CASE STUDY: JABEL ALI REFINERY SHUTDOWN-2016

DEFINITELY A SUCCESS STORY! 2016
1 CASE STUDY
Project Title:
EPCL Condensate Refinery
Turnaround & Inspection – 2016
Refinery Capacity:
120,000 barrels per day
Location:
Jabel Ali Free Zone, United
Arab Emirates
Client:
ENOC Processing Company
L.L.C (EPCL)
Shutdown Contractor:
DESCON Engineering, United
Arab Emirates
Shutdown Duration:
2-Feb-16 to 6-Mar-16
(35 Days) – Oil Out/Oil In
Project Value:
54,000,000 AED Approx.
Peak Manpower:
2,000 Personnel Approx.
Safe Man-hours:
800,000 Approx.
WRITTEN BY:
MUJAHID AKHTAR
Planning & Control
Manager
CASE STUDY: JABEL ALI REFINERY SHUTDOWN
INTRODUCTION:
Jabel Ali Refinery is a gas condensate refinery with a planned output of 120,000 barrels per
day (bpd) and was erected in the United Arab Emirates in 1999. The Jebel Ali Oil Refinery
is the UAE's fourth refinery. The refinery is operated by the Emirates National Oil Co, which
is owned by the Dubai Government. The Jebel Ali Refinery took two and a half years to
complete and covers 500,000 m2 of area.
In September 2010, an $850m upgrade was completed at the Jebel Ali Refinery. It was
aimed at increasing the operational capacity from 70,000 bpd to 120,000 bpd. The plant
converts condensates from Qatar, Iran and Australia into LPG, naphtha, jet fuel, diesel and
fuel oil. The naphtha, a total of about 66,000 bpd, is exported for petrochemical use in
South East Asia, and the rest of the liquids are sold to the domestic market.
The Jebel Ali plant has a pipeline link to the fuel tank farm at Dubai International Airport to
provide a constant supply service. The plant is centered on two 60,000 barrels per stream
day condensate distillation units and five merox sweetening units. Its storage capacity is in
excess of four million barrels of condensate feedstock and petroleum products. Feedstock
is acquired from a number of different suppliers within the gulf region and comes to the
plant by pipeline or by ships with a capacity of up to 120,000 dwt. To minimize sulphur
emissions, the sulphur recovery unit processes the streams, which are rich in hydrogen
sulphide from amine treating and sour water stripping.
The plant operates to the highest international standards and every effort is made to ensure
reduction of its environmental impact through the use of state-of-the art technologies and
best engineering practices.
THE CHALLENGE:
EPCL planned this major shutdown to maintain refinery’s integrity and operational utilization
after major shutdown in 2012. EPCL floated the Expression of Interest followed by Request
for Quotations to selected renowned plant maintenance and shutdown services companies
including DESCON Engineering. A comprehensive tender package was prepared and sent
to bidders by EPCL with Scope of Work (SOW) incl. thousands of drawings, specifications
and data sheets in April, 2015.
The bidders submitted the technical proposals in June, 2015 while commercial proposals
were submitted in July, 2015. After through and detailed technical, commercial bids
evaluation and clarifications, EPCL selected DESCON Engineering to take this challenge
considering its past performance, strengths and capabilities. DESCON Engineering was not
the lowest bidder however EPCL used its discretion to award the shutdown contract to
DESCON in September, 2015 after tough commercial negotiations. DESCON Engineering
took the challenge after giving considerable discounts (approx. 10% of commercial bid), as
EPCL has bestowed firm confidence and trust in its world class plant maintenance services,
which was proved correct later.
This shutdown project was also of strategic importance for DESCON Engineering to
strengthen relations with EPCL and to be present in Dubai region specially after losing
couple of long term shutdown and maintenance contracts in Abu Dhabi’s region with
ADNOC Group. Right after award, DESCON Engineering, started shutdown preparations to
demonstrate that it always deliver the projects within schedule and budget while maintaining
the highest Quality and Safety Standards.
This shutdown involved the maintenance, testing, inspection, replacement or repair of
hundreds of static equipment, valves, and cut/weld jobs as EPCL preventive maintenance
analyses indicated that there was a high likelihood of failure that would lead to significant
downtime and production loss if problems were not attended. Stopping production, no
matter the duration, results in decreased revenue for operator. Also additional resources
and other costs associated with the shutdown make it a very expensive endeavor. Most
shutdowns are highly complex and carry inherent safety risks. And as compared to other
projects, shutdowns are more un-predictable since there are many opportunities to discover or

2 CASE STUDY
create problems involving expensive equipment and machinery. However, planned shutdowns like DESCON does are always
undertaken because ultimately they are good for refinery. These maintenance lead to improvements in the performance of equipment,
processes and some time enable modifications.
The DESCON shutdown Scope of Work (SOW) involved a large number of such “Challenges”, in old plant and new plant but not
limited to following;
 Maintenance/Inspection of over 200 Nos. Vessels, Columns, Tanks and Filters
 Maintenance/Inspection of approx. 98 Nos. Fin Fan Air Coolers
 Maintenance/Inspection of 147 Nos. Heat Exchangers
 Removal/Shifting/Installation of 300+ Nos. PSV’s, MOV’s and Control Valves
 Piping Erection Works of approx. 2,000 Dia Inch of CS, SS, Haste Alloy Materials
 Maintenance/Inspection of 2 Nos. Cooling Towers
 Erection/Dismantling of over 100,000 CuM internal/external Scaffolding
 High Pressure Hydro-jetting (20,000 psi) of over 120,000 Nos. of tubes
 Hydro-testing of over 245 Nos. of Heat Exchanger and Air Coolers
 Catalyst Replacement Works of over 260 CuM in Reactors/Regenerators
 Hot/Cold Insulation Removal/Installation of Approx. 1,500 SqM
 Sand Blasting/Painting/Coating of Approx. 2,700 SqM
 Refractory Repair works of approx. 170 CuM in Furnaces/Boilers etc.
 Maintenance of 100M, 75M & 50M high Flares in 5 Days using 500T/250T Crane
 122 Nos. of Heat Exchanger Bundle Pulling using 45T, 40T Bundle Extractors
 Other Miscellaneous Works incl. Re-tubing of Air Coolers, Furnaces, and Trays Replacement of Columns, and
Maintenance/Inspection of Sumps, Pits, Electric Heaters and UT of Piping Locations etc.
The schedule with major milestones was provided by EPCL, as part of tender documents. The schedule includes 5 days of Safe
Making, 28 days of New & Old Plant Shutdown, and 3 days for Start-up of both Plants. Utilities shutdown period was 7 Days.
The timeline of major milestones was as below;
Jabel Ali Refinery is divided into two plants (terminology wise) i.e. New Plant & Old Plant as detailed below;
OLD Plant constitutes of following major Units;
 Unit 02, 12 - Condensate Distillation Units
 Unit 03, 05, 06, 07, 09 - Kerosene Merox Units
 Unit 20 – Utilities Unit
 Unit 21 – Flares
 Unit 22 - Effluent Treatment Unit
 Unit 23 - LPG Storage Unit
NEW Plant constitutes of following major Units;
 Unit 08 - Naptha Hydro-treater Unit
 Unit 10 - CCR Reformer Unit
 Unit 15 - LPG Fractionation Unit
 Unit 16 - Amine Treating Unit
 Unit 17- Sulphur Recovery Unit
 Unit 31 - HC Flare Unit
 Unit 32 - Effluent Treatment Unit

3 CASE STUDY
THE SOLUTION:
Right after award in September, 2015; Descon Engineering geared up for the recruitment, selection and mobilization of Shutdown
Core Team as well as other direct and in-direct resources. Descon Engineering has challenge to source, select and mobilize over
1,600 shutdown professionals in a short duration of 2~3 months. The process was started as earliest as possible considering in mind
the time required for UAE government formalities incl. but not limited to visa quota approvals, visa applications, documentation and
immigration’s security clearance etc. Descon Engineering maintains the huge database of Shutdown’s direct and in-direct personnel
who have worked in the past on similar projects in UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman or Pakistan. The HR database was searched;
people were reached by phone, email or by advertisement in major newspapers and social networking media i.e. LinkedIn.
In October, 2015; an effective recruitment campaign was launched in UAE, India, and Pakistan which lasted for couple of weeks.
Descon Engineering shortlisted and selected 25% more personnel than plan to have contingency in case of visa rejections, or last
moment regrets by potential employees. The strategy well paid off, even though numerous visa applications were rejected, and many
personnel were backed-off before hiring. In parallel, in-house resources were spared who were working in Emirates on different
projects and were mobilized early at site to start the preparation works.
A Core Shutdown Team consisting of season professionals was formed in early
November, 2015 which incl. but not limited to Shutdown Manager, Planning
Manager, Deputy Shutdown Managers, HSE Manager, QA/QC Manager,
Material/Store In-charges, Discipline Engineers and Administration In-charge etc. As
soon as Core Shutdown Team got approval from EPCL, they were mobilized at
Refinery and establishment of temporary site facilities (Shutdown Village) was
started. The shutdown village plot plan was drafted, presented to EPCL for review
and later submitted to Jabel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) for approval. All QHSE
requirements of Dubai Civil Defense (DCD), JAFZA and EPCL were fulfilled before
temporary site facilities establishment. After shutdown village plot plan approval, the area was leveled, and graded for easy placement
of office, material and store containers. The shutdown village consists of the following facilities;
 06 Nos. of Free Issue Materials Containers; 10 Nos. of Tools Containers
 03 Nos. of Consumables Containers; 08 Nos. of Office Containers
 Pre-Fabrication Shop; Sand Blasting/Painting Shop
 A Mosque as well as 06 Nos. (40’) Ablution Containers
 Air Conditioned Messing Hall to accommodate 1,600 people at same time
 Scaffolding Materials Lay-down Area
 And Sub-contractor’s Office, Tools, and Materials Container
 Parking Area for Fleet of Buses, Vehicles and Other Heavy Equipment
During the shutdown village establishment, a detailed schedule (using Oracle Primavera Project Management) was developed for
resources mobilization incl. sub-contracting, direct materials and consumables procurement, heavy equipment and plant hiring.
Dedicated Sub-contracting Engineer, Procurement Engineer, Human Resource Coordinator, E & P Coordinator, Material Coordinator
and Planners were engaged to follow the schedule and deliver resources as per requirement.
In meanwhile, Descon Engineering FEDC & Planning Department took the lead for Free Issue Materials identification and verification
consisting of thousands of spades, blinds, gaskets, spares, pipes and fittings, nuts/bolts and valves etc. Detailed site surveys, visits
were conducted to prepare and submit the final Free Issue Materials lists to EPCL for order placement. The detailed planning was
started in mid November, 2015 when preparation of work/job packages was started. Descon’s Planning Department rigorously
collected information from archives of EPCL, contract documents and developed over five hundred work packages with name wise
supervisor’s allocation to execute the works successfully without struggling to find scope of work. The 75% of work was planned
during the Day shift, while 25% work was scheduled during Night shift. During night shift, no heavy rigging/lifting was allowed by
EPCL, hence only hydro-jetting, hydro-testing, welding, radiography, and equipment man-way, exchangers covers opening and
cleaning etc. were planning during night shift.
The work packages were prepared, submitted for approval to EPCL with the following contents as minimum;
 Scope of Work incl. P & ID’s, GA Drawings, and Isometrics etc.
 Level-IV Schedule
 Blinds Lists and Free Issue Materials List
 Method Statement or Execution Methodology
 Task Risk Assessments

4 CASE STUDY
 Inspection Test Plans; Rigging Studies
 Box-up Certificates etc.
Descon has a long‐standing HSE commitment to international and local standards for the health and safety of their employees,
clients, and sub-contractors; as well as to the protection of the environment. Descon HSE dedication is demonstrated in a continued
basis such as, promoting a healthy lifestyle, continued HSE Trainings, employing a qualified HSE staff, encouraging positive and safe
behavior practices, and implementation of safety regulations. At Descon, we are committed to following;
 To develop and supply products and services that best meet the needs of our client, are safe, and have minimal impacts on
health and the environment throughout their life cycle
 To run our plants and transport our products safely, protecting our neighbors and employees, and minimizing the impact of
our activities on our environment
 To encourage our subcontractors, suppliers and clients to adopt a policy on health, safety and environment equivalent to our
own
Descon’s HSE slogan was “Zero Lost Time Injury (LTI)” for the
shutdown and achieved over 800,000 safe man-hours with zero LTI. At
Descon, we believe that responsible health, safety, and environmental
practices go hand in hand with the growth of the company and that they
are essential to long-term success. By maintaining Zero LTI’s, Descon
has proven -and will continue to prove– its commitment and dedication
to the belief that employees are the single most valuable asset of the
company.
Considering in mind its core values, Descon HSE Department, prepared
the HSE Plan, Training Matrix, Permit to Work System and Task Risk
Assessment for EPCL shutdown. A comprehensive HSE organization
chart was developed, and approved by EPCL based on which, experienced and certified (NEBOSH/IOSH) HSE Engineers, Safety
Officers, Environmental Officer, Safety Assistance, Fire Watcher and Hole Watcher were selected and deployed at site. Descon strictly
complied with the EPCL, JAZFA and international oil/gas plants safety standards from award to completion of shutdown works.
Every individual who was mobilized at site was given Descon’s as well as EPCL Safety Orientations. Job specific HSE awareness
sessions were also conducted routinely to further improve the safety awareness and to indentify the risks associated with each task.
Descon prepared detailed Task Risk Assessment (TRA) in joint hazard assessment session with EPCL, for following activities so that
each craft working on these activities can understand risks involved;
 Scaffolding Erection, Dismantling and Modification; Rigging and Lifting activities
 Hot Bolting, Bolt Torquing / Tensioning (Hydraulic & Manual) activities
 Hydro Jetting activity; Grit Blasting and Painting activities
 Blinding / De-blinding activities; Insulation and Cladding activities
 Confined Space / Internal activities; Refractory works
 Pressure (hydro / pneumatic) Testing and Air blowing activity
 Hot Work (Cutting, Grinding, Welding, Pre Heat and PWHT) activities
 Removal and re-inserting of Heat Exchanger Tube Bundle using Bundle Puller & Crane, Fork lifter etc.
 Flare Tip inspection, repair and other replacement activities by using Man-basket and Crane
 Radiography; Catalyst unloading / loading activity; Chemical Cleaning Activity etc.
In addition, some specialized crafts were third party certified to meet the EPCL and JAFZA regulations. All riggers, scaffolders, fire
fighters, hole watcher (confined space), and first aid personnel etc, were third party certified and qualified.
A few key HSE statistics are as follows;
Medical Treatment Case (MTC) 1
Near Misses 13
No. of Observations 267
No. of Audits 101
No. of Tool Box Meetings conducted 1627

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No. of HSE violation warning issued 5
Training Hours (Induction, As per Training Matrix, Third Party etc.) 8484
PTW Trainings (No. of participants) 62
Confined Space Attendant / Hole Watcher (No. of participants) 117
Fire Watcher (No. of participants) 104
All the requirements for managing and controlling the waste management systems were applied during the Shutdown as an ongoing
commitment to safety and to protect human health and the environment by applying waste management principles and incorporating a
hierarchy of waste management practices. Disposal of the following Non-hazardous and Hazardous Wastes were carried out safely as
per EPCL and JAFZA procedure;
 Hydrocarbon sludge; Pyrophoric scales / substance
 Waste Insulation material; Refectory wastes
 Catalyst; Neutralized Chemical Solution
 Waste Sulfur; Used Gaskets
 Used Grit MaterialGeneral waste
 Food Waste; Sewerage Water
Also a “Blanket Permit System” was developed by EPCL and was executed during shutdown to improve productivity of the contractor
and ensured work progressed in a safe and orderly manner. A “Blanket Permit” may be defined as a permit issued to carry out activity
on equipment which is positively isolated by means of blinds and as defined by scope of work in the work packages for the duration of
contractor shutdown window subject to permit conditions being adhered to at all times by the receiver and conducting gas testing at
regular intervals. Descon deployed six dedicated permit initiators and coordinators in day and night shift to comply with blanket permit
system of EPCL which helped to perform all shutdown tasks in productive and safe manner.
In the other hand, Descon’s Quality Control & Assurance Department was busy preparing the QA/QC Plan, Test Packages, PQR,
WPS and Welder’s Qualifications in coordination with EPCL Inspection Department. Being an ISO-9001 certified company, Descon
always strive to achieve client’s satisfaction by:
 Recognizing that quality is the direct responsibility of every individual
 Fulfilling all the specified and implied needs of the clients
 Fully meeting all our commitments on time, every time
 Continuously enhancing skills and know-how through trainings
 Following the quality management system, national/international standards and regulatory requirements
 Continually improving the effectiveness of the quality management system
As soon as the Shutdown Core Team was mobilized at site, QA/QC Department
took the lead and started establishing the quality control procedures. A
comprehensive organization chart was prepared and approved by EPCL which incl.
the QA/QC Manager, QC Engineers, QC Inspectors, NDT Technicians and Welding
Engineer etc. As approx. 1,500 dia inch piping pre-fabrication was involved during
the pre shutdown phase, Descon selected and pre-qualified the welders for CS, SS
and Haste Alloy materials during recruitment phase in India and Pakistan so that no
surprises can affect the critical welding works during the execution of works.
The QA/QC team identified all the equipment inspections, welding and NDT works
incl. sub-contracting activities i.e. IRIS, DPT, RT, MPI, UT, PWHT etc. The
preparation tasks were completed well in advance to comply with schedule, and
EPCL inspection department guidelines. Inspection and Test Plans (ITP) were
prepared for all the scope, and submitted to EPCL for approval. Later, these ITPs
form the part of work packages.
While in parallel, Descon’s Subcontracting Department was active in reaching agreements with EPCL approved subcontractors. EPCL
subcontracting was an imperative part of the project and accounted for 40% appox. of the project. Dedicated subcontracting engineer
was deployed at site to exactly know the scope, coordinate the site survey and scope clarification meetings for subcontractors. After
through technical and commercial evaluation process, following activities was decided to be subcontracted;
 Scaffolding Activities

6 CASE STUDY
 Painting, Insulation and Refractory activities
 Bolt Torquing, Tensioning and Machining
 Hydro-jetting, Chemical Cleaning
 Catalyst Handling; Re-tubing of Tube Bundles
 Non-destructive Testing (NDT), Post Weld Heat Treatment (PHWT)
Descon adopted a cost saving subcontracting strategy while keeping in mind the quality and schedule aspects of the critical works.
For example, scaffolding quantities were huge (100,000 CuM approx.) and it may not be a good deal to single source the scaffolding
erection works which were scheduled to complete in approx. one month. The scaffolding works were divided into Old Plant and New
Plant of refinery and two scaffolding subcontractors were hired to start the scaffolding erections works. In addition, Descon also
arranged its own scaffolder and scaffolding material as contingency so that no slips occur for this critical activity. The strategy was
fruitful and no issues were faced during timely erection and dismantling of scaffolding.
Similarly, the bolt torquing and tensioning activities were divided between two
different subcontractors which resulted in considerable cost saving and timely
completion of works. However, initially hydro-jetting was single sourced due to
unavailability of any EPCL approved subcontractor which somehow put Descon in
troubled waters. As hydro-jetting was a critical path activity and was very important
for the success of shutdown, Descon built-in the three days float in schedule while
awarding the subcontract to cover any surprises. The hydro-jetting subcontractor
was confident to meet the deadlines, however it proved wrong later. Descon was
not in position to take any risk and forced subcontractor to mobilize additional
manpower and machines and closely watched the productivity. As a back-up plan,
Descon also arranged couple of hydro-jetting machines with crew from third party
and mobilized them to site. This strategy also paid well as pressure was built on
hydro-jetting subcontractor and they complete the hydro-jetting within schedule
however consuming the three days of float.
A considerable cost saving were achieved due to strategies conceived by Descon and due to tight progress monitoring, controls and
in-time deployment and demobilization of subcontractors.
The heavy equipment, tools and plants resources e.g. cranes, forklifts, man-lifts, bundle pullers, trailers, diesel tanker, water/sewage
tanker, compressors, generators, diesel welding machines etc. were planned, identified, and sourced right after award to meet the
target mobilization dates. Descon’s Equipment and Plant (E & P) Department along with Planning Department played a vital role in
successful completion of shutdown. The heavy equipment and plants were hired from multiple suppliers to meet the requirement at
site. Also, Descon’s own heavy equipment were arranged and deployed for shutdown to save the cost.
A fleet of over 150 Nos. of heavy equipment and plant was planned to keep running during the day and night shift which was achieved
successfully without a single equipment breakdown. Another challenge was the uninterrupted diesel supply to all these equipment and
plants, which Descon executed very well by deploying two E & P coordinators in each shift to monitor and fulfill the requirements.
Approx. 100,000 Gallons of Diesel and Petrol was consumed during the shutdown for these equipment and plant.
Another challenge which Descon overcome was supply of direct materials and consumables incl. but not limited to pipes/fittings,
air/water/steam/nitrogen hoses, small bore valves, test assembles, manifolds, welding electrodes, PPE’s, industrial gases, and other
consumables. Descon’s Supply Chain Department sourced, purchased and delivered thousands of line items at site as per schedule
with few exceptions. The direct materials and consumables were calculated and indentified by Planning Department with help of
execution team after careful study of drawings and site surveys. The materials resource plan (MRP) prepared and given to Supply
Chain Department for procurement ahead of start of pre-shutdown activities. A dedicated Project Buyer was deployed at site as well to
follow-up the deliveries and to purchase the petty cash items to keep the supplies uninterrupted for such a critical shutdown. Descon
hasn’t faced any major issues due to direct materials or consumables availability during the project lifecycle.
Yet another important role was played by Descon’s Administration Department who were responsible for manpower visas, JAFZA
passes, vehicles/buses, catering facilities, attendance, plant access cards, pick and drop, temporary site facilities utilities, pantry and
daily transportation of manpower from camps to site without a miss. The challenge was huge, as managing over 2,000 personnel
without fail was near impossible to achieve. A fleet of over 50 nos. of buses, cars, coasters, and double cabins was managed well by
administration department with assistance of Planning Department. More than 135,000 meals approx. were served in Messing Hall at
temporary site facilities during the project duration as well as over 5,000 JAFZA passes were applied and secured online for time
mobilization of manpower inside the plant. Timely arrangement of visas, JAFZA and site passes and implementation of Biometric
attendance system saved a considerable cost and helped Descon to maintain its reputation as world class shutdown service provider.
Once, other department completed their preparations; the Site Execution Team came into spotlight. The preparations were thoroughly
checked, daily internal meetings were conducted to identify any short falls. The work packages prepared by Planning Department
were handover to execution team after approval from EPCL. A strategy was proposed by Descon’s Planning Team to divide the

7 CASE STUDY
resources between New Plant, Old Plant and Utilities shutdown execution teams. The organization chart was revised to inline the
execution teams as per new strategy which directly in-line with EPCL shutdown organization chart and hierarchy. This strategy to
develop separate execution teams for each plant shutdown proved successful as a healthy competition was created in between teams
to complete the tasks on or ahead of schedule.
Several challenges or fears were existed during the twenty eight days of New/Old Plant shutdown and seven days of Utilities Plant
shutdown which include following but not limited to;
 Descon Shutdown Core Team comprised of seasoned professional of diverse nationalities and backgrounds who haven’t
worked together in the past. This situation created a most likelihood of lack of integration or understanding; however,
surprising the new team overcame their differences and integrated to share their diverse knowledge in a very short time
which led to success of shutdown.
 The first five days of shutdown which were termed as “Safe Making” were the most critical part of project. During the safe
making, both new and old pant were shutting down and all product draining, steaming, purging, equipment man-way
opening and ventilations were planned. 100% resources were going to be utilized day and night during the safe making. A
separate organization chart and strategy was streamlined after consultation with EPCL Process and Operations Department.
Over 11,000 meters of air, water, steam and nitrogen hoses were laid down inside the both plants and approx. 150
manifolds/headers were fabricated and used during safe making. Also, all plant sewers were completely isolated either by
safety blanket with sand bags or by plugging using sand followed by safety blanket.0 Over 3,000 blinds were inserted during
the safe making, 200 static equipment man-way opened, ventilated by using 200+ ejectors and blowers without a single
near miss and within schedule. The EPCL applauded the Descon for completing this challenging task exceeding their
expectations.
 The shutdown schedule was prepared using Oracle Primavera Project
Management consisting of approx. 35,000 activities divided into three phase of
shutdown which incl. Safe Making, Shutdown and Start-up. Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS) was prepared such that we covers the each Plant Shutdown,
Utilities Shutdown, and Equipment Category e.g. Exchangers, Air Coolers, Tanks,
Columns, Vessels etc. The challenge was to capture the accurate progress from
all supervisors and prepare the report for internal and EPCL submission before
9:00 am every morning. Planning team organization chart was prepared and
Planning Engineers, Planners, Scheduler, and Expeditors were mobilized at site.
The reporting structure was very complex, as scope of work consists of thousands
of Level-IV activities. The Earned Value Management (EVM) was implemented,
and reports along with any slippages were daily submitted to EPCL. The issues,
risks and opportunities were clearly highlighted and preventive, corrective actions were taken without falling behind the
schedule. The Descon subcontractors schedule and reporting was also made in line with Descon as well as EPCL reporting
format. EPCL also assisted Descon in developing the interference schedule as other Engineering Contractor were also
doing the modification works on Compressors, Heat Recovery System, and Piping works. Critical activities incl. hydro-jetting,
hydro-testing, re-tubing inside furnaces, refractory repairs, catalyst unloading/loading, valve replacements, and welding
works were separately monitoring and reported. The shutdown was successfully completed ahead of schedule due to
implementation of these monitoring and control measures with assistant of Descon as well as EPCL Teams.
 EPCL identified several additional works to perform during the shutdown which were not anticipated at bidding stage and
requested Descon to provide estimate based on Unit Rates given in agreement. Descon considered to assist EPCL without
hesitation and secured additional works worth over 10% of contract value. Descon took the challenge, optimized the
resources, brought subcontractors onboard and also completed these additional jobs within the shutdown schedule. EPCL
recognized the efforts made and appreciated the team for the job well done. This exercise again proved that Descon has
capabilities, strengths and teams to deliver exceptional results in time, while meeting the quality and safety expectations.
 Heat exchanger are considered the most common and important equipment of any oil and gas plant. Maintenance and
inspection of heat exchanger is not only about opening of heat exchanger, pulling bundles or cleaning, testing and box up.
Geographical location of any heat exchanger can easily decide its maintenance methodology, duration and other
requirements. During pre-shutdown and Level-IV schedule preparation, exchangers were identified that will be handled
through manual, bundle puller or with crane operation. Identification of heat exchangers on ground level and elevated level
along with weight of bundle decided the total number of cranes and tube pullers required to execute the job. Descon has
challenge to handle approx. 145 Nos. of Heat Exchangers in strict compliance with safety and quality standards.
After detailed site survey and reading drawings, Descon identified the type of exchanger and compared it with TEMA
configuration (AKU, AES etc). These results in clearly identifying the total number of bundles that are extractable from shell,
U-tube heat exchanger, plate type heat exchanger etc. Shell and tube exchangers were further divided into following:
 Fixed tube bundle heat exchanger
 Removable bundle heat exchanger

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 Removable bundle with floating head heat exchanger
In addition, all heat exchanger tube bundle size, weights were tabulated to identify size of crane and type of bundle puller as
well calculated the size of “eye bolt” that were required for pulling bundling from shell. Similarly test rings for all exchanger
as per requirement were checked during the pre-shutdown to avoid any surprises during execution. However, following heat
exchangers were identified as critical ones;
 10E-207 (Regenerator Loop Trim Cooler), a vertical heat exchanger that was initially planned to be removed
through crane was later identified as potential high risk element because it was installed in between three
structural platforms. To remove its bundle, piping nozzle must be de-attached from shell and bonnet,
structural grating must be removed, one structural member must be cut and one piping network must be
isolated via removing spool for easy bundle removal. Keeping in consideration that this exchanger has
bellow, execution team finally removed complete exchanger from location, performed its maintenance and
later reinstall back to its original location without any hitch.
 08E-101 J/K (NHK Reactor Feed/Effluent Exchanger) there was shell nozzle to shell nozzle leakage which
was studied by EPCL as flange misalignment and detailed studies were done during last 2~3 years to rectify.
Even proposal was made that to cut the subject flange (stub-in joint). However Descon during execution of
job identified that a wrong gasket was installed at location. Shell nozzle to nozzle connection gaskets
provided by supplier were not as per original specification resulting in leakage. This earned Descon Team an
applaud and appreciation from EPCL.
 Another critical task was the maintenance, refractory repairs and re-tubing of 02/12-F-101 (Condensate Furnaces), which
Descon executed as per EPCL expectations. The scope incl. huge ship size external scaffolding, opening the fire boxes,
cutting, removing and storing the existing convection and super heater tubes, repairing refractory lining, removal of tubes/
tube supports/ tube sheets and re-installation of the tubes, including the fabrication, Welding, PWHT, NDT and hydro-testing
and final box-up. As pigging of tube passes was also planned by other contractor for four days, Descon has to prepared
schedule in such a way that it can carry the activities parallel without disturbing the other contractor. The challenge was
completed as per schedule, and with desired safety and quality results.
THE RESULT:
The structured, project approach to the shutdown had immediate benefits. Planning
eliminated schedule conflicts that would have caused delays. During implementation,
schedules were tightly managed. When projects slipped or execution team struggled to
perform, immediate actions were taken to bring them back on track. Rapid decision-making
based on good information, sustained project momentum. Contingency plans maintained
order and control. When problems arose, they were dealt with swiftly.
It was obvious that some of the issues that arose made life very difficult for the project team
and if they had not been resolved quickly, with ingenuity and hard work, significant delays
and therefore substantial production loss would have occurred. Despite the costs incurred, if the intended work had not been
completed, then the future availability of such shutdowns and the revenue that depends on its continued operation would have been at
risk.
The careful planning and tightly managed implementation achieved its goals, reducing the shutdown from twenty eight day to twenty
six days, and saving the equivalent of two days of production loss. Enhanced communication reduced interdepartmental conflicts,
improved project team cooperation, and built better relations by clarifying responsibilities. Another valuable outcome was that
improved project documentation provided a useful road map for future shutdowns and exposed new areas for improvement. Detailed
lesson learnt were circulated to all departments for information and to avoid the same issues in next shutdown.
Most of all, Descon secured the appreciation and confidence of EPCL, while EPCL recognized the Descon efforts to complete the
shutdown as per schedule, with high standard of Quality and Safety in following words;
“We have started our refinery after successful turnaround/shutdown works, in a gesture to thank our team
members; we are pleased to confirm that Descon Engineering, UAE has performed the maintenance works at
EPCL Refinery T & I Shutdown-2016 to our complete satisfaction.
Descon Engineering worked round the clock to meet our tight schedule while maintaining high standard of
Quality and Safety. The job was performed in a professional manner by achieving the milestones given by us
which were result of good planning, execution and team work.”

CASE STUDY: JABEL ALI REFINERY SHUTDOWN-2016

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CASE STUDY: JABEL ALI REFINERY SHUTDOWN-2016