PROJECT
PROFILES

Enterprise Norco DCS Re-Instrumentation Project

This project won a 2001 ABC Pelican Chapter Excellence in Construction Award and also won a Merit Award from Louisiana Contractor Magazine.

Enterprise Products Operating Limited Partnership (EPOLP), owner-operator of a gas fractionation plant located in Norco, Louisiana, implemented a turnkey, lump-sum instrumentation conversion and upgrade project, in January of 2001. Capable of processing 60,000 barrels per day of demethanized natural gas liquid, the Norco facility is a single-train fractionation plant built in the late 1960s. This project completely replaced an aging control system consisting primarily of pneumatic and single-loop programmable logic controllers (PLCs) with a new, state-of-the-art Honeywell Plantscape® distributed control system (DCS) and associated field instruments – one of the first such systems in this area.

Considerable up-front engineering was performed, including development of a "scope book" that provided the basis for a definite estimate. The scope book defined every aspect of the project, allowing EPOLP to solicit lump-sum bids for an Engineer-Procure- Construct (EPC) contract. In addition, Enterprise and ISC project team members participated in the engineering phase, a unique approach that allowed the project to take advantage of a number of very beneficial constructability ideas from the very beginning.

In a competitive lump-sum bidding process, EPOLP management unanimously selected RPM Engineering, an ISO9001-certified, multi-disciplinary consulting and engineering firm, and Industrial Specialty Contractors, L.L.C. to completely revamp the instrumentation and control systems at their gas and liquids facilities in Norco, Louisiana. This Engineer, Procure and Construct (EPC) agreement created a unique partnership based on a high degree of trust, skill and commitment.

Prior to installation, the new control system was set up and tested at ISC's Baton Rouge office, a central location that eliminated unnecessary travel expenses. This allowed the project team to perform all required factory acceptance tests with input from everyone on the team. In addition, this allowed operators to train locally, which minimized work disruptions and helped resolve configuration issues prior to installation at the site.

Construction activities were performed in an existing facility while it continued to operate, and new equipment was put in service "on the fly." More than 750 existing instruments and controls were safely replaced, modified or completely rewired with 61,000 feet of new wire and cable in more than four miles of new conduit and cable tray.

After the factory acceptance was complete at ISC – and with everyday operations, production and construction activities continuing at the Norco plant – the heart of the new system was installed and commissioned in the existing control room. All new and existing instrumentation, control devices and associated wiring that would ultimately control the facility were pre-commissioned in place one by one, simulating operating conditions.

With input from all project team members, ISC developed a detailed cutover plan containing written procedures by priority for each individual control loop. Plant operators then began the very difficult task of simultaneously controlling the plant with both control systems until all cutovers were completed and safe operations were established.

The existing control room experienced a dramatic change as hot cutovers were performed. Existing devices that had controlled the plant for more than 30 years were demolished, leaving gaping holes in the huge, tempered-steel control panels surrounding the control room.

Once the hot cutovers were completed and the plant was running safely on the new control system, the old steel panels and concrete foundations were completely demolished and removed, again without disturbing plant operations.

All in all, the EPOLP Norco DCS Re-Instrumentation Project far exceeded owner expectations, both during installation and by comparison to industry-standard performance criteria.