Sphera > Case Studies > Turnaround Excellence is Now Operational

Turnaround Excellence is Now Operational

Company Size

1,000+

Region

Middle East

Product

Sphera’s ORM for Operations

Tech Stack

Not mentioned

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Oil & Gas

Applicable Functions

Maintenance
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Predictive Maintenance

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services
System Integration

About The Customer

The customer is an operator of one of the Middle East’s largest and most complex oil refineries. The refinery is a 3000-acre site with 20 plants and produces 18 million tons per annum (mtpa) of petroleum-based products and 2 mtpa of ethylene and propylene derivatives. The operator is committed to adopting best-in-class industrial practices, recognizing international management standards, and ensuring compliance with all requirements regarding quality, health, safety and the environment (QHSE). As part of its commitment, and in accordance with its company standards, the operator is required to complete a turnaround (TAR) every five years.

The Challenge

The operator of one of the Middle East’s largest and most complex oil refineries was committed to adopting best-in-class industrial practices, recognizing international management standards, and ensuring compliance with all requirements regarding quality, health, safety and the environment (QHSE). As part of its commitment, and in accordance with its company standards, the operator is required to complete a turnaround (TAR) every five years. Performing a TAR on a site this large and complex involved substantial operational risks as a result of potentially hazardous work activities. With more than 2,300 separate pieces of equipment, 40,843 separate but interrelated jobs and no historical activity to act as a guide, the TAR required meticulous planning and exemplary execution to mitigate risks and ensure deadlines were met safely and efficiently.

The Solution

Sphera was chosen to support the planning and execution of the site’s major turnaround. The ORM for Operations solution delivers a standardized and repeatable approach to managing TAR activities. Its powerful visualization capabilities give users real-time insight into the operational status of any aspect of the plant, enabling them to make better, more informed decisions for improved risk management across a facility. In addition to the proven benefits of ORM for Operations, Sphera was chosen because of its global expertise and experience in developing JSAs and risk assessments. Sphera supported and offered guidance at every stage of the turnaround process - from planning through to execution. Sphera worked closely with its client to prepare and approve best-in-class JSA templates to be implemented universally across all 40,843 tasks. By drawing on predetermined hazards and controls that had been collected over 25 years in the field, Sphera’s turnaround subject matter experts worked to meet the operator’s stringent safety standards.

Operational Impact

Managed risk-based activity and safety-critical tasks relating to TAR and simultaneous operations in a standardized manner
Created a total of 40,843 JSAs for more than 2,300 equipment job packs in just two months
Ensured adherence to strict internal safety standards and enabled a safe, standardized and consistent TAR approach
Integrated operational excellence software with integration to existing systems to ensure uniform information for risk-based planning and execution across the enterprise
Developed a library of ready-to-use turnaround JSA templates for future work, to improve knowledge transfer and mitigate the impact of risk

Quantitative Benefit