Best Practices for Planning a Refinery Turnaround

25 Mar 2026

An integrated strategy to ensure safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance

A refinery turnaround (TAR) is a planned shutdown to execute inspection, maintenance, repair, and upgrade activities that are not feasible during normal operations. These events are complex capital and operational undertakings, often representing significant direct costs, extensive planning cycles, and major safety and reliability risk exposures. Well-structured turnaround planning that ties mechanical integrity strategy with advanced non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and risk management practices, drives safety, minimizes unplanned discoveries, and controls cost and schedule performance.

Turnaround Planning and Mechanical Integrity Framework

Comprehensive Scope Definition

Effective turnaround planning begins with a clear scope of work tied to process and mechanical integrity objectives. This scope must integrate scheduled maintenance, reliability requirements, regulatory compliance, and risk-based inspection priorities. Establishing this foundation 12+ months in advance with cross-discipline alignment reduces scope changes that inflate cost and extend downtime.

Risk-Based Mechanical Integrity Prioritization

A mechanical integrity program (MIP) structured around risk-based inspection (RBI) evaluates degradation mechanisms relative to service conditions, historical performance, and failure probability. Prioritizing high-risk assets ensures inspection and repair efforts during TAR focus where they most reduce operational, safety, and environmental risk. Intertek’s MIP services provide gap analysis, program development, and system implementation aligned with industry practice and regulatory standards.

Integrating Advanced NDE in Turnaround Planning

Advanced NDE Planning During Pre-Turnaround

Advanced NDE is central to mechanical integrity work plans. In pre-turnaround planning, subject-matter experts and inspectors develop inspection strategies by matching NDE methods to likely damage mechanisms based on materials, process exposure, and equipment design. This ensures optimal test coverage and cost efficiency. According to Intertek turnaround services documentation, this phase includes tailored plans and selection of best NDE techniques.

Digital Tools and Asset Data Integration

Integration of digital tools such as laser scanning for “as-built” data capture supports accurate mechanical integrity planning, reducing field verification effort and rework. High-resolution 3D models expedite piping fit assessments, support dimensional validation, and tie into integrity databases for inspection margin tracking.

Effective turnaround execution depends on a controlled, auditable inspection data environment. Modern digital twin strategies extend beyond visualization to integrate inspection history, corrosion monitoring, and engineering data into a centralized system that directly supports risk-based decisions. Platforms such as Intertek Aware provide:

• A single, web-based inspection data repository
• Integration with ERP/CMMS systems (e.g., SAP, Maximo) to align findings with work orders
• KPI dashboards for corrosion rates and remaining life
• 3D model overlays linking inspection results to physical asset geometry
• Mobile field data capture for real-time database updates

Advanced NDE Technologies

Traditional NDE methods (RT, MT, PT, UT, PMI) are augmented with advanced capabilities for improved sensitivity and throughput:

• Automated Ultrasonic Testing (AUT) for volumetric flaw mapping and thickness profiling.
• Drone and Robotics NDE to access confined, hazardous, and elevated spaces remotely.
• Digital Radiography and Phased Array UT for complex geometries and weld inspection.
• Acoustic Emission (AE) Monitoring for real-time crack activity detection.

These advanced techniques enable earlier detection of subsurface anomalies and reduce discovery work that can delay a restart

Execution, Safety, and Post-Turnaround Processes

Continuity and Execution Discipline

Using the same inspection personnel in pre-TAR planning and on-site execution improves continuity between plan and field work, enhancing data consistency and reducing surprises. Intertek’s model positions experienced inspectors and project managers to maintain plan fidelity, deliver advanced NDE coverage, and monitor budget performance.

Safety Integration

Turnarounds concentrate diverse contractor workforces and high-risk tasks such as hot work, confined entry, and heavy equipment handling. Structured mechanical integrity plans incorporate hazard analysis, permit-to-work systems, and rigorous safety training to control risk exposures. This integrated approach aligns inspection, maintenance, and safety objectives across all phases.

Post-Turnaround Analysis and Mechanical Integrity Feedback

Once completing planned work, inspection data review ensures regulatory compliance and captures condition trends. Reliability programs use this data to refine future mechanical integrity strategies and inspection intervals, closing the loop on quality and risk management. Intertek’s post-turnaround reviews contribute to performance optimization and future risk reduction

Examples of Advanced NDE Impact

Minimizing Unplanned Work

Advanced automated inspections can identify partial-thickness corrosion or early crack initiation that traditional visual methods might miss. Early detection allows pre-positioning of required materials and mitigation activities in scope, avoiding discovery of critical defects mid-turnaround.

Digital Twin Use Cases

Digital twin models informed by high-fidelity NDE data enable scenario simulation of degradation progression and informed sequencing of inspection and repair tasks. This predictive insight tightens schedule reliability and reduces risk of extended outage due to unexpected repairs.

Conclusion

Best practices for refinery turnarounds align mechanical integrity, advanced NDE, risk management, and structured planning into a unified execution strategy. Prioritizing inspection based on degradation mechanisms, applying advanced NDE technologies, and integrating digital asset data reduces risk, improves safety, and enhances cost and schedule performance. Intertek’s service framework demonstrates how experienced inspection planning, execution continuity, and data-driven post-analysis support safer, more efficient, and more predictable turnaround outcomes.