During the Emerson Exchange EMEA 2024, Chand Basha Chittoor, staff engineer E&A at the SABIC Centre of Excellence in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, informed delegates how the company optimized turnaround planning and execution using control valve diagnostics.
Turnarounds at SABIC petrochemical plants are performed approximately every five years, with 15 days typically maintenance window available to undertake the required maintenance and repairs. Plant downtime costs millions of dollars per day, so turnaround planning and execution is critical. A typical plant can have over 300 control valves. To complete all work within the turnaround timeframe, prior analysis of control valve condition is required.
Emerson, which has been a preferred automation services provider to SABIC since 2020, utilizes its Connected Services to perform control valve analysis and provide the information needed to properly prepare for a turnaround. Emerson personnel work with SABIC plant staff to analyze control valves prior to a turnaround, starting about six months before the shutdown. These analyses, especially control valve signatures, provide the data required to ascertain which valves need servicing and which do not, thereby greatly improving turnaround planning and execution. Chittoor explained that for those valves requiring servicing, the analysis helps to determine what type of work is needed and what spare parts need to be ordered; to ensure that the right staff are available; and to deal with any unexpected issues. The analyses also provide valuable data to increase uptime during operation after a turnaround.
Source:
https://www.emersonautomationexperts.com
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