October
2009
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© Copyright 2009
BDP Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
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Insights:
BDP
front-end engineering can uncover
constraints and indirect costs
associated with control system
upgrade projects
The BDP Inc. team is
currently involved in planning
and executing various control
system upgrade projects, which
typically involve replacing
legacy DCS or PLC equipment with
its modern equivalent. In a
few instances these upgrades can
be a simple replacement-in-kind,
where current equipment
installation, loop wiring, and
operating criteria will
seamlessly accommodate the new
electronic equipment. But
most upgrade projects are
impacted by installation and
operating constraints that affect
system design and result in
additional or indirect
costs. Proper
planning, system evaluation, and
site surveys conducted as part of
a front-end engineering design
(FEED) package can identify these
constraints and facilitate
project budgeting.
A simplistic
approach to control system
upgrade planning is to select
equipment from a vendor catalog
that provides an equivalent
number of operator stations and
equivalent IO points to support
existing loops. But the
control system purchase price is
typically less than 50% of the
overall project budget, and
front-end engineering should
address the following constraints
and decision criteria to finalize
the scope and budget.
<> Central or
distributed control system
architecture
<> Simplex or
redundant control system
architecture
<> Segregation
of process loops from safety
interlocks
<> Available
spare IO points for future loops
<> Available
communication links for
third-party equipment
<> Capability
and capacity to host advanced
control applications
<> Capability
and connectivity to support MES
applications
<> Reusing or
replacing legacy IO modules
<> Reusing or
replacing field wire marshalling
terminals
<> Retrofitting,
replacing, or duplicating control
system cabinets
<> Renovating,
expanding, or replacing floor
space for cabinets
<> Reusing or
expanding available floor space
in buildings
<> Reusing or
replacing UPS equipment and power
distribution panels
<> Cold
cutover during a scheduled
outage, or hot cutover during
normal plant operation
These are just a few
of the constraints or performance
criteria to address when
specifying a control system
upgrade scope and budget. A
FEED package that incorporates
the vendor’s product
knowledge, the user’s
operating knowledge and
performance objectives, and the
system integrator’s project
expertise can deliver a
cost-effective control system
upgrade solution.
BDP Inc. works
closely with our clients to
develop control system upgrade
plans for many legacy
platforms. These services
include control system audits and
reverse engineering of legacy
control systems to provide
updated maintenance documents, to
help estimate future upgrade
costs, and to establish a
configuration baseline for rapid
response in the event of an
unscheduled system
replacement. These BDP
engineering services compliment
the skills and resources
available at the processing
plant, and enable our clients to
maximize the benefit of their
installed control systems.
Contact BDP Inc. for more
information on similar control
system services and process
control improvements to enhance
your plant operations today.
Partial
List of Current Projects at BDP:
<> Conceptual
engineering and control system
scope development to automate
multiple pump stations along a
NGL pipeline in Texas.
<>
Engineering, configuration,
system assembly, and
commissioning support for a
process automation system to
replace a legacy DCS at a
compressor station in east Texas.
<> Process
control consulting and APC
commissioning for multi-train
cryogenic liquids recovery and
NGL fractionation strategies at a
Texas gas plant.
<> Conceptual
engineering scope development to
upgrade a legacy DCS with a
combined Process Control System
(PCS) and Safety Instrumented
System (SIS) at a gas plant in
south Texas.
Partial
List of Systems included in
recent BDP projects:
<> Emerson Delta V control
system.
<> Honeywell Experion PKS
system.
<> MOST process
automation system from GE Fanuc.
<> Wonderware
InTouch HMI with
Allen-Bradley ControlLogix PLC. |
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