Shale Oil Company
Internet Case Study: Shale Oil Company
The Shale Oil Company contains several operating units that comprise its Aston, Ohio, manufacturing complex. These units process the crude oil that is pumped through and transform it into a multitude of hydrocarbon products. The units run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and must be shut down for maintenance on a pre-determined schedule. One such unit is Distillation Unit No. 5, or DU5. Studies have shown that DU5 can operate only 3.5 years without major equipment breakdowns and excessive loss of efficiency. Therefore, DU5 is shut down every 3.5 years for cleaning, inspection, and repairs.
DU5 is the only distillation unit for crude oil in the Aston complex, and its shut down severely affects all other operating units. Some of the production can be compensated by Shale refineries in other locations, but the rest must be processed before the shutdown and stored. Without proper planning, a nationwide shortage of Shale gasoline could occur. The timing of DU5’s shutdown is critical, and the length of time the unit is down must be kept to a minimum to limit production loss. Shale uses PERT as a planning and controlling tool to minimize shut-down time. The preventive maintenance for DU5 is as follows.
|
|
Time |
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|||
|
Activities |
Opt |
Most |
Pess |
|
Pred(s) |
|
1. Circulate wash water throughout |
1 |
2 |
2.5 |
|
– |
|
2. Install blinds |
1.5 |
2 |
2.5 |
|
1 |
|
3. Open and clean vessels and |
2 |
3 |
4 |
|
2 |
|
4. Open and clean heat exchangers, |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
2 |
|
5. Open and clean furnaces |
1 |
2 |
4 |
|
2 |
|
6. Open and clean mechanical |
2 |
2.5 |
3 |
|
2 |
|
7. Inspect instrumentation |
2 |
4 |
5 |
|
2 |
|
8. Inspect vessels and columns |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
3 |
|
9. Inspect heat exchanger shells |
1 |
1.5 |
2 |
|
4 |
|
10. Inspect tube bundles |
1 |
1.5 |
2 |
|
4 |
|
11. Inspect furnaces |
2 |
2.5 |
3 |
|
5 |
|
12. Retube furnaces |
15 |
20 |
30 |
|
5 |
|
13. Inspect mechanical equipment |
1 |
1.5 |
2 |
|
6 |
|
14. Install new pump mechanical |
3 |
5 |
8 |
|
6 |
|
15. Repair instrumentation |
3 |
8 |
15 |
|
7 |
|
16. Repair vessels and columns |
14 |
21 |
28 |
|
8 |
|
17. Repair heat exchanger shells |
1 |
5 |
10 |
|
9 |
|
18. Repair tube bundles, retube |
2 |
5 |
10 |
|
10 |
|
19. Repair furnaces |
5 |
10 |
20 |
|
11 |
|
20. Repair mechanical equipment |
10 |
15 |
25 |
|
13 |
|
21. Test and close vessels and |
4 |
5 |
8 |
|
16 |
|
22. Install tube bundles into heat |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
18 |
|
23. Test and close heat exchangers |
1 |
2 |
2.5 |
|
17, |
|
24. Test and close furnaces |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
12, |
|
25. Test and close mechanical |
1 |
2 |
3 |
|
14, |
|
26. Test instrumentation |
2 |
4 |
6 |
|
15 |
|
27. Pull blinds |
1.5 |
2 |
2.5 |
|
21, |
|
28. Purge all equipment with steam |
1 |
3 |
5 |
|
27 |
|
29. Start up unit |
3 |
5 |
10 |
|
28 |
CLICK HERE TO GET THIS PAPER DONE TODAY
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
