Shell Petro Chemicals

Occasionally we get the opportunity to take on a unique project that challenges our knowledge and skillset. We look forward to assisting our clients on these jobs and providing them with innovative, efficient solutions that exceed their expectations. This past fall we encountered one such project, which proved to be a true test of our on site machining capabilities. 

Shell Scotford had identified cracks in a 72” section of a seam on their North Glycol Reactor. We were subcontracted through Edmonton Exchanger to provide an onsite machining process to remove the cracked weld. To reassure the client that this was something In-Situ could handle, we built a mock-up at our shop to demonstrate that our procedure could deliver a highly accurate result. Fortunately, we had completed a similar project at Dow Chemicals back in 2003 and we were able to apply the lessons we had previously learned. In-Situ was awarded the project and the job was scheduled for the fall. 

Once we started work on the North Glycol Reactor, Shell realized that the damaged and cracked weld far exceeded the original 72” section.  X-Rays revealed over 141 feet of linear cracks on the horizontal seams of both the North and South Reactors. In order to machine all seams within the timeline set by the client, In-Situ had to scale up to a crew of over 20 machinists operating 10 portable mills. It took our dedicated team more than 22 weeks (156 days) to remove all the cracked weld from the Glycol Reactors at Shell Scotford.