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The challenge with any document management system, however, is keeping it current and hence relevant and that is as much a people issue as anything else which means it is difficult to manage.
At the end of the facility's life, some parts of the facility will have been replaced or decommissioned multiple times, while other assets will have been partially replaced (again once or multiple times) and others not at all. Regardless, the information and data on health of the equipment will be part of the determination for when a facility is to be decommissioned since it is this data that tells us when to schedule an outage, what work needs to be done, and as a result based on the required investment whether it is economic to continue to operate a facility versus closing, mothballing, or dismantling it. The field sensors and controllers are but a small part of an offshore facility, but the data they provide is often the basis not only for how the facility operates but also when perform maintenance is needed.
The challenge is managing the data through the entire life cycle because it is important for not only the individual device but also the facility to which it is connected. Those organizations that have been able to "deal with the data" and make effective use of the information resulting from its effective interpretation are quickly becoming "best in class" leaders with reduced operating costs and improved reliability.
The author
Ian Verhappen, P.Eng. is an ISA Fellow, ISA certified automation professional, Automation Hall of Fame member, and a recognized authority on process analyzer sample systems, Foundation Fieldbus, and industrial communications technologies. Verhappen provides consulting services in the areas of field level industrial communications, process analytics, and hydrocarbon facility automation. Feedback is always welcome via e-mail at[email protected].
Offshore automation news
Hoang Long taps Honeywell for third offshore Vietnam production platform
Hoang Long Joint Operating Co. (HLJOC) has contracted Honeywell Process Solutions to provide project management and engineering for a third production platform offshore Vietnam.
The new contract covers engineering management and integration with the two existing Te Giac Trang (TGT) platforms, the FPSO that processes the hydrocarbons produced by the platforms, and remote monitoring from the HLJOC office in Ho Chi Minh City.
Along with turnkey project management and engineering of the new platform's topsides structures, HPS will install an integrated control and safety solution, including a new fire and gas system, to improve automation, increase cyber and physical security, and improve operator effectiveness.
HLJOC will operate the TGT-H5 wellhead platform located in the TGT field off the southern coast of Vietnam. TGT-H5 plans to begin production in 4Q 2015. Total production from the three platforms is expected to be about 50,000 b/d of crude oil.
HLJOC is a state-owned partnership between PetroVietnam Exploration and Production Corp., SOCO Vietnam Ltd., OPECO Vietnam Ltd., and PTT Exploration and Production Co. Ltd.
