L&T completes concurrent plant shutdowns at HPCL’s Mumbai Refinery

01 Sep 2021 CW Team

The Modification, Revamp and Upgrade (MRU) Business Unit of L&T Heavy Engineering has successfully completed the projects it bagged as a part of HPCL’s ambitious Mumbai Refinery Expansion Project (MREP). The project includes planned capacity expansion from 7.5 mmtpa to 9.5 mmtpa, producing BS- VI compliant petrol and high-speed diesel. The broad scope of this multidisciplinary project involved replacement or modification or dismantling of more than 180 numbers.Critical equipment, 130,000 ID-fabrication of pipe spools and other components, structure fabrication and erection, piping erection and dismantling, associated electrical and instrumentation work and civil work.

MRU team completed concurrent shutdown of four plants – Atmospheric Pipe Still (APS), Naphtha Stabilising Unit (NSU), Continuous Catalyst Regenerator (CCR) and Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) at HPCL’s Mumbai Refinery. The shutdown completion was preceded with meticulously planned pre-shutdown work in running the refinery. To de-risk shutdown, MRU team also planned and carried out modifications of some critical heat exchangers and pumps foundations in the live plant eliminating the extended shutdown duration.

The Covid 19 challenge
The pandemic has posed challenges to many projects. HPCL’s shutdown was during the peak of the second wave of Covid 19. Mumbai being one of the most affected cities, large scale exodus of contract workmen became a prominent issue.

MRU team planned shutdown with several automation and digitisation initiatives to overcome the constraints involved in manpower planning. Team also engaged with labour forces on a regular basis at the labour camp assuring support – medical as well as financial, if needed.

Strict Covid protocols in the form of regular temperature scanning, distribution of masks, availability of sanitisers at all locations, self-declaration of well-being and rigorous implementation of social distancing norms, vaccination drives and large-scale awareness sessions, inspection of labour accommodation facilities on regular basis by the MRU team were some of the important measures taken. All these efforts helped MRU team to retain manpower, minimising the shortage at 25% to 30%, where other contractors faced shortages close to 50% - 70%.

Oxygen availability arose due to diversion for Medical Emergency proved to be another major challenge. This was mitigated by proactive use of alternative means of cutting like diamond wire rope cutting, plasma cutting.

MRU growth trajectory
MRU carries out Upgrade, Critical Repairs and Maintenance Projects as part of its Maintenance, Revamp and Upgrade (MRU) business offerings, some of the critical work being carried out without shutting down the plants.

The MRU business of L&T Heavy Engineering is scaling up steadily. In recent years, MRU teams have executed some of the marquee projects like Orpic, Oman – FCC Revamp (creating an industrial benchmark by lifting 740 MT Reactor to 99 m height); Equate, Kuwait – Heat Train Revamp; and multi-plant critical revamp at HMEL, Bhatinda; RIL, Jamnagar – J2; CPCL, Chennai. completed within or ahead of schedule, despite several uncertainties discovered in some sites.

MRU teams also executed several important projects of almost all refineries in India and various fertiliser plants. This includes emergency shutdowns, where teams were mobilised within a day of notification delighting our valued customers.

MRU Business Unit of L&T Heavy Engineering is fully committed to the Atma Nirbhar Bharat mission. Several services developed and projects executed were, hitherto delivered by foreign companies. Projects typically are Coke Drum Overlays, Critical welding repairs, In-situ Coke drum skirt slot cutting, high end revamps in FCC and Urea Reactor units.The projects undertaken by MRU at different sites, create job opportunities for locals.

“This is one of MRU’s most complex and biggest revamp till date, that too in a running refinery. We faced multiple challenges due to COVID second wave in Mumbai, workmen exodus due to fear of complete lockdown and cyclone Tauktae. Throughout the execution our safety record was the best amongst all contractors,” said Anil Parab, Senior Vice President and Head, Heavy Engineering, Larsen & Toubro.

Annexure on plant revamps

APS & NSU Plant Revamp: “APS (Atmospheric pipe still) and NSU (Naphtha Stabilising unit) Revamp Project” is part of the above upgrade. Large scale revamp of APS and NSU unit is meant to increase the current unit capacity from 4.2 MMTPA to 6 MMTPA. It is also integrated with the new Vacuum Pipe still (VPS) unit.
CCR (Continuous catalyst regenerator) Plant Revamp: To enhance the capacity of Mumbai Refinery, HPCL has revamped existing UOP Naphtha Hydrotreating Unit (“NHT Unit”) and Platforming TM Process Unit (“Platforming Unit”) including the Cyclemax TM CCR Regeneration Section (“CCR”) located in its refinery at Mumbai, India.
Replacement of catalyst cooler: Catalyst cooler tube bundle and shell was replaced with new one.
FRAPS (Fuel Refinery Atmospheric Pressure) Turn-around: The project aimed to refurbish the old piping and equipment, through dismantling of old pipe lines and replacement with new pipelines along with refurbishment of Heat Exchangers and other equipment.

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