Wiri Oil Services bridges a technology gap

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Wiri Oil Services Ltd is the city’s only petroleum depot and distribution centre for petroleum fuel. It is connected by pipeline to Marsden Point Oil Refinery in New Zealand. The company receives four products from a refinery through a pipeline and jet fuel is sent to Auckland Airport via a second pipeline.

Wiri Oil Services wanted to reduce the implementation time of a next-generation process control system and gain fast operator acceptance. The company also had to find a way to justify the capital expenditure based on reduced risk of downtime and quick implementation.

The main challenge was to minimise the fuel supply outage both for the airport and for forecourt supplies for Auckland city. The changeover was critical, especially considering its timing just before the high-demand summer holiday period.

“Although it was time to replace our ageing control system, we had to find a partner that could provide the right technology, support and, most importantly, lower our risk of implementation as much as possible but still retrieve the information we needed when we needed it and how we needed it,” said Bob Heaton, Engineering Manager, Wiri Oil Services.

With the help of Honeywell’s Legacy Input/Output Module (LIOM) to connect to its existing Honeywell LCS I/O, Wiri was able to upgrade its HMI to Experion R300 using ASM displays, seamlessly bridging the technology gap for its migration to Experion. In this way Wiri was able to use and leverage its current hardware investment, LCS 620 I/O, keeping the hardware in place but upgrading to a more modern HMI.

The key advantage of using the LIOM is to reap the benefits of Experion while retaining existing investment in field wiring and I/O. Experion provides value-added features such as alarm management and trending. Thus, the LIOM allows Wiri to leverage the investment in its I/O and unlock the value inherent in Experion.

By allowing customers of Honeywell’s 620 LCS, S9000 and Logic Manager to retain their existing I/O infrastructure, upgrading the controller becomes quicker and easier than replacing their entire control network. Thus, the LIOM helps avoid the risk associated with uprooting an entire control network to employ a new system.

As a result of actively managing terminal performance through Experion, by taking advantage of Experion’s benefits including faster data access, reduced installation and maintenance costs, Wiri has been able to improve efficiencies, increase product delivery, reduce losses and optimise its return on investment.

Wiri has also achieved improved safety and overall performance by implementing the new Experion user interface, including the use of displays based on ASM philosophies for faster operator detection and quick resolution of any issues that may arise. The system has also provided increased production and efficiency due to improved understanding of data and ability to turn that data into actionable information.

Upgrading to Experion has also enhanced opportunities to drive business and process efficiencies by development of MES applications layered on top of Experion, which were not possible on the previous ‘closed’ SCADA system.

“Wiri needed a low-risk, high-reward solution that would leverage our current infrastructure in place. We turned to Honeywell for its proven implementation, local support and LIOM migration methodology to bring us to the next-generation Experion. Without the need to replace wiring or disrupt our I/O, we were able to take advantage of Experion’s benefits including faster data access, and reduced installation and maintenance costs,” said Bob Heaton.

Honeywell Limited
www.honeywell.com.au