2,800 Flow and level instruments for Columbia.

The main instrument vendor (MIV) by Refineria de Cartagena (Reficar) in Cartagena, Colombia is Endress+Hauser. They have supplied more than 2,800 flow and level measurement devices to support a $3.8 billion refinery expansion and modernisation project.

The Reficar expansion project added twelve new process units, increasing refining capacity and production from 80 KBD to 165 KBD. The upgraded facility will produce ultra-low sulfur gasoline and diesel from heavy crude oil slate.

Because of the large scale of the project, Reficar wanted a MIV with a global presence, project execution capabilities, and the skills needed to handle this huge expansion and modernisation project. Reficar was also in search of a global partner that could easily meet their wide range of measurement technology needs and act as a single source supplier.

As the MIV, Endress+Hauser was able to:

•      Perform sizing and selection of Endress+Hauser and third-party instrumentation

•      Produce and manage all technical, commercial and logistics documentation

•      Coordinate all inspections, calibrations and logistics-related activities

Endress+Hauser’s local partner in Colombia (Colsein Ltda), provided additional support to Reficar through local training, calibration services and site supervision during installation, commissioning and startup.

Colsein Ltda delivered a series of training programs to Reficar using an Endress+Hauser PTU® (Process Training Unit) located in Tocancipa, Cundinamarca Colombia (approximately 16 miles north of Bogotá). The PTU is a full-scale working mini-process plant with on-line instrumentation and controls. The PTU allowed Reficar personnel to gain hands-on experience with the types of operations, diagnostics and troubleshooting used in the new and updated units.

Reficar shifted much of the logistics and invoicing responsibilities to Endress+Hauser by engaging the company as the MIV. All activities involving third-party technical inquiries and orders were routed through a single point of contact at Endress+Hauser. And by engaging Endress+Hauser as the MIV at an early stage in engineering, Reficar was able to include supplier features and part numbers in the initial version of the specification sheets, and ultimately reduce required engineering rework.

Overall, this resulted in significant cost savings and reduced engineering rework, time savings for Reficar’s procurement department, and a substantial reduction in the total number of purchase orders, quotations and invoices.

Remote connectivity saves time and reducies costs!

Red Lion Controls has worked with distributor Facelco S.A.S.  to provide a remote connectivity solution for Empresas Publicas de Medellin (EPM) in Colombia, a leading multi-utility and telco company focusing on power generation, transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, wastewater treatment, aqueducts and telecommunications. The combined Red Lion/Facelco industrial-grade remote connectivity solution provides monitoring and control throughout EPM’s power distribution network, helping to save time and reduce costs.

EPM turned to Red Lion and Facelco to enable remote connectivity capabilities for its power distribution infrastructure of reclosers. With multiple locations, the multi-utility company was looking for a flexible solution to monitor and interact with legacy equipment across its distributed network infrastructure. By using a remote connectivity solution that combines Red Lion’s Sixnet series industrial RTUs and cellular routers with a network analyzer from Facelco, EPM can seamlessly connect, monitor and control its existing recloser network. This upgrade enables EPM to lower overall total cost of ownership by extending the life of its infrastructure and preserving CAPEX expenditures for other projects.

“The primary benefit for EPM was implementing a solution that would extend the life of its existing recloser network. This remote connectivity solution allowed them to extend the life of existing legacy equipment, which can last 15-20 years, as well as increase control of the network,” said Alejandro Arango, engineering director at Facelco. “By working with Red Lion and Facelco, EPM was able to cost-effectively improve network control, maximize availability and protect its network investment.”

The remote connectivity solution includes Red Lion IndustrialPro® cellular routers that deliver wireless DNP-3 connectivity to RTUs that act as a controller. This deployment enables EPM to remotely connect and communicate with its power distribution system. In addition, Facelco network analyzers provide real-time diagnostics that allow EPM to proactively respond to conditions to ensure system integrity and network uptime.

“With a number of different types of equipment deployed throughout Colombia, EPM’s power distribution system needed to be constantly monitored to ensure customers receive continuous, uninterrupted service,” said Stuart Eaton, vice president of CALA sales for Red Lion. “The combined Red Lion/Facelco solution not only ensures the network is running efficiently, it also enables EPM to save time and money by eliminating expensive truck rolls to remote locations.”

Power substations and electric, gas and water utilities like EPM require high-speed, high-capacity networks that enable real-time access to critical information regardless of location. Red Lion’s industrial automation and networking solutions improve productivity and reliability by providing customers the ability to seamlessly connect, monitor and control operations. 

• Red Lion products are marketed in Ireland by Instrument Technology