Page 38 - SAPREF 50 year

“In March 1998, SAPREF achieved 9,42million hours without a lost
time injury, an extraor”
performance.
Part of the SRU4/SCOT plant completed in 2002.
dinary safety
Blazing a trail
Safety
In March 1998, SAPREF achieved 9,42million hours without a lost time injury, an extraordinary safety performance.
Amine change-out
The amine change-out of 2002 was world-class, if not best in the world. It was a complex challenge because the change-out went across two zones and three units. The start-up was pure textbook stuff. An SGSI technologist who focused on amine units and had been assisting, said he had never seen such a clear water sample. He said it had been achieved by a very motivated and dedicated SAPREF team.
Shell record
The HF Alkylation Plant was refurbished and cleaned out during the August 2000 Turnaround in record time, literally. Said Wim van den Bosch, Shutdown Engineer, “From feed out to feed in, the team took 17,5 days for the HFA Turnaround, which is a Shell record. Normally a unit of its size (128 kT/a) requires about 25 days.”
Flawless start-up
The new SRU4/SCOT units, built to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions by 46%, were completed in 2002. The start-up was deemed a “true world- class start-up” by the then production manager, Nils Bosma. The start-up was two weeks ahead
of schedule, well within budget, there were no environmental or safety incidents, and no leaks. The representative of the furnace manufacturer who had assisted at 30 start-ups around the world said this was the first time he had pushed the button and seen the furnace light first time and stay on-line with no trips.
SBM world first
In 2002 SAPREF upgraded the monitoring equipment on the Single Buoy Mooring, giving SAPREF a world first. The new system included differential GPS, which made use of satellite positioning, which enabled the SAPREF pilot to bring the huge tankers up to the SBM with accuracy of less than a metre. The innovation made night berthing possible, resulting in savings on demurrage.
Flare structure refurbishment
The 83-metre high south flare structure was refurbished on-line in 2004-5. Some of the statistics make interesting reading:
• 40 000 hours worked
• 178 tonnes of grit
• 4750 litres of paint
• 17 tonnes of braces removed and 23 tonnes
of braces installed
• 14 000 nuts and bolts replaced
• 2000 metres of hotline rope used
• 2000 metres of static rope used.
Bitumen record
The Despatch section of OMUTDE set a new record when in 2012 they supplied more than 200 000 tonnes of bitumen to the market.
The previous best had been 186 000 tonnes, supplied in 2010. Simphiwe Mazibuko, OMUDTE Production Unit Manager, attributed the great achievement to OMUDTE’s staff who are always willing to go the extra mile, the availability and reliability of equipment, and loading flexibility.
SAPREF: FUELLING SA FOR 50 YEARS
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