PROJECT
PROFILES

ExxonMobil Chemical Tank 771 Fire Recovery Project

This project won the 2004 GNOBR CICE Award, as well as an Award of Merit – Electrical / Instrumentation from Louisiana Contractor magazine, and an ABC Pelican Chapter Award of Merit.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - A tank farm at ExxonMobil Chemical’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery sustained substantial damage in late September, 2003. Immediately after the fire, ExxonMobil signed a $554,120 time-and-materials contract with Industrial Specialty Contractors, L.L.C. (ISC) for the electrical and instrumentation work necessary to supply temporary power and then bring the unit back on line.

The work entailed identifying, documenting and replacing electrical equipment, power lines and instrumentation, as well as construction and installation of related structural supports and all planning and coordination necessary to complete the work safely with minimal disruptions in plant operations.

ISC’s work scope included labor, supervision, equipment and materials for 100 percent of the electrical and instrumentation work and related structural supports. ISC committed 15 associates to the project full time for the entire four-month duration of the assignment. When their work was complete in mid December 2003, ISC associates had invested more than 11,070 hours in the job.

The first phase of the project focused on providing temporary power to the burned-out tank unit so that affected plant operating units could resume operations as quickly as possible. ISC began by replacing a partially melted four-inch conduit carrying a 2,400-volt feeder from the plant’s E-20 substation. A temporary switchrack was then installed to route power to various critical loads.

Using CLX armored cable, ISC Associates then ran temporary power lines to seven critical pumps and ten motor-operated valves (MOVs). Another temporary feeder restored function to a security crash gate during this phase. Because the fire had destroyed ExxonMobil’s ability to monitor and control tank levels, temporary power was also provided for the multiplexer and Varec junction boxes serving tank gauging systems, control pumps and MOVs.

With temporary power on-line, ISC began field verification of all conduit and wiring systems in the damaged area. Splice points were identified and megged to existing loads to ensure that all systems met current wiring specifications. A switch rack was constructed off site, complete with all starters, breaker ties, buss boxes and feeder conduits.

Once the new switch rack was installed, structural supports were constructed to accept new cable tray and conduit for permanent power and control wiring. ExxonMobil engineers decided that ISC’s reconstruction work provided a good opportunity for control upgrades, and ISC responded by reworking the aromatics multiplexer cabinet to take advantage of modern fiber-optic technology.

To minimize conduit runs from instruments, a new instrument junction box was added at the coalescer structure. Replacement wiring was pulled to nine mixer motors, power supplies and controls, including a PC cabinet and a mixer relay cabinet for remote control systems.

A new south area control center (SACC) multiplexer cabinet was added, along with input and output modules. Cable concentrators with fiber-optic controls were installed in this cabinet for a new control valve in the SACC raffinate feed line. Finally, new 2,400-volt controllers were installed on switch racks 13-5, P-71A and P-71B.

In addition to all instrumentation, electrical and related civil work for cable tray and conduit supports, ISC was responsible for all scheduling, installation, pre-check and review of the testing and commissioning procedures. The entire project was completed with a perfect safety record.