Rapid repair prevents costly downtime at Dutch oil refinery
The challenge
During a scheduled maintenance shutdown, the technical department of a large Dutch oil refinery discovered damage to the bellows of a pressure-relieved stainless steel compensator. A leak had to be prevented at all costs. However, the shutdown only lasted two weeks, and if the installation was not operational by then, the consequences would be enormous.
How did Hanwel help?
Immediately after the initial customer contact, Hanwel quickly took action in collaboration with our partner Belman. Producing a new compensator within the available time proved to be an impossible task. Because the other parts were still in good condition, repairing the bellows proved to be the most feasible and efficient option.
Within four hours, a detailed proposal including a schedule was on the end customer's desk. After an urgent Teams meeting with all parties involved—including work preparation, engineering, and QA/QC—the customer gave the green light for the repair. The compensator was picked up that same day for transport to our production facility.
After a thorough inspection, the old tie rods, bellows, and inner tubes were dismantled and replaced with new ones, which were then tested and installed. The reconditioned compensator successfully underwent various tests, including pressure, leak, visual, and penetrant tests.
The result
The repair was carried out entirely according to plan and customer requirements, meaning that the compensator was returned even earlier than agreed. This avoided unexpected downtime and the associated costs. In addition, the customer realized significant cost savings by reusing existing parts and avoiding the complete production of new materials.
