Hydratight recently ensured the work never stopped during the total complex shutdown called by one of the world’s largest oil refining plants in Saudi Arabia

Hydratight provides world-class bolted joint solutions and machining services, plus innovative mechanical weldless connectors, to power generation, oil and gas, nuclear, wind and aerospace industries.

Over the last 20 years, the integrity specialist has pioneered systems for complete joint integrity assurance that are now incorporated in industry-wide safe-working guidelines around the world.

Recently Hydratight successfully executed a joint integrity assurance project for one of the world’s largest oil refining and petrochemical plants based in a small town on the shores of the Red Sea, in the western province of Saudi Arabia.

A strategic facility for the kingdom, it is processing 250,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil, but it is way more than just a refinery. It is also processing more than 1 million tonnes of ethane annually, producing many different products from this, such as: heavy oil, light oil, naphtha, kerosene, gasoline, polypropylene, Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Mono-Ethylene Glycol (MEG). There are about 23 different process plants in this one facility.

Some time ago they carried out what they called a total complex shutdown or a TCS, wherein the whole complex was shutdown. It was the largest shutdown that this refinery had ever taken. In fact, it was the largest shutdown in Saudi Arabia, according to a Hydratight spokesperson.

Hydratight was a highly-trained technical workforce

Stepping in for the project, Hydratight provided total complex Joint Integrity Assurance management together with products and technicians for 60 days. Hydratight had 420 personnel on-site at the project peak, providing 24/7 management, engineering, inspection, and technician competency for the shutdown with a day shift and a night shift so that the work never stopped.

This was the largest ever single short-term project undertaken by Hydratight.

"It took place in the most complicated facility we’ve been involved in. The environmental factors made life difficult and it was a difficult place to get to. At the end of the day, we delivered a successful project even within these difficult circumstances," the spokesperson says.

"If we can do it here, there are many other places around the world where we can be as successful in a downstream turnaround environment," he adds.