Exxon FCCU Turnaround, Benicia, California
Several large, heavy components on Exxon's fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) needed replacement. The FCCU sits near the top of a steep slope. Exxon proposed using a 3,000-ton crane at the top of the slope to remove the old components and install the new ones. Fugro's geotechnical investigation and slope stability analyses verified that the slope would be stable under the added crane loading. Exxon designed three concrete pads at the base of the FCCU on which to build and pressure-test the replacement components. Fugro analyzed the subsurface conditions and determined that Exxon's proposed concrete pad design could handle the equipment loads.

The road traveled by the crane between the top of slope and the concrete pads was underlain by mission-critical utilities: fire lines, electrical conduits, and storm and sanitary sewers. Fugro analyzed equipment loading to make sure that the temporary gravel/timber pad was adequate to prevent damage to the buried utilities, thereby allowing the FCCU upgrades to proceed as planned.