PEMEX to Make Safety Upgrades to Nine Platforms

Invensys Process Systems will supply 11 Triconex safety instrumented systems as part of an operations, safety, and security upgrade in major offshore projects for Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX).

At the Ku Maloob Zaap oilfields off the coast of Campeche State, Mexico, PEMEX Exploration and Production Northeast Marine Region is undertaking a significant upgrade and expansion of its drilling and production infrastructure. Triconex emergency shutdown systems and fire and gas safety systems will be installed on nine platforms.

The Ku Maloob Zaap expansion is a major initiative in Mexico's national oil production strategy. Ultimately, more than 100 new wells will be added to PEMEX's asset base, producing approximately 800,000 barrels per day of heavy Maya crude to meet future domestic demands for oil and gas.

The 11 Tricon triple-modular-redundant control systems will be deployed at critical sites in five complexes throughout the extensive Ku Maloop Zaap offshore infrastructure. The systems will provide emergency platform shutdown functions to protect six production platforms and one linking platform. Triconex fire and gas systems will also protect three production platforms and one crew housing platform.

The selection of the Tricon systems will provide PEMEX with the highest levels of availability, safety, and reliability. The systems monitor a variety of parameters against preset safety limits. These parameters include platform equipment status, detection for smoke, hydrogen, toxic gases and combustion gases, control of fire suppression equipment, alarm management, and manual shutdown controls.

The Invensys implementation also includes a range of professional services from Invensys Process Systems Mexico, including engineering, programming, local assembly, acceptance testing, training and commissioning.

The new contract builds on extensive Invensys experience with PEMEX. Invensys systems for distributed plant control, safety, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications have been used at PEMEX onshore and offshore pipelines, platforms, and refineries for more than 20 years.