{"id":925,"date":"2014-11-13T19:35:34","date_gmt":"2014-11-13T18:35:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.wika.com\/us\/\/?p=925"},"modified":"2025-11-12T15:50:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T20:50:50","slug":"instrumentation-matters-reopening-mothballed-plant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.wika.com\/us\/applications\/instrumentation-matters-reopening-mothballed-plant\/","title":{"rendered":"Instrumentation Matters When Reopening a Mothballed Plant"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reopening a mothballed plant offers a cost-effective alternative to new construction, but only if the overall structure is in good condition and major equipment is in good working order. It makes economic sense particularly if the plant’s original design was flexible and the plant can be reconfigured to produce something other than its original product mix. If you are planning such a reopening, it is essential that you perform a thorough evaluation of everything in the plant down to the gauges, sensors, and instrumentation that control industrial processes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the plant has been idle for more than six months, you will probably need to perform some upgrades. One key consideration is how diligently the shutdown procedures and preservation measures were followed. For example, was all piping thoroughly flushed and rotating equipment prepped for an extended shutdown? Another important preventive measure is a nitrogen purge on all vacant lines and rust prevention while the equipment is idle. In addition, the plant’s proximity to fresh or salt water will affect the deterioration of both the building and equipment. Older gauges and instruments must be thoroughly tested to ensure that they operate properly, meet current safety standards, and can support new equipment. Assessing new health and safety regulations is key, particularly if a plant has been mothballed for a number of years. In some cases, the company may need to engage the services of an environmental-protection contractor during the design review and later plant refurbishment.<\/p>\n

A great time for turnaround instrument planning<\/h2>\n

Reopening a mothballed plant is a golden opportunity for turnaround instrument planning, which WIKA offers to instrumentation customers through its Full Audit Service Team<\/a>. FAST engineers start with a thorough instrument audit, specifying the correct instruments, and replacing broken ones with state-of-the-art replacements. The following parameters of the new operation are critical to properly specifying replacement gauges:<\/p>\n