Using On-Process Migration to Update an Ethylene Plant’s DCS
Critical Infrastructure: Honeywell VMware Integration and Control System Upgrade at a Petrochemical Plant.
Overview
InnoTech successfully migrated the client’s ethylene (E2) and hydrogen-off-gas (HOG) plants from obsolete Honeywell equipment connected via coaxial cable to new Fault Tolerant Ethernet (FTE) networks. They utilized on-process migration to avoid downtime, tested equipment online, and installed safety upgrades. This transition ensures supported systems, reduces operational risks, and prepares for future network upgrades. The project also streamlined system rooms, enhancing efficiency and reliability while advancing the client’s technology infrastructure.
Situation
The client’s ethylene (E2) and hydrogen-off-gas (HOG) processing plants had Honeywell equipment connected to a coaxial network. The Honeywell equipment would soon be obsolete and the client is phasing out their coaxial network. Operating unsupported equipment is unsafe and finding reliable spare parts becomes difficult. Should this older equipment fail, the plant could undergo a loss of production, a lack of communication between equipment, and plant downtime resulting in over $5 million in losses.
Why InnoTech?
InnoTech had worked with this client on obsolete equipment migration projects before. Through this, InnoTech established trust in communication and created proven processes, including an on-process migration method. The client knew this would lead to a more efficient delivery for this new migration project.
Actions Taken
Testing out the new equipment
The team aimed to complete as much as possible on the project while the plant was still online. With the total plant turnaround approaching, many other projects also needed commissioning and testing during this time. Completing as much as possible beforehand helped avoid bottlenecks.
With the plant online, the team required a temporary power source to supply the additional equipment being installed so that they could keep the old workstations and systems running while testing the new equipment. The solution the team came up with was to run extension cords from Process Control Network (PCNs) that had extra power. They installed overhead cable wireways to reduce the risk of the ground wires causing tripping hazards or getting damaged.
Next the team installed two Fault Tolerant Ethernet (FTE) networks (for redundancy) to connect all the devices on the client’s system to. These ethernet networks will replace the coaxial network in due time. The team cannot fully replace the coaxial network yet, as some systems are still connected to it. In order for the devices on each network to communicate with one another, the team installed Honeywell Experion Local Control Network (ELCN) Bridges, creating a connection to both networks.
The team installed all the new replacement equipment onto the FTE network first, then tested it. To do this, the team consolidated all the related simulator equipment (Dell PowerEdge R710, R320, and R720 servers) into one cabinet, and replaced the existing stations with HP Thin Clients. The team virtualized the equipment and servers into a Dell PowerEdge R740 simulator host, allowing them to test the equipment and ensure it would function.
On-process migration
On-process migration is a method of migrating devices virtually while the plant is still online, without needing to shutdown any operations. The team used this method to migrate:
- The existing application stations and servers; and
- The console stations and servers for cracking and finishing. (Cracking and finishing is the process of splitting apart the chemical compounds and refining natural gas into usable products, like gasoline for vehicles and polyethylene for plastics.)
Dell VX Rail Hosts
The team implemented Dell VX Rail Hosts for these workstations, and to them, they installed:
- New Cisco Network Switches; and
- HP Thin Clients (which minimized the footprint in the applications room significantly).
The team then connected the Hosts to the FTE network and used a PC to test the equipment. Then, they committed the workstations from the coaxial network to the new equipment.
Removing the old
After the team completed the testing, they connected the workstations and virtualized hosts to the new equipment and FTE network. The team could then demolish the old physical servers, stations, and related wiring within the PCN cabinets. Creating a secure and reliable communication between each end device for the client was now complete.
Installing the safety equipment
The final stage was for the team to install the new Tricon Communication Modules (TCMs) to replace the soon-to-be-obsoleted Safety Manager Modules (SMMs). The team could not install these while the plant was running as this is part of the plant safety system.
There were 4 Tricon safety systems and they could each only connect to one FTE network as there was only 1 Ethernet port per device, which meant no redundancy. So, the TCMs were routed through Honeywell Triconex Communication Interface Modules (TCMIs) which acted as a bridge connecting each TCM to the redundant FTE network. Regular network switches could not be used as TCMIs are able to do data conversion and mapping, whereas regular network switches cannot.
The safety module in Tricon 4 was a slightly different module (Tricon CX) which proved a challenge. With the other modules, one TCM could connect to one TCMI, whereas the Tricon CX would need to be connected to three TCMIs. There was no-existing documentation on whether this would be possible, so the team connected with a Honeywell representative and conducted thorough testing and were able to determine that it works!
After all this was completed, the temporary power connections that had been installed in the first stage were removed and new power cables from the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) panels were installed, connecting the equipment within the PCN cabinets.
Results
The client is now using supported Honeywell equipment and software, mitigating the potential risks of equipment failure due to obsolescence.
The clients FTE network allows for greater speed and data delivery between devices.
The client is a step closer to phasing out their coaxial network.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Is there equipment being obsoleted at your plant that could create an opportunity to virtualize and condense your systems room?