Demand for modern, integrated control systems is being fuelled by investments as diverse as floating production, storage and offloading vessels and petrochemical complexes.
On the heels of being named BP's automation contractor of choice for offshore oil and gas operations in the North Sea, Emerson Process Management has been awarded a US$21 million (EUR16.1 million) contract to provide integrated control and safety systems for a new BP floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel.
The new vessel, which will replace the existing Schiehallion FPSO, forms part of the North Sea Quad 204 project that will access the remaining hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Schiehallion and Loyal fields, located approximately 130km west of Shetland, UK.[Page Break]
Increased storage capacity
Larger than the existing Schiehallion FPSO, the new 270-metre Quad 204 FPSO is designed to produce 130,000 bbl/d of oil and 2.2 million m3/d of gas. This increased processing and storage capacity will enable optimum reservoir recovery, extend field life and also allow for any future expansion.
The integrated solution will use Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture, including its DeltaV digital automation system and DeltaV SIS process safety system, and AMS Suite predictive maintenance software. The DeltaV system will control and monitor platform operations using FOUNDATION fieldbus and HART communication technologies. Advanced process control software functionality within DeltaV will optimise facility performance, production and yield.
The DeltaV SIS system will perform process and emergency shutdown functions, if needed, plus control fire and gas detection systems to enable secure control of oil production on the platform.
In other good news for Emerson, Netherlands-based Vopak has awarded the company a three-year global framework agreement to become one of the providers of process automation systems and services for Vopak's 80-plus storage and bulk liquid terminal facilities around the world.[Page Break]
Standardising on Emerson's DeltaV digital automation system will help Vopak meet growing demand for reliable liquid oil, gas, and chemical storage and terminal services - demand driven by increasing global energy usage and geographic imbalances between production and consumption.
Terminal automation contributes greatly to operational success in safety, health and the environment, effectiveness and efficiency. The process control systems will help Vopak reduce project lead time, improve strategic planning and project execution, and operate terminals more efficiently (Fig. 1).
Under the agreement, Emerson will design, configure, and implement digital automation systems for new automation projects at Vopak terminals, as well as provide on-going support services for new and existing automation systems.
Vopak is the world's largest independent tank storage provider with 83 terminals in 31 countries. Emerson's selection builds on a long-term relationship that also includes the implementation of its Syncade Logistics software at Vopak's fuel distribution terminal at Amsterdam Westpoort in the Netherlands.[Page Break]
Coal seam gas to LNG
Australia Pacific LNG has selected technology developed by Honeywell Process Solutions' (HPS) advanced solutions business to deliver a data consolidation and reporting technology framework. The solution, built on Intuition Executive, will support the production, operations and asset management functions of its world class coal seam gas (CSG) to LNG project.
Origin - the upstream operator of the Australia Pacific LNG Project - is currently the largest producer of CSG in Australia, supplying gas to power stations to produce electricity with lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Australia Pacific LNG project will supplement domestic gas production and deliver cleaner energy to a world market.
Honeywell's Intuition Executive is software for enterprise-wide information integration and real-time visualisation. It combines information and graphics to help users make better decisions and drive intelligent operations by managing, monitoring and optimising production and operations.
HPS' CGS operations monitoring solution is a configurable data consolidation, analysis and reporting environment built on Intuition Executive. It easily scales and is flexible to meet the demands typical of the rapid expansion of field and facility infrastructure in emerging CSG operations.
Australia Pacific LNG is a joint venture project between Origin, ConocoPhillips and Sinopec that includes development of existing CSG fields in the Surat and Bowen basins and construction of a gas transmission pipeline from the gas fields to an LNG facility being developed on Curtis Island in Gladstone.
Honeywell also has been selected by Staatsolie Maatschappij Suriname, the state-owned hydrocarbon and sustainable energy company, to upgrade the safety and control system at its Suriname refinery to its integrated control and safety system (ICSS) solution.
The upgrade is being designed and implemented within the context of the Suriname refinery expansion project, which will double the capacity and expand significantly the range of products and fuels, with a special focus on the satisfaction of the domestic transportation market.[Page Break]
Yokogawa in Saudi
Yokogawa Electric subsidiary Yokogawa Saudi Arabia has been selected as the process control system supplier for the Rabigh II project in which Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical have decided to invest.
By expanding the ethane cracker and building a new aromatics complex, the project will use an additional 30 million standard ft3/d of ethane and approximately 3 million t/y of naphtha as feedstock to produce a variety of high value-added petrochemical products. Each plant will be brought on stream as it becomes available for operation, beginning the first half of 2016.
Yokogawa will supply its flagship products, the CENTUM VP production control system and the ProSafe-RS safety instrumented system, for the petrochemical complex.
This, says the company, is an indication that Yokogawa's business partners acknowledge its success in the Rabigh I project and have full confidence in Yokogawa's capabilities.
With phases I and II combined, this is the largest project for which Yokogawa has been selected in the Middle East.
Since the foundation of Yokogawa Saudi Arabia in 2006, the company has strengthened its engineering capabilities in the kingdom through the course of several mega projects.
Yokogawa says its success in these projects has earned the customer's confidence in its local project execution capabilities, leading to the decision for the Rabigh II project to be fully executed in Saudi Arabia, at the company facilities in Dhahran Techno-Valle.
