The Benefits of Installing Remote IO to a Two Stage Oil Free Screw Compressor Package in an Upstream Oil and Gas Application

A two stage oil free screw compressor package was recently delivered to a major blue chip oil and gas giant for use on one of their oil platforms located in the North Atlantic. During initial design it became clear that the amount of instrumentation required on the package would be substantial. As a result of this an elegant solution was required that would move non-critical inputs and outs (IO) from the control panel to the package itself.

This paper first describes the problems caused by the substantial amount of instrumentation required on the package. This description includes how the instrumentation is classed as critical and non-critical and what signals must still be sent over a hard wire and why. As the final location of the package is in an extremely hazardous environment, a highly corrosive marine environment, and the compressor itself is compressing highly combustible hydrocarbon gas, the protection methods employed by the instruments to prevent explosion is then discussed. The same protection methods must also be employed by the control systems IO that have been moved from the safe area to the hazardous area and this is all detailed within the paper.

The multiple communications networks that allow the remote IO system to send its values to the package control system and then onto the client's distributed control system are also discussed and how redundancy is built into this network. The paper concludes with how the changes made to this package have resulted in cost savings to the order of tens of thousands of Dollars.