ABB to Provide Control Systems for Australia

ABB was selected by all four contractors – Maersk, APL, Aibel and Keppel – to supply integrated control and safety systems (ICSS) for the subsea production units and the topside process module on the floating production and storage off-loading vessel (FPSO). The systems will be integrated into a single control and safety system operated from the FPSO. The solution is based on ABB’s automation platform, Extended Automation System 800xA, which is the leading process automation system for the oil and gas industry worldwide. The high integrity, safety instrumented system enables process and safety applications to be executed within the same system and, if required, from the same controller.

Vincent will produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil a day from 19 subsea wells and production manifolds connected to an FPSO with a capacity of 1.9 million barrels. A Maersk-owned oil tanker, Ellen Maersk, is currently being converted into a floating production vessel at the Keppel shipyard in Singapore.

In addition to delivering the control and safety systems for the entire oilfield, ABB is also supplying a complete electrification package for the process module on the Ellen Maersk. ABB’s ability to supply a complete, single-vendor ICSS and power solution for the process module on the FPSO was a key factor in the customer’s selection of ABB. Vincent is located 50 kilometers off the North Cape of Western Australia at a depth of 350 meters.

The field is operated by Woodside Energy, Australia’s largest oil and gas company, and is scheduled to go onstream in the third quarter of 2008. System 800xA extends the scope of traditional control systems to include all automation functions in a single operations and engineering environment so that plants/mills can run smarter and better at substantial cost savings. Its reach extends well beyond the realm of essential process control to production management, safety, smart instrumentation, smart drives and motor control, information management, asset optimization, simulation, and documentation. System 800xA’s unique engineering environment manages one set of consistent data, for single-point entry, single-point change, and re-use across the plant. Control Engineering magazine selected System 800xA Extended Automation to receive an Editors’ Choice Award as one of the best products introduced in 2004.