Multi-Service Upgrades To Enhance Refinery
Project Overview
Riggs Distler combined our Mechanical, Electrical, and Heavy Civil expertise to complete this project to deliver critical upgrades to an oil refinery in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Mechanical scope of work included the installation of approximately 6,000 feet of cooling water supply/return carbon steel piping circuits that feed crude, kero, and diesel units at the refinery. Our team installed the piping system, ranging in size from 1–36 inches NPS, both underground and on a network of structural steel racks and supports. Work also included the installation of three 1,250 HP vertical centrifugal pumps and all necessary piping, pumps, and equipment to accommodate a new chemical treatment pad for a cooling tower.
Challenges Overcome
Riggs Distler’s turnkey service capabilities and approach made this complex project’s completion possible within the tight timeframe required. Management organized our Mechanical, Electrical, and Heavy Civil teams to function in full communication and cooperation in order to meet internal deadlines. Completing complex upgrades within the fully functioning refinery required the careful synchronization of all constructability reviews, strategy development, and solicitation of third party vendors/subcontractors for project support services.
Once the major mechanical features were installed or upgraded, Riggs Distler’s remaining work, including final piping systems and approximately 125 utility tie-ins to existing equipment, had to be completed within a 25-day window in order to meet the client’s schedule. Work was also performed during the wettest year on recent record, resulting in many interruptions on a number of work fronts. The rain put an additional burden on an already tight schedule. To meet this burden, Riggs Distler doubled-down on our commitment to maintaining schedules, productivity, and safety.
Services
Industrial Generation
Mechanical
Heavy Civil
Our work included:
- Work on the Electrical side was divided into three main components: the installation of Substation 11, Substation 12, and the Northside Cooling Tower. Our electrical specialists and union craftsmen furnished and installed large steel support structures for over 15,000 feet of cable tray and many medium-voltage feeder cables without splices and through changes in elevation. We also installed all electrical and instrumentation components, such as raceways, grounding, lighting, and fiber-optic and communications systems.
- All of this work, as well as the installation of six large transformers and associated equipment, was supported by Riggs Distler’s Heavy Civil team, who set all foundations and helical piles for construction. Heavy Civil also built electrical ductanks, fencing, bollards, and raceway supports (H-Piles) and demolished the components of the refinery’s old system.
Quality Assurance And Control
- Riggs Distler was responsible for providing all required NDE/testing at the refinery, as governed by American Society of Mechanical Engineers (Section IX, B31.3). Our Project Controls team developed a sophisticated schedule consisting of over 1,000 activities to ensure every detail of the project was planned for, evaluated in progress, communicated to the client, and adjusted as necessary. Our proactive approach to project management helped us forecast progress accurately, note trends, monitor production and cash positions, and adapt to changing conditions.
Results Delivered
Riggs Distler’s Mechanical, Electrical, and Heavy Civil disciplines pulled together to deliver these critical infrastructure upgrades and ultimately enhance the refinery’s throughput under a very aggressive schedule. By upgrading the refinery’s core infrastructure, we helped provide reliable power throughout the facility. Our talents for sole-source service delivery were on full display, as our teams resolved a host of problems to keep the project on track, deliver all services according to the client’s schedule, and ensure worksite safety at all times.