Relocation and Startup of 1,500-STPD Ammonia Plant

How did an employee-owned company in Pakistan did successfully and cost-effectively implement therelocation of world-scale ammonia and urea plants from the U.S. and England

to Daharki, Pakistan.

Khalid Mansoor and M. SalimEngro Chemical Pakistan Ltd., Daharki, District Ghotki, Pakistan

Introduction

Engro Chemical Pakistan Ltd. (ECPL) was pre-viously a 75% owned affiliate of ExxonCorporation. The site with an ammonia and

urea plant, with self sustaining utilities, was commis-sioned in December 1968. The original capacity was173,000 metric tonne (MeT) of prilled urea per year.Over the next 22 years, the plant was debottleneckedin several low cost steps to a production capacity of268,000 MeT of urea per year.

In 1991, Exxon decided to sell its 75% equity hold-ing in ECPL as part of a global strategy to divest fromthe fertilizer business. The nearly 500 employees ofECPL, in partnership with a group of leading local andforeign financial institutions, acquired Exxon's equityholding in ECPL. In the restructured company, theemployees and an Employees' Trust are the majorshare holders with a 28% share of the equity whileseveral local and international financial institutionsand the public hold the remaining shares.

The ECPL Corporate Office is located in the port

city of Karachi, Pakistan. The manufacturing facilityis located at Daharki, 360 miles (580 km) north ofKarachi. The plant site at Daharki is adjacent to themain national highway and railway line. The site usesnatural gas as raw material and fuel gas from the MariGas Field located close to the plant site.

Concept and Compulsion for Expansion

The relocation of mothballed ammonia and ureaplants from two continents (North America andEurope) to a relatively landlocked town in Asia was aunique and novel concept. This gigantic undertakingrequired the plants to be engineered for dismantlingfrom their original sites in a professional manner,expertly packed and handled for sea and inland trans-portation, and then reconstructed next to ECPL's exist-ing ammonia and urea plants. When completed, theentire facility would produce 600,000 MeT of urea peryear. The plants were successfully reconstructed usinga modular construction concept and was subsequentlycommissioned and started up by ECPL's own staff

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 290 1997

using local contractors in September 1993. It was aninnovative feat as it was accomplished by deviatingfrom the conventional industry practice of using EPCand startup contractor management for this type ofmacro project.

When ECPL was first commissioned in 1968, it hadabout 80% of urea market share. However, the sharekept on eroding over the years as additional capacitywas added by others in Pakistan. Bv 1988, ECPL'smarket share had reduced to only 12%. There was astrong compulsion to expand, because otherwise thebusiness would have died down. Therefore, the deci-sion was made to relocate secondhand ammonia andurea plants for the much needed expansion in order tobenefit from the lower cost per ton of installed capaci-ty with a much shorter 27-month project implementa-tion schedule.

The project cost upon completion was $130 million.In comparison, similar size grassroot plants would cost$260 million.

A detailed document outlining the venture philoso-phy statement was developed. The document broadlyoutlined the objectives and the scope of the relocationproject. It also provided the venture team and its keyECPL interfaces a common "big picture" to worktowards.

In order to create team enthusiasm, the name for therelocation project was coined as PakVen-600 (PakistanVenture-600,000 metric tonne), which would morethan double the company's production capacity andincrease its market share to over 20%.

Overview of Plants Selected forRelocation

Ammonia plant

The ammonia plant was originally owned byChevron located in Pascagoula, MS. It was built byBechtel Corporation in 1968 with a capacity of 1,500short ton per day. It was shut down and properly moth-balled in 1987 for market reasons. At the time of con-struction, it was the largest ammonia plant in theworld and contained several energy conservation fea-tures such as the use of gas turbine exhaust as combus-tion air for the reforming furnace and molecular sieves

for synthesis gas drying. The synthesis pressure was3,400 psig (23 MPa), and due to the large plant sizemuch equipment was designed in parallel such as thesecondary reformer waste heat boilers and synloopheat exchangers. All compressors were of the centrifu-gal type and most of the drivers were steam turbines.

The plant had its own cooling tower and water treat-ment facilities. The instrumentation was pneumatic.

Urea plant

This plant was originally owned by Imperial ChemicalIndustries (ICI). It was located in Bulingham, Cleveland,U.K.

The plant is a Toyo total recycle "C" process design,similar to ECPL's existing plant and was built in 1966.

The design capacity of the plant was 1,016 MeT/Dof prilled urea and had produced up to 1,250 MeT/D.At the time of startup, it was the largest urea plant inthe world.

Many modifications were carried out by ICI over theyears to achieve greater reliability and operability ofthe plant. After a service of about 19 years, severalleaks on the titanium lining of the urea reactors led toa major refurbishment in 1985.

The plant remained in operation until July 1989 andwas shut down when a catastrophic failure of one ofthe five Ammonia pumps resulted in a fatality. Whilethe investigation of the failure was in progress, ICIdecided to shut down the plant permanently due tomarket limitations.

Project Execution

The project execution plan was developed to pro-vide a logical and integrated approach to manage theproject simultaneously at three major sites: PascagoulaMS; Bulingham, U.K.; and Daharki, Pakistan.

The basic philosophy incorporated was that the relo-cated plants be reconstructed as per the original plotplans. The team that dismantles should also be theteam that reconstructs for continuity and coherence.The relocation was programmed to provide flexibilityfor future expansion. At the same time, the originalbase ammonia and urea plants at Daharki were keptoperational so as to ensure smooth and uninterrupted

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 291 1997

production to sustain cash generation from the existingbusiness.

Table 1 is a summarized sequence of events inchronological order for the PakVen-600 project fromconception thru development.

The project execution plan included, but was notlimited to, the following activities:

Process Design Philosophy. The facilities selectedfor relocation had proven performance and operat-ing/maintenance records available for the past severalyears. Thorough process simulations were carried outto confirm the compatibility of the plant with differentnatural gas composition and environmental conditionsat Daharki. The design philosophy envisaged the shut-down of the mothball existing 450 MeT/D ammoniaplant. The relocated 1,360 MeT/D ammonia plant,operating in a turndown mode of 1,060 MeT/D, wouldsupply liquid ammonia and gaseous CO2 to the exist-ing 810 MeT/D urea-1 plant and the relocated urea-2plant operating at 1,000 MeT/D capacity.

The natural gas at Daharki has 72% methane, 18%nitrogen, and 10% CO2 compared to over 96%methane at Pascagoula. This resulted in derating of therelocated ammonia to 1,060 MeT/D capacity vs. thenameplate of 1,360 MeT/D.

The electrical drivers are powered in the U.S. with60 cycles current. When connected to Daharki's 50cycles power distribution system, the motors wouldrun 20% slower. This initiated the need for developingan optimum operating strategy for the plant's electricaldrivers, and, eventually, a motor generator (MG) setwas installed for converting 50 to 60 cycles powersupply.

A state-of-the-art Honeywell TDC-3000 system wasadded to the relocated ammonia plant centrifugal com-pressor surge control. Also, a Bentley Nevada vibra-tion control system was installed to ensure safe opera-tion of high speed compressors. The obsolete controlof the air compressor gas turbine was replaced with anew Trisen Control System.

The heat-transfer area of several exchangers of therelocated urea-2 plant was increased to adjust thehigher cooling water supply temperature of 93°F(34°C) at Daharki compared to 70°F (21 °C) inBillingham.

The finishing section of the relocated urea-2 plant

was modified from the crystallization section to theTEC design conventional vacuum concentration sec-tion with falling film evaporators. Also, a 106-m-highnatural draft prill tower was constructed for handlingurea melt from the existing urea-1 plant and the relo-cated urea-2 plant for producing a single quality prod-uct.

Utilities requirements for the relocated plant wascarefully integrated with the existing plants in themost cost-effective manner.

HAZOP studies were conducted for the relocatedplants for operation at Daharki in consultation withExxon specialists. Several safety critical instrumenta-tion features were added which conformed to interna-tional safety practices and standards.

Project Execution Philosophy. Project managementwas resourced essentially through ECPL's own man-power rather than through the EPC contractor manage-ment. Only a few highly specialized skills were takenon loan from Exxon affiliates supplemented with thevendor specialist resources

Esso Canada specialists provided support for non-process quality control (NPQC) during dismantlingand construction.

Engineering standards originally used for the con-struction of facilities by Chevron and ICI were adopt-ed, and re-engineering was minimized. The relocatedplants were exactly duplicated except for the orienta-tion.

Minimum foundations changes were required toaccommodate differences in the site conditions andwind loads. Structural analyses were carried out to testthe relocated plants to the Daharki environment.

Piling, civil foundations, and mechanical erectionwas carried by leading Pakistani Engineering andConstruction Companies.

The repair and refurbishment of the reformer fur-nace, several exchangers, various vessels and pipingwas carried out at Daharki.

Refurbishment of critical machines and equipmentwas undertaken by OEM and ECPL.

Contract Administration. Engro invited a proposal towork on the lump sum basis from different contrac-tors. Proposals were evaluated on the basis of price,technical qualifications, and transportation handlingcapabilities.

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 292 1997

Table 1. Summarized Sequence of Events

Year/Milestone

:easibilitv

1990 Purchase

inaineerina

988-1989

1991 Dismantling

Transportation

Construction

1992 Reassembly

1993 Startup

Exxon Chemical Pakistan Ltd. determined suitability of varioussecondhand shutdown plants for relocation to Daharki(Pakistan). Finally, the ammonia plant from ChevronPascagoula, MS and the urea plant from ICI Billingham, U.K.were selected for relocation in consultation with the ExxonAgriculture Chemical Technology Division (ACTD).

Exxon Chemical signed Option to Purchase agreements withChevron and ICI for the ammonia and urea plants, respective-ly.

Detailed technical evaluations relating to the process andequipment completed and technical feasibility was confirmedfor the suitability of selected ammonia and urea plants withdifferent natural gas composition and environmental condi-tions. Design basis memorandum (DBM), process designspecification (PDS), and appropriation request (AR) documents were prepared as per Exxon guidelines. ExxonChemical Pakistan Ltd. formulated the dismantling strategy,contracting and transportation plans.

Exxon Chemical divested its fertilizer operation in Pakistan.Buyout led by employees took place. Engro Managemententered into technical agreement with Exxon Chemical to provide technical assistance and support relocation of two mothballed plants. Dismantling started under the supervision ofEngro and Exxon personnel.

Mobilization commenced at dismantling sites and disassemblystarted. Shipments of project cargo to Pakistan started in dedicated vessels.

Simultaneous construction of foundations and civil worksprogressed at plant site, Daharki.

Mechanical works initiated. Bulk of relocated equipmentreceived at site and reconstruction activity attained peaklevel.

Startup and commissioning of both plants took place asscheduled 27 months from dismantling to startup.

Commercial production acheived on October 1,1993.

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 293 1997

The bidders were encouraged to develop and pro-pose exceptions and alternatives to job specificationsthat directly or indirectly reduce the cost without com-promising safety, reliability, and operability.

The project was executed using several large- andmedium-size contractors instead of using an EPC con-tractors and resulted in significant cost saving.

Dismantling Strategy. The Pascagoula andBillingham sites were ideal for the dismantling activi-ties. The main strategy followed was that the plant wasdismantled in sections as large as permitted by trans-porting and shipping regulations. Dismantling of thefacilities were based on conceived logical modules.

Other features of the dismantling plan were as fol-lows:

• Asbestos insulation on vessels and furnace refrac-tory was appropriately discarded.

• Catacarb solution was concentrated and secondaryreforming, low-temperature shift and methanator cata-lysts were reclaimed in over 6,000 drums for reuse.

• The reformer furnace unit was cut into 7 segmentsfor shipment.

• The cooling tower comprised of over 200,000 sep-arate components including wooden members andinternals was dismantled, packed, and shipped forreconstruction.

• Bulk material takeoff was prepared for procure-ment of items that were scrapped such as piping lessthan 2 in. in size, cables, instrumentation tubing, etc.

• The dismantled plant, machinery, and equipmentwere specifically identified and piping/structure wasmatch marked prior to dispatch.

• The P&IDs and isometrics were updated for as-built plants before the start of dismantling.

Shipping and Transportation

Ocean shipment

Rigging studies were carried out and an extensivetransportation plan was developed to evaluate portselection and safe haulage for a journey halfwayacross the world.

An approach was used to optimize ocean shipmentof the project cargo. Dedicated ships with self-sus-tained heavy lift capabilities were selected to lift thevessels, towers, exchangers, dismantled equipment,steel structure, palletized drams, containerized valvesand pipe bundles from Port of Pascagoula, MS andTeeside, U.K. for delivery to Karachi Port.

Some of the oversized "supercargo" that was hauledon dedicated self-sustained vessels were comprised ofa converter (285 ton), an absorber (421 ton), a stripper(268 ton), a waste heat boiler (180 ton), convectionsection No. 1 (98 ton), convection section No. 2 (214ton), radiant section No. 1 (73 ton), radiant section No.2 (73 ton), secondary reformer (149 ton), and the con-verter/exchanger (285 ton).

In total, transportation of over 13,000 ton of equip-ment, piping, and structure hi modules made this oneof the largest relocation projects in the world.

Inland transportation and offloading

The most important aspect of transportation plan-ning was the accomplishment of a route survey forhauling the supercargo from the port of Karachi toDaharki. Special equipment was temporarily importedfor transporting large vessels and equipment over 360miles (580 km) of rough terrain.

Load restrictions for crossing over bridges were cal-

Table 2. Plant Perfomance from 1993 to Date

Year

199419951996

Urea ProductionCapacity (MeT/yr

633,000650,000750,000

investmentSmillions

..49

% of Design

106%108%125%

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 294 1997

culated. Detailed mechanical drawings and riggingplans were developed in this regard. Conventional flatbed trailers were used for uniform distribution of loadson bridges, in culverts, and on road surface as well.Transport saddles were used for transportation of pres-sure vessels on multiaxle flat bed trailers.

Numerous power and telephone cables had to betemporarily removed en route to Daharki. The entireoperation was expertly accomplished. All consign-ments and their precious contents were off-loaded in asafe and secure manner. No major transit damage wasexperienced.

The transportation and relocation of such bulky andheavy pieces of equipment was unprecedented in thehistory of road transportation in Pakistan.

Construction and Reassembly

The objective was to reconstruct plants at Daharki tomatch the installation in Pascagoula and Billingham,and, subsequently, to integrate these plants with a baseurea and utilities plant. It was also vital to complete allfacets of the projects (engineering, dismantling, refur-bishing, rebuilding, startup and commissioning) in 27months.

Overall, it took 25.5 months from the start of dis-mantling activities to the mechanical completion ofthe facility. During this period, over 13,000 tons ofplant equipment, piping and steel structure was erect-ed. In addition, approximately 18,000 tons of cementand steel was locally procured and used for construc-tion of foundations and buildings.

The construction was carried out using a modularapproach as the plant was dismantled by cutting opti-mum pieces of piping and match marking. Most of thefoundations were made ready for the equipment sothat they could be directly installed upon arrival atthe site. The major challenge was to correctly re-installand tie-in interconnecting piping and instrumentationas it existed in Pascagoula and Billingham. The avail-ability of the following helped to a large extent inaccomplishing a smooth construction phase:

• Updated P&IDs were extensively used for theinstallation of piping and especially small dia. piping(2 in. (51 mm) and less) which was left behind.

« Turnover packages for all the sections of ammoniaand urea plants which provided inter-referencing ofthe incoming/outgoing piping from the equipment. Italso included listing of all the equipment and instru-mentation to be installed in each particular area. Intotal, about ten turnover packages were developed forammonia and urea plants.

• A comprehensive package was developed for allthe process specifications pertaining to modificationsand safety critical instrumentation that needed to beadded to the relocated plants. The package was ofgreat help in ensuring that all the proposed modifica-tions were implemented as per plan.

• Dedicated process and mechanical area championswere assigned to facilitate the construction team forresponding to queries promptly.

• Regular listing of deficiencies by respective areachampions was carried out as the construction pro-gressed. This provided continuous feedback to theconstruction group for correcting deficiencies as soonthat happened. This resulted in a significant time sav-ings and rework.

• Startup control diagram, logical sequence ofmechanical turnover, and interim mechanical turnoverpackages were prepared. They assisted the construc-tion group to culminate construction work and handover relevant sections of the plant to match commis-sioning activities as per the process requirement.

« Internal inspection of all the critical and majorequipment was conducted jointly by process andmechanical engineers. All the deficiencies wererecorded, and necessary repairs were carried out.

The construction phase was very smooth as ownerand contractor engineers worked as a team to accom-plish the task with minimum confusion and reworking.

Training of Operations Personnel

Training of operations personnel was conducted in-house with the following proactive and well-conceivedplan:

• The hiring of additional operations staff includingengineers and operators (more than 50) was completedat least 12 months prior to startup. The operators wereassigned to existing plants for familiarization with

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 295 1997

ECPL safety and operations practices.® A retired operations supervisor from another

Bechtel design ammonia plant (a carbon copy of thePascagoula ammonia plant) was hired for a period ofabout 3 months to train engineers. All the operatingmanuals, startup and shutdown procedures and emer-gency handling procedures were updated during thisperiod and proper coaching was given to train theengineers so that they could impart training to processoperators.

• An elaborate training syllabus was prepared cover-ing all facets of operations: pre-commissioning, com-missioning, startup and shutdown and emergency han-dling, etc. The training was conducted in four differentgroups. The duration of training for each group was 4to 5 weeks. Each trainee was tested through writtenand oral examinations to ensure that he had grasped allaspects of plant operation. After completion of train-ing, each group was sent back to the base unit andreplaced by a fresh group.

• The base ammonia plant was to be shut down andmothballed. Therefore, it was ensured that all the oper-ations personnel of this unit went through formal train-ing so that they could be assigned to the relocatedammonia plant.

• Operators and boardmen were also providedhands-on simulator training on the new control sys-tems added to the relocated ammonia plant like TrisenandTDC-3000.

Precommissioning and Commissioning

These were two very important phases of the pro-ject. Prior to these phases, both process and mechani-cal startup teams were formally instituted and all theteam members were clearly earmarked for each specif-ic area and activity.

Over 100 precommissioning and commissioningpackages were developed for both ammonia and ureaplants. These packages covered detailed proceduresfor carrying out various precommissioning and com-missioning activities such as air blowing, steam blow-ing, chemical cleaning, commissioning and startup ofcritical machinery, etc. Also, with the use of thesepackages, the lists of preparatory items for each activi-ty were prepared and handed over to the mechanical

startup group at an early stage.These activities were completed on schedule without

any major problem.

Startup

The startup phase has been essentially smooth andtrouble free with the exception of a few setbacks.Adequate preparation was done and all relevant pre-startup checklists and startup procedures were pre-pared. Stable ammonia production was achieved onAugust 29, 1993, which was 59 days from the intro-duction of process steam to the primary reformer.

Refer to Table 3 for the ammonia plant startup barchart.

The following is a summary of major problemsexperienced during startup:

• The process air compressor gas turbine startupcaused some delays due to the turbine control systemfault.

• A piping modification for feed gas line stress reliefheld startup proceedings for four days.

• The high-temperature shift downstream waste heatboiler leaked and was fixed causing a delay of threedays.

• The air compressor train faced several shutdownsand restarts to alleviate teething problems for adjustinggas turbine air/fuel ratio, ignition time, etc. This hap-pened due to leaner Daharki natural gas (72%methane) compared to 96% methane at Pascagoula.

• MG set tripping resulted in total plant shutdownand the secondary reformer downstream waste heatboiler lost water level for a short period. When waterwas resupplied, some tube/tubesheet joint welds weredamaged due to thermal shock. This caused 13 daysdelay for inspection/repairs/testing/re-repair of dam-aged tubes.

Some delay was also caused by leaking the cold shotvalve and the startup heater burner adjustment for theammonia converter and lean solution pump failure.

The urea unit startup progressed smoothly withoutany significant problems. However, high biuret con-tents exceeding the 1.5% limit was experienced result-ing in an off-specification product. The on-specifica-tion production was achieved within a few days byoptimizing operating parameters of the finishing sec-

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 296 1997

Table 3. Ammonia Plant Startup Chart

fRE-COMMiSSlONlNG

MAIN PROCESS

t'ATACAKB

SYNTHESIS

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DISTURBANCES

AMMONIA I'UHT STABT-UP DAR CIIAHT

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r.Wcn-CQOMI1.ES1ONES

UREA

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UREA

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PROCURE EQPT A MATL

fRILL TOWER

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AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 297 1997

tion and falling film evaporators.

Safety Performance

The primary emphasis during the project was pre-vention of accidents that could result in injury or fatal-ity to the workers or damage to the property.

Housekeeping with special emphasis on properplacement of fire extinguishers was ensured through-out the project duration. The traffic regulation follow-ing was initiated with due consideration paid to craneoperation and rigging. Also, all the contractor employ-ees were taken through ECPU's well-established safe-ty orientation and training.

Potential adverse effects on health and applicableexposure control of the materials like asbestos, silicadust, feed and product residue, chromate, catalyst dust,and chemicals were identified and were satisfactorilyhandled.

ECPL's safety record over the last 27 years had beenvery good. ECPL won Exxon's President Safety awardtwice and several National Safety Council awards. Thesame was maintained for the relocation project duringthe construction and startup period. Approximately,7.7 million man-hours were worked at the Daharki siteto complete the project. There were no disablinginjuries during the construction phase. However, therewere two lost workday injuries during the startupphase. The incident occurred due to a process gas fireon the absorber overhead knockout drum which lostlevel during a catacarb upset when a loose bolt lodgedin the seat of the drain valve preventing its closure andresulting in a syngas escape. The fire was quicklyextinguished, but two squad members slipped and suf-fered injuries. Damage to plant equipment was con-fined to a catacarb solution storage tank.

Upon completion of the project, the total recordableincident rate (TRIR) was recorded at 1.28 which is ahighly commendable achievement for a constructionsite.

Post-Startup Operating Experience

The post startup operating experience of relocatedplants was characterized with resilience and determi-nation. Considering the massive reconstruction effort,

several challenges were faced and successfully met.The following is a brief summary:

• Numerous leakages from pipes, flanges and valvesoccurred and resulted in hot and cold box-ups. Thedowntime was not significant, and repairs were swiftlyhandled due to availability of ECPL maintenance staff.

9 The availability of excellent operating and mainte-nance records brought from both ICI and Chevronwere extremely helpful in quickly alleviating the prob-lems rather than re-inventing the wheel.

» The combination of conventional pneumatic andselective state-of-the-art instrumentation was found tobe very effective to ensure safe and smooth plant oper-ation and also was effective from a personnel adapt-ability standpoint.

« The relocated plants were debottlenecked in 1994and 1995 with a low investment within two years ofstartup. Table 2 summarizes plant performance from1993 to date.

From the above, it could be seen that the site hasalready achieved a urea production capacity of750,000 MeT/yr within a period of two years follow-ing completion of the Pakven-600 project in October1993 which was envisaged to produce 600,000MeT/yr. The fast track debottlenecking of both ammo-nia and urea relocated plants was carried out with in-house resources.

Future

Subsequent to the successful operations and debot-tlenecking of the relocated plants, ECPL is currentlyworking on another fast track expansion project. Theproject is named as ECES-850 (Engro Conservationand Expansion Step-850). The salient features of thisproject are as follows:

• The project will cost $59 rnillion and is expected tobe commissioned in 23 months by March 1998. Thesite urea production will increase by 100,000 MeT/yr.

• The relocated Chevron ammonia plant will bedebottlenecked and capacity will be increased fromthe current 1,300 MeT/D to 1,500 MeT/D. Basic anddetailed engineering is being done by ECPL.

• The relocated ICI urea plant will be retrofitted withToyo Advanced Process for Cost and Energy Saving(ACES) technology. This will significantly enhance

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 298 1997

the energy efficiency in addition to increasing produc-tion capacity from the current 1,500 MeT/D to 1,755MeT/D. The basic engineering is being done by theToyo Engineering Corp. (TEC), Japan while detailedengineering is being done by P.T. Pupuk Srividjaja,Indonesia, who operate two ACES urea plants.

• Several energy conservation features are beingadded which will improve site energy efficiency byover 10%. The incremental production will beachieved without an increase in natural gas quantity.This improvement will bring site efficiency of the vin-tage plants of the 1960s up to vintage plants of the1980s.

• Several modifications are being implemented tosignificantly improve site environmental conditions.

• The company plans to further enhance the site ureaproduction capacity to over 1 million ton/yr by theyear 2000. This will be achieved by restarting theexisting mothballed ammonia plant (450 MeT/Dcapacity) after modernization with energy conserva-tion features, and retrofitting advanced technology tothe existing urea-1 plant.

Conclusions and Critical Success Factors

The following are some of the factors which con-tributed towards the successful completion of Pakven-600:

• The ECPL team clearly understood their mission -what they were attempting to do and what end resultsthey were trying to accomplish.

• An elaborate and detailed project execution planwas developed and implemented. All the favorablefactors and vulnerabilities were identified, and plans

were put in place to overcome difficulties.• Committed and capable team members with

visionary leadership worked with fall empowerment.Conscious efforts were made to have all the objectivesand sensitivities cleared to all team members. Allincluding contractor personnel worked as a team andhandled this project as their personal "mission" withexceptional dedication, commitment and hard work.

• Adequate training was imparted to the relevant per-sonnel, and appropriate preparations were undertakenfor professionally accomplishing all the critical activi-ties of the project such as construction, precommis-sioning, commissioning and startup with minimumrework.

• Project progress monitoring and control tools weredeveloped and regularly stewarded. The plans werekept flexible to accommodate the changing prioritiesof the project.

• Regular coordination meetings were held prior tothe start of each critical activity. Appropriate roles andresponsibilities were assigned to all relevant inter-faces, and the responsibilities were clearly identified.This resulted in accomplishing critical activities safelyand smoothly.

• The construction and erection activities were car-ried out at the operating site and over 100 tie-ins weretaken with the base ammonia, urea, and utilities plants.No major incident occurred during the entire project todisrupt the operating units. This resulted in uninter-rupted cash generation from the existing business tosupport the Pakven-600.

• Most of the work was carried out in a manner thatensured that all the members shared both the setbacksand the glory together.

AMMONIA TECHNICAL MANUAL 299 1997