Reviving a drill ship to full operation
In a project that has seen a drill ship recommissioned along with a number of system improvements, Cetix has partnered with Schneider UK to deliver an overseas project for the oil and gas industry.
Residing in Turkey, the Abdul Hamid Han drilling vessel, formerly known as the Cobalt Explorer, was originally owned by Vantage Drilling International, however construction was put on hold which meant the vessel remained nonfunctional.
The ship was eventually purchased by Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), who needed to ensure the vessel’s readiness for live drilling operations, Global Offshore Engineering (GOE) was brought onboard to co-manage the project alongside TPAO.
Systems onboard the drill ship
Systems on board the Abdul Hamid Han were made up of an Emergency Shutdown (ESD) system, comprising of two Triconex Trident Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), and the Fire and Gas (F&G) system, comprising of five Triconex Trident PLCs, integrated to a single ESD & F&G InTouch upervisory Control and Data Acquisition application.
A lack of historical documentation meant that there was very little insight into the status and condition of the system, so at this point Schneider UK were brought in to uncover exactly what was required to make the vessel operational.
Cetix joins the team
Schneider UK approached Cetix to assess the state of the systems onboard and tasked them with working onboard the vessel to conduct a site survey and implement the required system fixes.
Cetix were keen to take on the challenge and a Site Survey of the control infrastructure was conducted in June 2022, with the findings provided to GOE for review.
The transformation
Testing and commissioning were crucial steps in ensuring the safety and functionality of the upgraded systems, so Cetix spent 8 weeks on site testing all the cause and effects for both the ESD and F&G. This involved many man hours developing the SCADA system and numerous Trident mods.
The team left no stone unturned and in 8 weeks the system was transformed and in a state that was fit for the Abdul Hamid Han to finally recommence drilling.
The upgraded Triconex safety systems provide enhanced safety measures, ensuring the well-being of the crew, the protection of the environment, and the prevention of any potential accidents. The Triconex Trident PLCs and the SCADA application work seamlessly together, enabling efficient emergency shutdown and fire and gas detection.
Continued support and development
Cetix have since conducted additional site visits where further modifications to the InTouch and Trident systems were made.
An upgrade is currently in the works for the InTouch application as well as plans to upgrade the SCADA package, and current alarm server philosophy, so the project marks what we hope to be a deepening relationship for Cetix and Schneider UK.
Ken Brown, Engineering Director at Cetix, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Schneider Electric and as a Certified integrator for Triconex Safety System and AVEVA System Platform, we had the right skills to make this a successful project. We are looking forward to continuing supporting this project and delivering positive outcomes for our customer”.
