Many oil refineries often produce product consistently without ever shutting down. These refineries produce an immense amount of crude oil every day and therefore are vital to our current needs. The crude oil is used for a wide variety of products, such as diesel fuel, asphalt, kerosene and paraffin wax. It is also used in smaller scale products like paint, insect repellent and ballpoint pens. These sizable plants use large-scale equipment in order to process the crude oil. Due to both the size of the equipment and the potentially hazardous conditions inside a refinery, harsh operations in refineries demand high quality fabricators.
Types of Refinery Equipment
Refineries have a wide range of equipment that includes various piping. These process units include vacuum distillation, hydrocracker, catalytic reformer, and dimerization units. Because of the various chemical processes that occur inside the units, strong and durable equipment is vital to the success of the refinery and to avoid potential hazards. In areas with high levels of corrosion, high quality materials are needed in order to withstand this chemical process, while areas with minimal corrosion don’t require expensive materials. For all equipment, however, durability, safety and strength are crucial components to keeping the refinery in working order.
Safety Concerns
Accidents occur in any type of workplace, but those that occur in refineries can be more severe and have longer lasting consequences. Documented accidents from equipment have included a leak that caught fire, injuring employees and the public; a split in a tank that resulted in vaporous leaks over a 20 foot length of the equipment; and a leak that plumed 200 feet high, causing an employee to suffer third degree burns. Some units heat oil to over 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit, while others steam, pump, or cool the oil. When equipment malfunctions, it not only has the potential to cause harm in and of itself, but because of the nature of the product and the scale of the processing, serious injury and even death can occur. To keep these devastating accidents at a minimum, it is important to choose a fabricator that is qualified with years of industrial experience that meets all safety standards.
Choosing Quality Equipment
Refinery equipment is made of certain materials that include aluminum, stainless steel, copper and various types of alloys. It is important to choose high quality fabricators who can adhere to national and international standards in order to ensure that you get long-lasting equipment. Because this equipment is used for such heavy processes, and goes through such extreme conditions during the oil’s conversion, cutting corners could cause drastic outcomes that impact workforce safety and government regulations. Quality fabricators have a wealth of experience with fabrication, welding, cutting, straightening, and forming of materials. A good fabrication company will offer custom built equipment from plans or designs, and will build, install and repair the equipment as needed, all while adhering to official standards.
Equipment Installation
Because refineries are often open 24 hours a day, it is also important to choose a fabrication company that builds modules offsite and then installs the equipment without disrupting the current flow of the facility. Equipment is made in large fabrication warehouses that is then delivered to the refinery through a seamless process.
Harsh operations in refineries demand high quality fabricators in order to ensure that the refinery is as safe as possible. Oil refineries are immense factories that use extreme chemical processes to turn crude oil into oil used for everyday products. Equipment is at the heart of this industry, and because it is used in such extreme heat and vapor conditions, the equipment must be able to withstand continuous heavy processes. Oil refineries employ a large workforce and it is crucial that these workers be safe from equipment failure. Therefore, it is important to use quality fabricators to keep the refineries running smoothly.
STI Group is pleased to be one such industrial fabricator. All of our industrial services, fabricated equipment and machinery meet or exceed industry standards and are rigorously tested for safety and quality. Our industrial clients can rest easy in the knowledge that no matter how harsh the operating conditions at their facilities, STI Group has them covered.
