T&I
T&I Turnaround and Inspection Planning: Gulf Terms
T&I means turnaround and inspection: a major refinery turnaround that includes inspection work, as used in Gulf refining. This page defines the terms around it, shows one published example, gives an illustrative gated planning model and says plainly what public sources do not provide.
Public sources on T&I are limited. The gated model is MaintWiz's own framework, not any operator's method.
How MaintWiz helps: T&I programs need inspection scope and schedule in one plan. The MaintWiz shutdown module gives plant teams one plan for scope, schedule, permits, spares and execution, from the first work package to close-out. See the module · Get the data sheet
By Jai Balachandran · Published · Last reviewed
What MaintWiz adds:Scope, schedule and permits in one planSpares status with SAPReadiness gatesFindings to the planner
Terms
What is T&I in a refinery?
T&I means turnaround and inspection: a major refinery turnaround that includes inspection work, as in "a major turnaround and inspection (T&I)" at Ras Tanura Refinery, whose plants are on a five-year T&I cycle. 1
EIA describes a refinery turnaround as a planned, periodic shutdown of one or more processing units to perform maintenance, inspection and repair, and says routine turnarounds on key fuel production units are planned for every three to five years. 2 AFPM calls a turnaround a planned period of extensive maintenance, renovation and capital investment and says what separates it from an outage is that it is planned. 3
| Term | Meaning | Source or status |
|---|---|---|
| T&I | Turnaround and inspection: a refinery turnaround that includes the inspection work, used in Gulf refining | Hydrocarbon Engineering |
| Turnaround | A planned, periodic shutdown of one or more refinery processing units to perform maintenance, inspection and repair | EIA |
| Turnaround (AFPM) | A planned period of extensive maintenance, renovation and capital investment; the key distinction from an outage is that turnarounds are planned | AFPM |
| Shutdown | Any deliberate stop of a plant or unit | Terms compared |
| Statutory turnaround | A turnaround driven by a legal inspection duty; usage varies by country | No authoritative definition found; not used as a definition here |
I found no single authoritative Gulf definition of T&I. The first row rests on one published example. See shutdown vs turnaround vs outage for the general comparison.
Example
How big is a refinery T&I?
One published example shows the scale: Hydrocarbon Engineering reports a Ras Tanura Refinery T&I with 27- and 32-day unit turnarounds, 9,258 permits, over 500,000 man-hours and a peak of over 1,900 people on site per day. 1
| Item | Figure reported |
|---|---|
| Fractionation unit T&I | 27 days against a 28-day benchmark |
| Platformer unit T&I | 32 days against a 35-day benchmark |
| Permits issued | 9,258 |
| Man-hours | More than 500,000 |
| Peak on-site manning | More than 1,900 people per day |
| Contractor companies | 13 |
The figures are from one trade-press report of one refinery in 2018. They are not a benchmark and the report attributes its benchmark days to Solomon Study refinery benchmarks and does not say how they were applied. There is no published T&I duration benchmark.
Software
Can software support a gated T&I process?
Software can hold the gates as readiness checks with evidence and signed waivers, and keep the baseline, schedule and permits in one record; the gate contents are yours to set.
About MaintWiz. MaintWiz is an industrial AI platform with IoT, SAP integration and predictive maintenance (PdM) capabilities. Its shutdown and turnaround module helps plants plan, schedule, execute and close out shutdown work.
What the shutdown module covers
As described on the MaintWiz shutdown maintenance product page.
- Gantt chart with the critical path and float
- Baselines that show what moved against the plan
- Readiness gates with signed waivers and the name and date
- Resource availability by trade and week, with blackout windows from the admin calendar
- Permits and isolations from ePTW on each work order
- Portfolio view of up to 20 concurrent projects
Proof
What MaintWiz customers report
Figures as published in MaintWiz case studies on maintwiz.com. They come from maintenance management projects, not shutdowns.
Gated planning
What is a T&I gated process?
A gated T&I process is a stage-by-stage planning method in which the turnaround moves to the next stage only when a review confirms the work of the last; the gate contents used by Gulf operators are not published, so the model below is our own illustrative framework. 5
| Gate | Question | Evidence to see | Checklist steps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Scope | Is the objective, window and scope defined and ranked? | Objective, window, scope register, criticality ranking | Steps 1 to 6 |
| 2. Freeze and plan | Is the scope frozen and the work packaged and scheduled? | Baseline scope, work packages, logic-linked schedule | Steps 7 to 12 |
| 3. Readiness | Are people, parts, permits and isolations ready? | Resource plan, material readiness, permit matrix, risk register | Steps 13 to 23 |
| 4. Execute | Is the stop on the path to a safe restart? | Daily control, hold points, punch list | Steps 24 to 31 |
| 5. Restart and close-out | Can the plant restart safely and what did we learn? | Completion records, pre-startup review, lessons | Steps 32 to 40 |
The gates map onto the five phases of the 40-step checklist. The GAO schedule guide supports the underlying idea that a baseline is set and then controlled. 5 See scope management for the freeze.
This is a MaintWiz framework, not a description of any operator's gates. I found no public source for Gulf operator gate contents.
Benchmarks
How are turnaround durations benchmarked?
Turnaround benchmarking compares your cost and duration with similar plants, but the commercial benchmarking studies are not public, so this page quotes none; use your own history and any benchmark your company is licensed to use.
No vendor-neutral public benchmark for refinery turnaround duration was found. EIA gives planning lead times and interval ranges, not durations by unit: it says routine turnarounds on key units are planned for every three to five years, with one to two years of advance planning. 2 For how to measure your own performance see the KPI guide.
Inspection scope
What is an equipment inspection schedule in a refinery turnaround?
An equipment inspection schedule lists each vessel, line and tank due for inspection, the date it is due and the method, so the turnaround scope includes every inspection that falls due before the next stop; in the US, OSHA mechanical integrity requires inspection and testing of process equipment on a frequency set by manufacturers' recommendations and good engineering practice. 4
A free Excel version is available: T&I gate and inspection tracker (.xlsx).
Plan each due inspection into the scope before the freeze. For US rules and inspection codes see which OSHA rules apply to a shutdown and for refinery practice see refinery turnaround planning.
Visuals
Save the T&I charts
Two charts to share with your turnaround team. Click either for the full-size image.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is T&I in a refinery?
Turnaround and inspection: a major refinery turnaround that includes inspection work. 1
How often is a T&I done?
One published example says the plants are on a five-year T&I cycle; EIA says routine turnarounds on key units are planned every three to five years. 1,2
What is a T&I gated process?
A stage-by-stage planning method where each gate confirms the work of the last. Operators' gate contents are not public; the model here is our own illustration.
How long is a T&I?
One published example reports unit T&Is of 27 and 32 days. 1 There is no published benchmark by unit.
Is TAR the same as T&I?
TAR is used as a short form of turnaround in some places. I found no authoritative source for it, so this page does not define it.
What is an equipment inspection schedule?
A list of each item due for inspection with its due date and method, used to set the inspection scope of a turnaround. 4
How are durations benchmarked?
Commercial benchmarking studies are not public; compare with your own history.
Is this specific to the Gulf?
The term is used in Gulf refining; the planning method applies to any turnaround.
Sources
Sources
- Hydrocarbon Engineering, Ras Tanura Refinery completes inspection project (19 February 2018; trade press, a single published example)
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, Refinery Outages: Description and Potential Impact on Petroleum Product Prices
- American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, Refinery turnarounds 101: What are turnarounds and why do we need them? (17 October 2023)
- OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.119, Process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals
- US Government Accountability Office, GAO Schedule Assessment Guide: Best Practices for Project Schedules (GAO-16-89G, December 2015)
Plan your next shutdown in one system
Book a demo and tell us about your plant. We will show how the module handles your shutdown.