Refinery pipe-rack modification, Yanbu
- Client
- Nawah Energy Services
- Location
- Yanbu
- Year
- 2023
- Duration
- 5 weeks
- Members reinforced
- 22
- Deflection limit
- 5 mm
22 members cut and reinforced to carry a new 20-inch line, completed in five weeks.
The challenge
A 20-inch line rerouted through an existing pipe rack required cutting out and reinforcing 22 members in a rack that carried six live services. The rack could not be taken out of service, gas tests were required before every cut, and deflection limits of 5 mm were set for the bays under modification.
Our approach
Each modification was engineered as a staged sequence: temporary shoring installed first, cuts made with cold methods and spark containment, new built-up sections fitted and bolted before shoring released. Total-station readings were taken before, during and after each cut against the 5 mm limit, and fire watch plus hydrocarbon testing ran on every shift. Works were grouped by rack bay so only one bay was ever open.
The result
Five weeks: 22 members reinforced, the new line supported and tied in, all deflections inside 5 mm, zero service interruption to the six existing services, zero lost-time incidents across 4,300 safe man-hours at a peak crew of 16.
Scope delivered
- Staged modification design & load check
- Temporary shoring installed first
- Cold cutting with spark containment
- Built-up reinforcement sections fitted
- Deflection monitoring (5 mm limit)
- Tie-in support for the new 20-inch line
Six live services stayed running while they cut the rack apart around them. Deflection data on every bay, every day.Piping engineer · Nawah Energy Services