Pemex makes safety upgrade decision for platforms

Offshore staff

(Mexico)-Mexican NOC Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) has purchased 11 Triconex safety instrumented systems from Invensys Process Systems as part of an operations, safety, and security upgrade in major offshore projects.

At the Ku Maloob Zaap oilfields off the coast of Mexico's Campeche state, Pemex Exploration and Production Northeast Marine Region is undertaking what it calls a significant upgrade and expansion of its drilling and production infrastructure. Triconex emergency shutdown systems and fire and gas safety systems will be installed on nine platforms.

The Ku Maloob Zaap expansion is a major initiative in Mexico's national oil production strategy. Ultimately, more than 100 new wells will be added to Pemex's asset base, producing approximately 800,000 b/d of heavy Mayan crude to meet future domestic demands for oil and gas.

The 11 Tricon control systems will be deployed at critical sites in five complexes throughout the extensive Ku Maloop Zaap offshore infrastructure. The systems will provide emergency platform shutdown functions to protect six production platforms and one linking platform, and will additionally protect three production platforms and one crew housing platform.

The Tricon systems monitor a variety of parameters against preset safety limits. These parameters include platform equipment status, detection for smoke, hydrogen, toxic gases and combustion gases, control of fire suppression equipment, alarm management, and manual shutdown controls.

The Invensys implementation also includes a range of professional services from Invensys Process Systems Mexico, including engineering, programming, local assembly, acceptance testing, training and commissioning.

06/22/2006