10/20/23, 7:41 AM Plant Decommissioning- How to decontaminate, dismantle and decommission process plants | Abhisam
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Plant Decommissioning- How to decontaminate, dismantle and
decommission process plants
Free White Paper from Abhisam
Executive Summary
The current economic and socio-political environment has made product lifecycles of
chemicals much shorter. Also cost pressures, regulatory pressures, influence of non-state
actors and changing market geographies, mean that manufacturing plants (examples are
chemical process plants, Oil & Gas facilities, hydrocarbon processing plants and similar)
need to be shuffled around, shut down or shifted at a much higher frequency than in earlier
years.
This Abhisam white paper is a primer on how company managements can handle this
without getting overwhelmed by the complexities of these projects. This can happen
because quite a few company managements may be very skilled and versatile when setting
up new plants, but may be inexperienced while doing the reverse.
Why decommission?
There has been a change in the economic environment in the world due to various factors
such as technological advancement in communications, transport and policies of states
such as low entry tariffs, encouragement for foreign direct investment, tax incentives, etc.
The product life cycle undergoes a change when an external environment changes. If we
look at events in the last few years, it becomes clear that the economic boom and bust cycle
happens much faster, unlike in the past, where plants could adjust to the environment over
a period of a decade or so. In the present economic climate, there are several times when
plants need to be decommissioned. It could be because of technological obsolescence, or
due to various regulatory, taxation or cost pressures, or even due to pressures from third
parties. Such a situation may also arise due to a buy-out, or due to change in the market
geography. In all these cases, there is a need to decommission an existing plant. The fixed
assets need to be utilized for alternate products or simply disposed off to recover part of
the investment. Alternatively, they can be relocated to a new place, to set up a new facility,
which may be geographically, even several thousands of miles away. Typical examples
would be of a plant that may be sold off in the US to a Chinese company and the new
owner may want to shift it from North America to China. Or an Indian entrepreneur may
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want to shift a plant from a congested urban location, to a new industrial area in another
state. While we have always heard of these cases, the fact is that the frequency of these
events happening has increased and will continue to increase as the economy becomes
more and more fast-changing and globally integrated.
The common thread amongst all these cases is that a plant (or plants) is to be
decommissioned.
Decommissioning a plant in the chemical, pharmaceutical, hydrocarbon processing and
similar industries is much more challenging, than other in sectors like engineering or
automobile, because of the nature of the chemicals handled in such plants. Many of these
may be explosive, toxic or in other ways harmful to the environment. In these plants, where
chemicals are toxic, explosive, or corrosive, a sound methodology is needed. This article
presents such a methodology.
Where do we start?
Once it is clear that there is a need to decommission the plant, the first stage is estimation
of costs. Be aware that many of the garden variety of consultants, contractors and others
are very familiar with erection and commissioning costs, but may not be completely at ease
with estimating decommissioning costs. So think about getting some help from people who
either specialize in these activities, or have a couple of such completed jobs under their
belt, to get the best results.
Secondly, ensure that the people whose assistance is solicited are reliable and trustworthy,
as the nature of the initial work is confidential. You do not want to unnecessarily alarm your
regular employees, or suppliers and other stakeholders. You have to of course involve
these people, but at a later date.
Thirdly, many times these shutdown/exit costs are needed not only for actually carrying out
the work itself, but also to work out “What-If” and similar strategic scenarios. If your global
strategy is therefore going to be based on this figure, then you should be sure that it is a
good enough estimate and it is kept under wraps. This cost will be one of the major
decision points on whether de-commissioning makes sense or not. This first cost estimate
will be the lynchpin on which the whole case (maintaining the status quo, or shutting down
the plant) will rest and one cannot stress the importance of arriving at a realistic figure.
The Process-Rolling up your sleeves and starting it
Once it is clear that the plant has to be shut down, one can then start planning the process
of doing so. The process of decommissioning is a 3D process- It involves the three Ds of
Decontamination, Dismantling and Disposal.
Decontamination
This can be defined as removal of contaminants from the system by washing, heating,
chemical treatment and mechanical cleaning. The term contaminant denotes the
undesirable chemical entity present in the assets used for manufacture. The internal and
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external surfaces of equipment are exposed to chemicals during service. Thus the
objectives of any decontamination process are
a) To reduce occupational exposure.
b) To salvage the facility, equipment and materials as far as possible.
c) To restore the site for future use which may be an alternate use (e.g. may be
commercial rather than industrial).
The forms of contaminants are
a) Solids: Residues, products
b) Liquids: Residual liquids in reactors, tanks, heat exchangers, pumps
c) Vapors: Volatile chemicals in pipes, storage tanks
d) Aerosols: Liquid and solid particles suspended in air. This includes powders and dusts.
Decontamination methods used to clean up the contaminants are
a) Standard: Water, Compressed Air
b) Non-standard: Steam, Caustic, Detergents, etc
The process of decontamination can take place naturally, if a chemically contaminated
surface is exposed in air and allowed to be washed with water for a long period of time. The
process has no control on time element and the decontamination results cannot be
predicted on time line.
The second method uses chemical treatment, water treatment, steam treatment and the
decontamination results can be predicted with reasonable accuracy.
The process flow diagram for the complete process is given below for better understanding.
Decontaminate in Stages
A structured decontamination process is always carried out in multiple stages. Each stage
results in the equipment progressively nearing the “clean” status.
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These stages are:
a) Primary decontamination: This is the initial cleaning of equipment using chemicals and
with water followed by steam/nitrogen/compressed air. The level of contamination is
measured. If the contamination level is high, the next activity does not take place unless
acceptable decontamination criterion is achieved.
b) Dismantling: The equipment is dismantled to check the presence of contaminant. The
stage is also utilized to carry out inspection and testing of equipment to ascertain the utility
of equipment for future use
c) Secondary decontamination: The dismantled parts of the equipment are cleaned with
chemicals, water, steam and/or compressed air. The level of contaminant is measured at
this stage. If the level of contaminant is high, the process is repeated again and again, till
acceptable decontamination criterion is achieved.
d) Disposal of equipment: The equipment is declared fit for disposal. It can be sold off or
put to use for other purpose (say transported to another location to set up the same plant
again).
e) Disposal of waste: The process of decontamination generates liquid and solid waste. This
is to be disposed off in a systematic manner. The liquid effluents go to the effluent
treatment plant and the solid waste is sent for incineration or any other approved disposal
method.
Note: Before you start an end of lifecycle decommissioning project, you will need to carry
out a HAZOP Study. Our HAZOP Professional Course, shown below has everything you
need to know about Hazard and Operability Study.
Our HAZOP Professional Course, shown below has everything you need to know about
Hazard and Operability Study. Before you start an end of lifecycle decommissioning project,
you will need to carry out a HAZOP Study. Learn how to carry out HAZOP.
Dismantling
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The process of dismantling a chemical plant, oil & gas facility or a pharma plant, starts
with selection of a proper contractor (who has experience in dismantling plants in stages)
for the facility and infrastructure. The contractor should have requisite number of staff &
supervisors to check the quality of work. Many times, the dismantling work would be
need to be done in stages, as after the first stage of dismantling, the equipment may
need to be given for secondary decontamination. After this is over, it may be dismantled
further into its component parts.
The contractor should have sufficient engineering expertise to carry out surveys, make as
built drawings, track the dismantled parts and carry out associated jobs, so that nothing
gets lost or misplaced, especially if the same plant is to be assembled again at another
location.
The dismantled equipment has to be secured with special protective packing e.g. a
reactor with stirrer can be transported provided the stirrer is locked. A separate packing
arrangement is needed for different types of equipment.
Disposal
The disposal process may consist of either complete disposal of the dismantled plant, or
complete shifting of the dismantled plant to another location, or a partial disposal of old
equipment (the rest can be salvaged for use in the new plant being assembled at the
second location). So there are several variations possible in the break up of equipment
that is to be disposed off outright versus the equipment that is to be re-used.
Disposal of effluent and waste should be carried out only after ensuring that a valid
consent from the environmental authorities is available and the characteristics of
effluent and waste are well within the norms specified in the consent order.
Risk Assessment
The processes involved in decontamination, dismantling and disposal are not routine
processes and considerable deviations take place in carrying out the last batches in
equipment and the cleaning operations that follow. A thorough risk assessment study is
needed for each of the procedures. It is recommended that such exercise be planned
well in advance to mitigate the effects of the activities on safety of people and
environment.[/sociallocker]
In case this is not done properly, some unfortunate incidents may occur, for which
normally company managements are held liable for prosecution, by the authorities.
Hazard and Operational Study is an excellent risk assessment tool that can be used in
any stage of a plant’s lifecycle, including decommissioning. To know more about it, please
download or access online our e-learning course.
Internal support from various departments
The decommissioning project should involve members from other departments too,
whose expertise would be necessary in carrying out the project. These are people from
Finance & Accounting, Taxation, Purchasing, IT and HR who would be helping the core
team from Production/Plant Operations, Engineering/Maintenance & Safety /
Environmental services, to complete the project. Involving the corporate audit team is
also recommended since a lot of asset disposal, asset modifications, scrap sales and so
on are involved. The site administration team is also important since these people will be
getting the necessary permissions from regulatory authorities, tax authorities and local
communities who may be adversely affected by the shifting.
Conclusion
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As can be seen from above, the decommissioning process for a manufacturing plant or a
site is complex in nature; it is not a simple “demolish and exit” job. Hence, a structured
approach is essential for success. However, each decommissioning may have certain
unique features that require special procedures to be developed. It is a good idea to get
help from experts (who have plant decommissioning expertise) wherever necessary. The
project can be as complex (or even more so), as compared to setting up a new plant or
facility.
Need help with Decontamination, Decommissioning or related stuff?
Abhisam’s Subject matter experts on Decontamination, Decommissioning and Disposal
can help you understand the process, help you with estimation of costs, guide you in
creating your own project management plan and lead it too! Abhisam’s experts have
more than a hundred man years expertise between them, in process plants of all sizes
and have extensively worked in Decontamination, Decommissioning, Dismantling,
Disposal and/or plant relocation services, taking all environmental standards, rules and
regulations into account. Get in touch with us today for help! We are there for you.
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