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.
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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.
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Time
Estimates (days)
Activities
Opt
Most
Likely
Pess
Pred(s)
1. Circulate wash water throughout
unit
1
2
2.5
–
2. Install blinds
1.5
2
2.5
1
3. Open and clean vessels and
columns
2
3
4
2
4. Open and clean heat exchangers,
remove tube bundles
1
2
3
2
5. Open and clean furnaces
1
2
4
2
6. Open and clean mechanical
equipment
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
seals
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
columns
4
5
8
16
22. Install tube bundles into heat
exchanger shells
1
2
3
18
23. Test and close heat exchangers
1
2
2.5
17,
22
24. Test and close furnaces
1
2
3
12,
19
25. Test and close mechanical
equipment
1
2
3
14,
20
26. Test instrumentation
2
4
6
15
27. Pull blinds
1.5
2
2.5
21,
23, 24, 25
28. Purge all equipment with steam
1
3
5
27
29. Start up unit
3
5
10
28
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Determine
the expected shutdown time and the probability the shutdown can be
completed one day, two days, three days, four days, five days, six days, or
seven days earlier?