How do refineries typically manage their maintenance activities?

Refineries typically manage their maintenance activities through a structured approach that includes a preventive maintenance schedule and emergency protocols. This method ensures that equipment is regularly serviced and maintained, which reduces the likelihood of unexpected breakdowns and prolongs the lifespan of critical assets. Preventive maintenance involves routine inspections, cleaning, adjustments, and replacements based on the manufacturer's recommendations or historical performance data. This approach helps identify potential issues before they escalate into major problems, thus enhancing the efficiency and safety of refinery operations.

Emergency protocols complement this preventive strategy by providing guidelines on how to respond swiftly to unforeseen incidents or equipment failures, minimizing downtime and potential safety hazards. This systematic handling of maintenance not only optimizes operational integrity but also ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, which is crucial in the highly regulated environment of refinery operations.

In contrast, other approaches like random inspections, reliance on external consultants for every issue, or waiting for equipment failures would lead to inefficiencies, increased downtime, and higher costs, which are not aligned with the operational goals of most refineries.