as our client expected. Our weld rejection rate was less than half of 1 percent. We’ve logged more than 200,000 man-hours at this facility without a single recordable incident.”
The agony of defeat is not an option
A Texas refinery had a ruptured boiler. When the Bulldogs opened the unit for damage assessment it was discovered there were several issues with the internal tubes requiring around 100 tube welds, baffles and guides. But that’s not all. The Bulldogs also learned burners and heat shields were damaged and needed replacement, as well. TWS repaired all the damage without having to repair any of the welds. There were no safety issues and no leaks upon start-up. The Bulldogs were in and out in just over two weeks, and the plant was producing steam at full capacity once again.
But just as TWS was finishing the last of the ruptured boiler repairs and preparing to leave, the refinery alerted them to a second emergency — another boiler was malfunctioning. TWS went back to work immediately, opening the steam and mud drums and plugging several tubes. In less than a week, the boiler was operating at its peak level of performance.
The TWS Bulldogs know regardless of what the job calls for — be it the plugging of a single tube in a boiler, participating in a complete turnaround or simply re-tubing a furnace — bringing a world-class team to the project is the only way to ensure the job is done right. Turnaround Welding Services’ craftspeople, supervisors and managers are true champions when it comes to being the best in the world at what they do.
Learn more by calling (225) 686-7101 or visit www.turnaroundweldingservices.com.
