Section 14 — Equipment Protection & Package Units

Recommissioning Equipment After Storage

IPE Engineering Practice IPE-EP-14-1-3

Document number: IPE-EP-14-1-3 · Section: 14 — Equipment Protection & Package Units

SCOPE

• This Practice governs the general requirements for de-mothballing process equipment (removing it from a stored, "mothballed" condition and placing it into service) which has been stored per the requirements of EP 14-1-2.
• Any deviation from this Practice must be approved by the procedure described in EP 1-1-3.

2.0 REFERENCES

The latest edition of the following standards and publications are referred to herein.

STANDARDS AND PUBLICATIONS

DEFINITIONS

• Contractor - Company or business that agrees to furnish materials or perform specified services at a specified price and/or rate to the Owner.
• Inspection - An activity to check that design, materials, fabrication, and testing comply with the requirements of the specification.
• Manufacturer - The recipient of a direct or indirect purchase order for materials and/or equipment. In this context, a direct order is one issued to a Manufacturer by a Contractor or the Owner. An indirect order is one issued to a Manufacturer by a vendor (recipient of a direct order) for materials, fabricated components, or subassemblies.
• Owner - Inflection Point Engineering, LLC
• Owner's Engineer - A Inflection Point Engineering, LLCappointed engineer.
• Purchaser - The party placing a direct purchase order. The Purchaser is the Owner's designated representative.

GENERAL NOTES

• It must be emphasized that PRIOR TO COMMISSIONING, ALL MOTHBALLING/STORAGE PROTECTIONS MUST BE REMOVED.
• To ensure this is carried out, it is advised that an equipment list indicating protective measures used, be maintained by the refinery.

• If equipment was removed from the site to be stored in a warehouse and a protective coating was used, such protection may be removed either in the storage area, or in the field prior to connecting pipework or immediately prior to commissioning. This decision is dependent upon exposure of equipment to corrosion, deterioration, distortion and mishandling, and the resultant effects that these could have on performance.
• Generally, it is recommended that all equipment placed in the field which is likely to remain unconnected for one month or more, should remain protected for as long as possible, i.e., prior to final welding or connecting of pipework.
• These are recommended Safety Precautions:
• All mothballed closed vessels (e.g., towers, drums, silencers, blowdown drums, sulfur condensers, combustion burners, auxiliary burners, instrument air receivers air cooler tube sections, separator drums, heat exchangers, reboilers) or similar equipment items with mothballed sealed chambers, shall be opened, vented and drained for a minimum of 24 hours before being moved from their storage locations.
• Heating or welding shall not take place on or near a mothballed sealed piece of equipment unless it has been opened, drained, steamed out, gas tested and left in a vented condition for a minimum of 24 hours.
• An open flame or source of ignition shall not be within 100 feet of a sealed mothballed vessel while opening the vessel. No flame or ignition source shall be present near the opening until the vessel has been rendered gas free.
• Personnel shall not enter a mothballed or de-mothballed vessel until the vessel has been rendered gas free. When a vessel is entered there shall be a stand-by person on the outside near the open manway.
• A vessel or closed piece of equipment shall not be shipped or erected in a mothballed condition. Equipment shall be properly drained, vented, and have excess oil and grease removed before being moved.
• The total weight of equipment shall be determined before that equipment is moved.
• CAUTION: Hydrocarbons shall never be used in protective coatings of compressors in oxygen (or almost exclusively oxygen) service. For compressors that merely handle normal amounts of oxygen, thorough removal of hydrocarbons before a return to service is extremely important.
• Authorization by the Owner's Engineer shall be obtained before any equipment is removed from storage for de-mothballing. The appropriate information shall be entered on maintenance log sheets.
• For removal of protective coatings, reference should be made to specific vendor instructions for the removal of their products.
• As a general guide, mediums used in the removal of protective coatings will be:
• Industrial Solvent, e.g., White Spirit, kerosene or trichloroethylene
• Steam
• Shot blasting
• Wire brushing
• Stoddard solvent or kerosene may be used to remove Rust veto grease or BP Oil Factokote - 38.
• Factokote - 38 may also be removed by wiping with BP Oil Factosol 1619 or by using commercial degreasing methods.

• The de-mothballing method to be used to ship a closed vessel shall be determined at storage site. Possible de-mothballing methods are as folows:
• Ready to Erect When Delivered: Open, vent, drain, steam-out and purge the vessel with nitrogen (vessels shall be gas free).
• Ready to Ship: Open, vent, drain and leave open a minimum of 24 hours (Vessels shall be gas free).
• Leave vessels vented while shipping and at delivery location.
• When moving or lifting a piece of equipment, lifting lugs shall be used when provided.
• Equipment shall not be lifted by, or set to rest on piping, non-reinforced nozzles, or nozzles 2 inches or smaller.
• All desiccant containers should be removed from equipment prior to connection of equipment.
• All heat exchangers, vessels and fired heaters (Code stamped equipment) shall be inspected by the Inspector prior to start-up.
• Alignment shall be checked on all fans, blowers, pumps, and turbines prior to refitting belts and couplings.

COMPRESSORS, TURBINES AND LARGE MOTORS

• Turbines referred to in this Practice are the "special purpose" classification by API definition. These include horizontal turbines that drive equipment that usually is not spared, are relatively large in size (horsepower), or are in critical service. This equipment is usually stored in a temperature and humidity controlled enclosure under the direction of the vendor's field representative.
• The Manufacturer's field representative shall be present when this type of equipment is removed from storage. His final storage, inspection, shipping, and receiving recommendations may be necessary for retention of warranty. Compressors, turbines and large motors shall receive like treatment.
• No separately packaged boxes shall be opened without the direct supervision of the Manufacturer's field representative.

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT

Small Motors

• Clean the exterior, remove tape from the shaft and wipe grease coating from the coupling and the shaft. Remove the bottom plug. On motors with grease lubricated bearings, grease the motor from the top fitting until all moisture is forced out the bottom plug opening and new service grease is exposed.
• Install the bottom plug on the (ball or roller) bearing housing. On motors with oil lubricated bearings, remove both top and bottom housing plugs, drain the storage oil (Facton P-30) and install the bottom plug. Fill to the service level with Manufacturer's recommended bearing oil, (or its equal). Filling and draining of the bearing housing should be repeated until all of the storage oil has been removed. Install the top fill plug, give the shaft a few turns, and tag the motor with the type of bearing oil used.

• All motors, 460 volts or higher, shall have a megger check before being installed for service.

Transformers

Clean the exterior of dust, dirt, grease and road grime. Run a tightness test by pressurizing with 2 psig nitrogen. If necessary, repair leaks and retest. Check the oil level in the main tank. Add transformer oil, if needed. If the oil level drops, check for leaks and repair. Remove the cover and grease from metal portions of bushings. The following insulation tests shall be made:

• Primary to ground
• Secondary to ground
• Primary to secondary

Switchgear, Starters, Control Equipment and Light Panels

This type of equipment is usually stored in boxes on pullets in a dry building. Remove the equipment from shipping cases and packaging (Do not remove identification tags). Clean off all protective coatings such as grease and tape. Free standing metal enclosed equipment will only need desiccant containers removed and the housings cleaned-up.

Storage Batteries

Dry charge units shall have the seals inspected and repaired as required per the Manufacturer's recommendations. On charge units, check the electrolyte specific gravity and level (adjust as needed). Do not recharge beyond the Manufacturer's recommendation.

HEAT EXCHANGERS

Shell and Tube Exchangers

• Hot work shall not be performed on or near exchangers until they have been opened, both shell and tube sides vented, drained, steamed out and gas tested. Both shell and tube sides shall be left vented.
• After the exchanger has been rendered gas free, remove all flange covers, clean the gasket surfaces and bolting, then install the service gasket and plate. Remove seals and grease from threaded openings. Kerosene may be used as a cleaner both on the exterior and the interior.
• Hydrotest before returning to service.

Air Cooled Exchangers

• Vent, drain and steam-out air cooler headers and tubes. When the tubes and headers are clean and gas free, remove all flange nozzle cover plates and gaskets. Clean grease from the gasket surface and bolting. Install the service gasket and cover plate. Leave air cooler vented. Remove storage plywood and the tarpaper temporary roof. If necessary, steam or air clean the finned tubes. Do not walk on the fins. If the air cooler is the louvered type, clean off the louver top before opening, then grease the louvers at hinge points and operate.
• Install any fan guards that were removed and stored. Open the bottom gear box plug and drain the storage oil. Install new plug gaskets wherever the plugs have been removed. Reinstall the oil level sight glass (if removed for storage), then fill to the operating level using the Manufacturer's recommended gear oil. Hand turn fan blades when the gear oil is at the operating level. Install the motor and coupling that were removed for storage. Clean the grease protected machined surfaces with kerosene.

FANS AND BLOWERS

• The belt driven fans and blowers will need the belt tension adjusted for service, due to tension relief during storage. Oil lubricated bearings (sleeve) shall have the storage oil drained from the bearing housing. Fill to the operating level with an approved service oil, then give the shaft

three turns. Tag the bearing housing with the type of oil used. Bearings separate from the shaft roller bearings and pillow blocks, shall have the bottom grease plug removed and grease added. Reinstall the bottom plug and fill to approximately 1/3 full of grease. Avoid over- lubrication, (check owners manual). Remove the protective grease coating from the shaft and machined parts.

• The fan guards shall be installed before the fans are moved or put into service.

FIRED HEATERS

• All small items, such as nuts, bolts and fittings shall be unpacked and cleaned of protective grease coating. Threaded openings shall also be cleaned and the plugs shall be reinstalled.
• Flanged openings shall have the cover plate and gasket removed, gasket surface and bolting cleaned and the service gasket and cover plate installed. Remove all plywood and tar-paper covers.
• Remove the seals on header doors, peep holes and access doors, also remove grease coatings from the door hinges and dogs. Stack openings shall be uncovered and stack linings dried out. Heater instruments shall be unpacked with care so that identification is not lost.
• The fired heater interior shall be checked. Thermocouples on tubes, heater wall and overhead hangers shall be in place. Refractory shall be dry and in good condition. Seal all refractory cracks that are over 1/4 inch wide. If the tube inside diameter was oil coated it shall be drained, steamed and blown dry. The tube outside diameter shall be wiped clean. Remove any interior plywood covers, being careful not to damage the refractory. Assembled refractory lined heater sections shall not be skidded, or rolled, but moved by lift or hoist.

PUMPS

• Wipe the pump exterior clean.
• The protective grease coating on machined surfaces can be removed with kerosene or an equivalent non-abrasive cleaner.
• Drain the storage oil from the bearing wells and oil reservoirs. Flush with service oil and refill to the operating level with the proper service oil. Tag the pump with the name of service oil installed.
• Drain the pump casing and steam clean. Rotate the impeller while drying out the casing.
• Remove the protective grease coating from the flange surface and bolting before installing the service gasket.

• Pumps with grease shaft bearings shall have service grease added until all moisture and old grease has been removed. Rotate the shaft when properly lubricated. If a vertical pump was stored in a horizontal position, the shaft was probably removed and will need to be cleaned and installed. Check the shaft tag to be sure that the proper shaft is installed. Shafts on vertical and multi-stage horizontal pumps shall be checked for straightness before being installed.

SMALL TURBINES

• Wipe the turbine exterior clean before proceeding with internal vent casing and remove the bottom drain plug, drain the casing storage oil, then steam-out and air dry. Open the governor valve while draining, steaming and drying, also slowly rotate the turbine wheel to insure that no storage oil is trapped.
• Remove the grease protective coating from the inlet and exhaust flange face and bolting before installing the service gasket and cover plate.
• Remove the top and bottom bearing housing plug and drain the storage oil. Renew the bearing oil with clean Factovis 52 or the Manufacturer's recommended bearing oil. Tag the housing with the type of oil used.
• If the Manufacturer does not recommend a lubricant for the overspeed trip mechanism, remove the governor housing and wipe off the light storage grease. If the governor valve packing was removed from the stuffing box (may be tagged), wipe it clean and repack. All turbine valve packing not removed prior to storage shall be replaced.
• Reinstall the governor housing.
• Remove the tape from the drive shaft and wipe it clean with kerosene.

VESSELS

• Vessel Interiors shall be vented and drained, then left in a vented condition during cleaning.
• Large and small vessels can be cleaned by brushing or spraying with kerosene and then steam cleaning, or just steam cleaning.
• When a vessel has been cleaned, let it stand in a well vented and drained condition for a minimum of 24 hrs. After a vessel has been tested and found to be gas free, it can be entered, moved or worked on (In a vented condition only).
• Vessel exteriors shall receive a general cleaning. Remove all oil and grease spots (Kerosene may be used). Remove grease from small threaded openings and flange bolting with kerosene, wipe and let dry.
• Remove the nozzle flange bolting, cover plate and gasket. Then remove the protective grease coating from the gasket surface before installing the service gasket and cover plate. Remove covers from chair rings and skirt openings.
• Clean inside the skirt as needed.
• Uncrate loose hardware. Take an inventory of fittings, ladders, railings, bolting and trays during cleaning.

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