Operations
Safety and energy efficiency were also top of mind for Justin McKenzie and the Global Energy Management System (GEMS) team when they worked to repair steam leaks and steam traps last year. “Ultimately our goal was to reduce the amount of energy the site spends. The steam leak program eliminates steam energy exhausted into the atmosphere and the heat exchanger program cleans scale buildup preventing efficient heat exchange,” says Justin McKenzie. According to McKenzie, one of the largest expenses a manufacturing site has is the energy spent to boil and separate molecules. The year-round SEP improvement initiatives through GEMS are expected to reduce the cost of doing business for the refinery by increasing the site’s efficiency. Last year, Melanie Fowler’s team worked to complete inspection and improvement of more than 500 pipe lines. It’s part of ExxonMobil’s commitment to improve and maintain the refinery’s infrastructure. “By maintaining our infrastructure in a methodical, safe, and efficient manner we are working in alignment with how world-class organizations operate in order to manage risk and be in compliance,” says Fowler. The plan for 2017 work is finalized and Fowler along with others are moving forward to meet their commitments for this year. “We have a plan for each month which details the location of the lines we will inspect and the logistics of getting that work done. We’ve learned a lot from past years on how to be more efficient and expect to continue to improve our communication and methods,” says Fowler.
New SEP initiatives for 2017 include the abandoned unit demolition of Pretreater Reformer One and Pretreater Reformer Two (PTR1/PTR2) facilities, Demethanator Tower at GP5E, and first Reactor at Hydrocracker (HDC). Gary Matthews is leading the Demo Task Force with that initiative. “We are in the early planning stages of the demolition project but already have developed our resource team. We have a lot of work ahead but we expect to have most of the work completed some time during the fourth quarter,” says Gary Matthews. A focus on safety, reliability, energy efficiency, risk mitigation and the environment are some of the key components for SEPs. It’s the kind of focus necessary for maintaining manufacturing and operational excellence driving profitability.
Beaumont refinery Crude heater charge pump turbines overspeed trip piping.
Beaumont refinery Fire water pump turbine overspeed trip piping.
“Ultimately our goal was to reduce the amount of energy the site spends,” says McKenzie.
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