Page 86 - FINAL Phillips 66 50 Year Book

The newsletter also lifted the lid on a refinery procedure that’s somewhat
mysterious to outsiders… the silence of shutdown.

‘When the plant is shut down there is sometimes an eerie silence,
without the usual steam and velocity noises you are used to. There’s
also an air of vulnerability at the thought that the refinery isn’t earning
anything and it’s your team’s responsibility to get things up and running
again.’

Project manager Peter Grout’s atmospheric description revealed what
went on during that summer’s maintenance shutdown, when six main
contractors and some 40 sub-contractors were on site to maintain and
inspect the refinery. At its peak, the workforce – of electricians, riggers,
fitters, scaffolders and specialist cleaning companies – was made up
of 3,620 on days and 760 on nights, working 10 hour shifts, six days a
week. The car park was transformed into the main contractor village for
the 10 week long project.

So, although the industrial noise may have disappeared, the site was
anything but quiet. And despite its complexity the shutdown was one
of the refinery’s safest ever, with no environmental violations. Some The statistic show what sort of work goes on on-site:
project work was also carried out, to improve coke throughput and • 384 control valves, 476 pressure relief valves and 87 electric motors
quality, and fine-tuning to the No.3 Vacuum Unit. removed and overhauled.
• 1,512 equipment inspections.
• 8,839 radiographs on welded pipelines.
The statistics of shutdown are staggering. On this one alone, catering
contractors Aramark dished up: 120,000 breakfasts; 30,000 lunches; • 55 cranes on site.
58,000 bottled and canned drinks; 10,000 nightshift meals; 31,000 • 565 extra mobile radios hired out for improved communications.
sausages and burgers; and 52,000 portions of chips. • 138 temporary generators.
• 200 plus portable cabins for contractor changing and mess rooms.
Far Right: Contractor Turnaround Compound. • More than 20 temporary toilet blocks.