O & G White Paper Automated Mass

Replacing an aging control system that has reached end-of-life can be a daunting undertaking. There are many aspects to consider. These can include I/O wiring, controller hardware, control panels, control system networks, servers, storage hardware and operator workstations. Furthermore, there is the software – also known as control system code – that ties the entire system together. In even a medium-sized control system it is not uncommon, for the existing code to represent several person-years of programming investment. As upstream oil and gas operators in North America are under tremendous lift cost pressure and the industry is expected to continue to consolidate1, this problem will be amplified as operators take on inventories of diverse and aging PLCs and RTUs with which there is no corporate history. Fortunately, there are now several automated tools available to help with the effort to translate control system code as part of a system migration project.