Upgrade automation on North Sea platform

New safety and automation systems using Emerson’s new electronic marshalling with CHARMs technology will help improve oil recovery from Visund platform.

Statoil has awarded Emerson Process Management, a business of Emerson (NYSE: EMR), a €25million ($33m) contract to upgrade safety and automation systems on the Visund oil platform in the Norwegian North Sea.

Photo:Statoil

Previously selected by Statoil as one of its preferred automation and safety suppliers, Emerson will provide integrated safety and automation systems to help the international energy company boost oil recovery and extend the life of the field while also reducing operating costs and minimising safety and environmental risks. The Visund project includes a complex, but seamless changeover from existing to new automation and safety systems (known as a hot cutover) to allow uninterrupted operation of the floating production, drilling, and living-quarters platform.

Emerson will design, configure, and install the new safety and automation systems, as well as provide on-going support services to help ensure continued smooth operations. Aker Solutions of Bergen (N), will provide project-execution support to Emerson.

To help with space and weight limitations on the platform and to offer more design flexibility during the upgrade, Statoil will take advantage of Emerson’s electronic marshalling with CHARMs technology. This technology reduces the complexity of connecting such systems to the hundreds or thousands of measurement and control instruments in typical process operations – a significant advantage because last-minute wiring changes with traditional marshalling can result in high costs and expensive delays. (See our 2009 article on the launch of CHARMS in 2009: CHARMS gets THUMS up in Rijswijk!)

Statoil will also benefit from Emerson’s operator and maintenance interfaces that were designed with human-centered design principles to make it easier for workers to correctly and efficiently assess operational conditions and take appropriate action to ensure production uptime.

Based on Emerson’s PlantWeb™ digital architecture, the integrated solution will include a DeltaV™ digital automation system to monitor and control platform operations, as well as a DeltaV SIS system to perform emergency shutdown functions and to control fire and gas detection systems. Emerson’s AMS Suite predictive maintenance software will be used for instrument commissioning and configuration and to monitor field devices for potential problems that could affect operations.

"Emerson continues to develop its safety and automation business in the North Sea by providing the best technologies and by investing in support services and skilled personnel to help our customers make the most of their operations," said Steve Sonnenberg, president of Emerson Process Management. "We are delighted that Statoil has recognised the value our technologies and experience can bring to the Visund project."

The Visund oil and gas field, which came onstream in 1999, is located 22 kilometres northeast of the Gullfaks field in the Tampen area of the Norwegian North Se