"Where the cranes are is where the action takes place," says Reiko Hass, turnaround manager in the Dow plant in Böhlen, during the inspection of the premises of the chemical plant near Leipzig. The 320 ha large premises is currently covered in cranes and scaffolding. This is why riding on bikes, other than usual, is forbidden. About 30 cranes stretch up into the blue sky. Disassembled parts are lying around everywhere – from fittings to pipes up to boilers.
The regular shutting down of chemical plants is called turnaround or (large-scale) shutdown. The term "turnaround," which is mostly used in Böhlen, in particular highlights the long lead time of 30 months. It starts right after the last turnaround. Furthermore, this suits that each single part is turned around, that is, disassembled, maintained and reassembled.
The term "shutdown" however, refers to the downtime of regular operation: usually, these installations are in operation for 24 hours, seven days a week and only a few people enter the premises. But every three to five years the installations are shut down in order to carry out statutorily prescribed and other inspections – mainly based on industrial safety regulations – as well as repair works. The period is calculated based on the measures "relevant for the turnaround" since the last turnaround: in this case 1.5 months.
The Dow chemical plant in Böhlen, covered in scaffolding during the turnaround. At the centre: the cracker, the oldest parts of which are around 40 years old. At the front: the naphtha pipeline.
Usually, almost 600 Dow employees and an external service team of 300 persons are working at the location; however, during the large-scale shutdown, another 1,500 employees from various companies are working there as well. Many of them go there every five years. And despite everything being strictly organized and monitored by security guards, the atmosphere is concentrated and familiar.
But next to personal efforts, an extreme amount of logistics is needed for the project, not only with regard to inspection and repair works. "Everything needs to be planned up to the cutlery," says Hass. The materials storage covers for this period, among others, two tents with 240,000 parts, 290 shower and changing containers, 50 containers for granting the work permit on site, 63 office containers and a kitchen tent. For the access to the premises, not only a large car park was created, but also additional traffic lights installed.
Read the whole article at MRO Magazine.
