Ascend Automation & Controls provides experienced, seasoned specialists to execute a full range of required products and services for effective and efficient oil and gas solutions. Ascend is a division of CAM Integrated Solutions.
- Design a complex gas conditioning plant control system for Nuvoil under a compressed timeline.
- Rockwell Automation Integrated Architecture featuring Allen-Bradley ControlLogix Process Controllers and FactoryTalk HMI.
- System manages more than 3,000 data points.
- Plant up and running in 9 months – at full capacity in 12.4 months.
- Plant processes about 320,000 cubic feet of gas daily – representing revenue of about US$200,000 each day.
Challenge
Making the Most of Scarce Resources
Whenever crude oil is extracted, water, sand and natural gas are part of the mixture. And when large reserves were discovered in the Ixachi field south of Veracruz, Mexico, extracting and transporting the oil was the relatively easy part.
Separating and shipping the oil via pipeline is always fairly straightforward. Managing the natural gas is another matter.
“Oil is handled like a liquid and transported by pipeline or truck,” said Mudar Jamal Eddin, engineering director, Grupo Nuvoil. “Natural gas must be processed and compressed before it can be transported in commercial pipelines.”
If a processing plant is not accessible, producers typically ignite or “flare” the natural gas to dispose of it. This practice is both wasteful and raises environmental concerns. Flaring also represents a lost source of revenue for oilfield operators.
To keep flaring to the minimum and maximize returns, Ixachi operators called on Nuvoil to deliver a gas conditioning plant near the oilfield as quickly as possible. Nuvoil is a leading energy services and solutions provider headquartered in Veracruz.
Compressed Schedule. Complex Process.
The scope of work for the gas conditioning plant included engineering, procurement and construction – and operation and maintenance of the completed plant. Located on 32 acres about 10 miles from the well pad, the completed Papan Gas Processing Plant was specified to process 345 million standard cubic feet (345 MMSCFD) of natural gas per day.
“While the timeline was challenging, we knew we had the capacity to meet our customer’s needs,” Eddin said. “We had built similar plants in the past – and flare avoidance is our core business.”
To meet customer requirements, Nuvoil designed a cryogenic gas processing system. The complexity of the system is difficult to overstate.
At the wellhead, oil, water, sand and natural gas are separated. The resulting “sour gas,” which contains sulfur, enters the Papan Gas Processing Plant at about 200°F. In the first step, the gas is chilled to 120°F and residual sand and dirt are separated.
Next, the gas enters the sweetening plant, where sulfur is removed – and then moves to a molecular sieve dehydration system, where humidity is absorbed. In the subsequent chilling process, the gas temperature drops to about -121°F.
“Chilling triggers gas condensation,” Eddin explained. “As a result, we can remove LPG (propane/butanes) and other hydrocarbons. What remains is almost pure methane and ethane.”
Finally, the gas is compressed for transport via commercial pipelines.
Solution
Managing 3000+ Data Points
To speed implementation of the plant, Nuvoil selected a control system integrator they had successfully worked with in the past, Ascend Automation & Controls. Ascend is a division of CAM Integrated Solutions and a member of the Rockwell Automation PartnerNetwork™ program.
“Our company is very familiar with gas conditioning systems,” said Horacio Tinoco, vice president, Ascend Automation & Controls. “We developed a control system for Nuvoil about 11 years ago. Of course, the new system enables even more sophisticated and efficient operation.”
The Rockwell Automation control platform is based on Allen-Bradley® ControlLogix® process controllers and a FactoryTalk® View HMI. To ease system monitoring, Nuvoil relies on a video wall in the plant featuring twelve 55-inch displays – and four operator workstations in the control room.
To manage the process, more than 3,000 instruments are physically connected to the system – and nearly 150 PID loops are included.
“In a complex system like this, the data points multiple rapidly,” said Tinoco. “Using data trending, Nuvoil can produce reports to support operations, maintenance or custody transfer.”
In addition, Ascend will be adding FactoryTalk Historian software to the system soon.
“First, we focused on getting the plant up and running,” Tinoco said. “Now, we are aiming to provide long-term data storage capabilities so Nuvoil can run analytics for multiple purposes.”
Result
Exceeding Expectations
Nuvoil completed the plant in 9 months – and was running at full capacity within 12.4 months. Today, the plant processes about 320,000 cubic feet of gas daily – representing revenue of about US$200,000 each day.
“When oilfield operators flare gas, they are burning resources – and burning money,” Tinoco said. “Gas conditioning facilities open up an additional source of revenue.”
Ascend looks forward to a continued partnership with Nuvoil as they continue to optimize plant operations.
“Currently, we are exploring artificial intelligence (AI) options to enhance efficiency,” said Eddin. “We are evaluating our exact needs so we can match it with the products that Rockwell Automation offers – and add those capabilities.”
Learn more about our PartnerNetwork Program.
Published September 14, 2023
