Refinery & petrochemical crane services

Crane service for refineries and petrochemical plants

Refineries and petrochemical plants need cranes for new units, maintenance and turnarounds. Tell us the equipment, the weights and the plant.

Lifts we take on include:

• Setting vessels, exchangers and pumps
• Lifts during turnarounds and shutdowns
• Setting pipe racks and pipe spools
• Equipment change-outs

Turnaround and shutdown crane lifts

Much of the crane work inside a refinery or chemical plant happens during a turnaround, when a unit is shut down, cleared and opened for inspection and repair. The work list is long and the window is short: exchanger bundles, valves, pumps and motors come out, vessel heads and internals get handled, and new or rebuilt pieces go back in. Crane spots and lift order are planned well ahead with the turnaround planners.

Outside turnarounds, plant crane work comes from maintenance and capital projects: pump and exchanger change-outs, new pipe rack sections and spools, and vessels set on new foundations. Units are packed tight, with pipe racks overhead, trenches and underground lines below and operating equipment on every side. Exchanger bundles are often pulled with an extractor hung from the crane, and tall vessels are usually stood up with a second crane tailing the bottom.

1. Get the lift list, weights and unit plot plan from the planners.
2. Complete plant orientation, badging and any crane inspection the site requires.
3. Get the work permit and gas test before the crane rigs up.
4. Set up on the planned spot, matted where the plan calls for it.
5. Make each pick to the lift plan, with the unit operator informed.
6. Rig down, return the permit and leave the area as found.

Crane and operator for refineries and petrochemical plants

Every job goes out with the right crane for the lift, an NCCCO-certified operator and a rigger.

Plants run on permits and procedures, so have the job details and site requirements ready when you call dispatch:

• Plant, unit and gate for crane entry
• Lift list with weights, dimensions and pick points
• Plot plan showing the crane spot and laydown area
• Orientation, badging and permit requirements for the crew
• Turnaround schedule or the date of the work
• The plant's critical lift criteria and approval steps

Rigging plans and safety plans for refineries and petrochemical plants

Refinery and chemical plant lifts happen beside live process units, so permits, gas testing and the plant's lifting procedure shape every pick. Most plants define critical lifts in their own procedures and require a written plan and sign-off first. We write rigging plans and safety plans built to the plant's requirements, covering the crane spot, ground or slab bearing, rigging, swing path and exclusion zones.

Many plants restrict lifting over operating equipment and pipe racks, so swing paths are drawn to avoid it. Underground sewers, trenches and buried lines limit where outriggers can go. During a turnaround many crafts work the same area, and the plan shows where the crane's swing radius is barricaded.

Book a crane

Call dispatch or send a lift request. Tell us the load, the location and the date.