Vendor management
System integrator and OEM management including specification, review, and system acceptance.
Systems Engineering
PCS & MCS Communications Upgrade
PCS logic modifications removed unnecessary subsea choke valve movement and alarm floods by changing how PCS and MCS communications were commanded.
The Challenge
Communications were disrupting operations
On a UK offshore installation, the Process Control System (PCS) was communicating with the subsea Master Control Station (MCS) on a cyclic basis.
This communications behaviour was causing unnecessary movement of subsea choke valves and generating alarm floods, increasing operational noise and creating avoidable disturbance in the subsea control interface.
The client needed the PCS logic modified so communications between the PCS and MCS were configured to move subsea choke valves only when commanded by the operator.
ICSS was engaged to design, specify, test, and commission the PCS modifications, providing the systems engineering control needed to coordinate the process control and subsea supplier interfaces.
Our Scope
A controlled interface change
ICSS developed the project requirements and performance criteria on behalf of the client, including cost estimation and schedule definition so the scope could be planned around the operational and shutdown constraints.
Our engineers specified the PCS modification in sufficient detail for the services, supplier inputs, testing requirements, and offshore execution activities to be clearly defined.
ICSS acted as the design authority for the project, providing technical direction and control throughout delivery. This included management of both the PCS supplier and the subsea system supplier to ensure the integrated communications change was properly understood, implemented, and verified.
We developed the factory acceptance testing and offshore commissioning strategy, including the procedures required to demonstrate the modified PCS logic before and during site execution.
ICSS also acted as the commissioning authority, witnessing the offshore execution of the modifications and accepting the completed scope on behalf of the client.
The Result
Cleaner control with no disruption
A cost-effective solution was developed that took account of current system limitations and known obsolescence issues, avoiding unnecessary complexity while still resolving the operational problem.
The PCS modifications changed how communications with the MCS were commanded, ensuring subsea choke valves moved only when required by operator action rather than through cyclic communication behaviour.
The scope was delivered on time to meet the planned shutdown window, with testing and commissioning completed in line with the agreed strategy.
The modifications were executed and handed over with no impact to installation operations, reducing alarm floods and improving confidence in the PCS and subsea control interface.
Systems Engineering
Change without chaos. Flawless execution.
Whether delivering plant modifications, system upgrades, or resolving performance issues, we apply rigorous systems thinking to ensure that every change is specified unambiguously, understood by all stakeholders, and executed flawlessly.
Application engineering
PCS, ESD, F&G, and BMS application design, auto generation, auto test, release, and installation.
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