Gulf of Suez Petroleum Company West Akhen Platform Control System

The Site

The West Akhen Platform Control System is installed on an offshore, unmanned production platform located in the Mediterranean Sea near Egypt, Africa. The electro-hydraulic control system is designed for automatic controlling and monitoring of critical operating functions of the production platform.

A Master Terminal Unit (MTU) installed onshore at a location named West Harbor provides remote monitoring and control. The communication link between the platform and the onshore facility is microwave.

The System

The offshore platform consists of two gas production wells and one water injection well. Provisions have been made for one future production well. The produced gas and liquid is separated before transport to a production gathering facility.

Additionally, the production facilities on the platform include.

• Glycol receiver tanks and injection pumps
• Wax inhibitor injection system
• Corrosion inhibitor injection system
• Methanol injection system

A turbine generator produces electrical power for the platform. The turbine generator output capacity is marginal for the requirements of the platform; therefore all control and monitor requirements are designed for minimum power usage. A diesel generator is configured as a backup power system.

The Application

Offshore Platform Control System

The platform control system operates in a Zone 2, Group IIA area. The system consists of a hydraulic control panel integrated with a CS7X controller. The control system monitors and controls all aspects of the platform operation including:

• rocess Shutdowns - PSD
• Emergency Shutdowns - ESD
• Pressure, Temperature, and Corrosion Measurement
• AGA3 Flow Calculations
• Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Motor Control
• Valve Control
• Operational Status
• Flow Measurement
• Hydraulic Injection Pump Control
• Electric Load Shedding
• Wax Inhibitor Pump Control
• Glycol Injection Pump Control
• Corrosion Injection Pump Control

Onshore Monitoring and Control

While the platform control system is capable of stand-alone operation, the MTU at the onshore facility gives the operators complete remote monitoring and control capabilities. The MTU provides graphic displays allowing the operator easy access to the operational status of the platform. The operator can control all aspects of the platform including performing a platform ESD when required.

A separate serial PPP communication link between the CS7X controller and the onshore computer provides the operator complete access to the controller. The operator can make any required programming or configuration changes remotely. This link will also allow remote troubleshooting.