Migration with a Vision: How to Update a Whole Refinery in Only Two Weeks

Related Vendors

Glatt Ingenieurtechnik GmbH

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH

Italvacuum, Srl

HIMA Group

Integration the Easy Way

For the migration, most of the existing racks were retained, reducing procurement costs as well as installation, wiring and test efforts. As the existing control cabinets are still used, the old CPUs, I/Os and their module racks had to be removed from the frames and replaced by new module racks for CPU, network, MODBUS and I/O were integrated. The terminal blocks in each control cabinet were defined as transfer point.

In addition to hardware and software solutions, Hima provided engineering, training, PLS integration and commissioning. Company safety experts also supported the specification, concept development and TÜV acceptance. "As project manager, I supported the migration from concept development to commissioning. The project engineer, Karsten Schwerin, was the direct contact on site for our customer the whole time. Thus we ensured that all quality standards were complied with, and that the project ran smoothly," said Phillip Schmidt of Hima. Contracts for hotline, on-call service and spare parts round out the offering.

Replacing A Safety System in 14 Days

The tight time frame for the conversion was a major challenge: In just 14 days, seven existing safety controllers had to be connected to three new safety systems, including checking and testing. Hima also was commissioned with hardware planning and system programming: To ensure that specifications were correct, the safety experts conducted an intensive appraisal on site, taking photos of cabinets and terminals and preparing the documentation. Thanks to detailed preliminary tasks and tests, commissioning smoothly.

Hima safety controllers have been used at the site for over 40 years, processing approximately 7,500 I/Os. Due to this positive experiences and the numerous advantages of Himax, the next migration project — the refinery's power plant — will also be implemented with safety solutions from Hima.

PMA 2013

Process Management with the Head up in the (Data) Clouds?

* * The authors work as MSR Technician at Heide Refinery and Sales Manager at Hima, respectively.

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