Case Studies

The Challenge:

Grey Owl was hired to do an automation upgrade on a high pressure water injection facility for a small oil and gas producer in Alberta. Their existing PLC / Control System was obsolete, which was cause for concern if a shutdown were to occur due to failure of the system. A shutdown would halt production for 3-4 weeks and result in a loss of revenue on the order of $500,000; not to mention, the additional clean-up costs that could be several times the loss in revenue.

The Solution:

Grey Owl Engineering purchased and installed a Clear SCADA HMI with Control Logix PLC. During the course of completing this work, Grey Owl Engineering saw the opportunity to add leak detection logic routines to the system that would allow the client to be compliant with AER bulletin 2016-22: Operational Advisory on Leak Detection. Adding leak detection to the system allowed our Client to provide real time trending and alarms. The alarms could be set by their operators, which would allow for real time shutdowns on critical points.

All of the work was completed by Grey Owl Engineering under budget and on time.

The Result:

Shortly after the project was completed the water injection system developed a leak. The water injection system shut down immediately, and operators were called in. The leak was minimized to 3 m3 of salt water. The AER was notified. The line was repaired, and production resumed within a few days much to the credit of an inexpensive leak detection system addition by the engineers at Grey Owl Engineering.