A special material solutions provider based in The Netherlands recently decided to employ Sofis engineers, to physically inspect all valve interlocks prior to a planned maintenance shutdown. Their intention: identifying hidden issues and affected interlock systems, also outside of the official turnaround scope. Timely identification of issues and defects allowed them to arrange the required corrective actions and have all required materials available in time for repairs during the turnaround. This way avoiding exceeding downtime.
Inspection prior to shutdown
After 30 years, the plant in The Netherlands was having difficulty maintaining the wide variety of assets that had been installed over time. This also applied to their valve interlocking systems. These were from different brands, each requiring technical expertise for correct operation and maintenance. Valve interlocks can often be found in highly critical applications. Correct handling of interlocks requires specialized knowledge. As the plant prepared for a planned shutdown, they reached out to Sofis for turnaround support. Sofis advised to take this opportunity to perform a complete inspection of all existing valve interlocks. As a result of the inspection, corrective and preventive actions could be advised to the maintenance team.
Ensuring operational integrity
The audit has provided an up-to-date overview of all valve interlocks and included a full report, with product and system status, and a root cause failure analysis. To ensure continuity, Sofis engineers also provided recommendations for corrective and preventive actions. The inspection has led to a proposal for ensuring the long-term operational integrity of the valve interlocks, which are to be considered critical safety systems.
Key management system
As a result of the inspection, the company decided, based on their brand preference to move to using Sofis Netherlocks interlocks and Sofis Smith interlocks as the main brands, replacing the other brands. As the company realized it needed to improve the way that valve interlock keys were managed, Sofis key management systems are now considered as their next investment. Key management systems offer an easy-to-use solution to safely control the operation of all critical systems, secured by valve interlocks.
Operator training
Sofis also implemented full training on maintaining valve interlocks. This training aims to prevent undesirable, costly, and even potentially dangerous consequences and helps to ensure the long-term continuity of the company’s valve interlocking systems. Facing an aging workforce, and regular staff changes, the training provided new operators and maintenance staff a hands-on ‘fresh up’ of basic knowledge on operating and maintaining valve interlocks.
Safety and sustainability
Ensuring the long-term continuity of valve interlocking systems is in line with the company’s continued focus on safety and sustainability, which it considers to be its highest priority. The company strives to comply with safety regulations, avoid defects, and ensure the operational efficiency of its assets at all times. Recurring inspection of valve interlocks will help to identify hidden defects, solve any issues upfront, and avoid ad-hoc and hazardous situations.