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In the past year, several DCS vendors have announced safety systems that are integrated with their control systems, and this has created much discussion in process automation circles, because traditionally, such safety systems have been maintained completely separate from the basic process control system. However, Yokogawa has recently been awardeda contract by BP Exploration to supply an integrated control and safety system for the Bruce platform in the North Sea, which requires themost stringent of safety standards, due to the hazardous location.
Under the Bruce Controls Improvement Project, Yokogawa says it will provide an integrated solution based on its Centum CS3000 control system combined with the ProSafe-RS safety system The deterministic datahighway that Centum CS3000 employs has such predictable performance that Yokogawa engineers claim they can calculate the processor, data highway, I/O module and subsystem performance early in the project, andverify it prior to implementation.
The project will replace theexisting control and monitoring system, the emergency shutdown systemand the fire and gas system along with the human-machine interface system.
Located in the northern North Sea, 340 km north-east of Aberdeen, the Bruce field occupies an area of 75 square kilometres. Itwas discovered in 1974, and is one of the largest fields in the NorthSea, containing estimated reserves of 2.6 trillion cubic feet of salesgas and 250 million barrels of condensate, natural gas liquids and oil. The complex is in a water depth of 121 metres and was installed in1992. The co-ventures involved with Bruce in the main field are BP, Total, and Marubeni.
The first sales gas from Bruce was delivered in October 1993. The platform is capable of processing 620 mmscf/d(million standard cubic feet per day) of gas and 80 mbd (million barrels per day) of oil, with current production rates of around 500 mmscf/d. The field life has been extended with the recent Rhum and Low Pressure Bruce Compression development.
The project will have two phases: an initial Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase to define the detailed requirements, followed by the detailed design and implementation phase. During the FEED phase, Yokogawa will define a strategy for changeover from the old to the new systems in order to minimise platform downtime. Part of the FEED will involve a site survey of the existing installation to assist with formulating the strategy for a smooth changeover during the planned 3-week shutdown of the platform.
A number of factors were considered by the Bruce Controls Improvement Project to have a critical influence on project performance and theability to achieve the overall project objectives. A set of critical success elements were defined with specific critical success factors defined that have a measurable impact on the overall project performance. The critical success factor elements defined for the project were environmental, health and safety, unplanned shutdowns during system changeover, delivery of efficiency and plant availability, and OPEX cost.
With regards to the operation of the system, the project planners said their three highest expectations were no unplanned shutdowns,improved operational efficiency, and improved alarm management.
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