Monday, May 25, 2015

Refinery Turnaround and Fuel Supply


Refineries play an important role across different industries and the life of people in general. Basically, they take crude oil and then put it through a refining process to turn it into usable fuel – diesel, gasoline, and other petroleum-based products.

Regular maintenance is necessary to keep their operations going in an efficient manner. However, some major maintenance tasks can only be carried out if equipment is not in operation. Thus, a refinery turnaround is implemented at times. A turnaround is a planned periodic halt in operations (may be partial or total) of a plant to give way for maintenance, inspection, repairs, and other tasks that cannot be done while the plant is in operation.

Sometimes, refineries also shut down unexpectedly, which may be caused by accidents or natural disasters. It can also happen due to a shortage in natural gas needed for the refining process, or when crude oil prices shoot up.

Planned or unplanned, refinery shutdowns will affect fuel supply. Other types of plants that are dependent on the oil supply will have to find another source in order to keep up their own operations. For this, many turn to on-site fuel services. Some companies that provide this type of service can do so even in emergency situations such as disasters or civil disturbances.

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