MTL-Relcom have been awarded
the contract to supply FPS fieldbus power conditioners
and 10-way Megablock wiring hubs to the Nanhai project
in China, regarded as one the largest fieldbus installations
so far with over 30,000 fieldbus device connections on
more than 3000 segments. "MTL-Relcom were selected
as the supplier of key fieldbus components because of
their proven record with Shell and other fieldbus users"
said Johan Veerman (Principal Instrument and Process Control
Engineer for CSPC). "Also, MTL's ability to support
the many engineering contractors throughout the world
and to offer on-site support from their offices in China
is important in this fast track project. As the most experienced
fieldbus physical layer supplier, MTL-Relcom has helped
minimise the risk on this prestige fieldbus project".
The world scale CSPC petrochemical complex is taking shape
in the Daya Bay Economic and Technical Development Zone,
Guangdong Province, China. The joint venture between Shell
Nanhai Limited, China National Offshore Oil Corporation,
Guangdong Investment & Development Company and China
Merchants Holdings Company are investing US $4.3 billion
in the project. The complex is centred on an 800,000 ton/year
Naptha cracker with a total capacity for the complex of
2.3 million ton/year of products. This project is truly
fast track from the investment decision in November 2002
to the planned start up in December 2005.From the earliest
stages of the project MTL worked closely with CSPC, the
project management contractor BSF (Bechtel, Sinopec Engineering
Inc and Foster Wheeler) and the main automation contractor
on standardising the fieldbus architecture to be implemented
on all plants within the complex.
The MTL-Relcom FPS Series power conditioners were selected
because they provide the required isolation between power
supply and fieldbus segment, and their redundant operation
had delivered the highest levels of availability on many
prior fieldbus projects. To improve integration and reduce
control room cabinet requirements, MTL-Relcom developed
the F600A backplane and produced prototypes in just two
weeks to accelerate testing of the direct connection to
the redundant Yokogawa ALF111 fieldbus cards.At one of
the first project meetings it was explained that the project
had standardised on 8 fieldbus devices per segment with
a requirement for 2 spares. When offered a combination
of the well proven 8-way and 2-way Megablocks, CSPC stressed
that their need was for a standardised integrated solution
for this, one of the world's largest FOUNDATION fieldbus
projects. In response, MTL-Relcom produced prototypes
of a 10-way Megablock within five weeks, incorporating
other special features requested by CSPC. The new 10-way
F118-PC Megablock was then selected as the standard wiring
solution for use throughout the project.Hazardous area
certifications are a key requirement for instrumentation
in the petrochemicals industry. Different hazardous area
protection techniques were considered in the early designs
for this project, and MTL's product range provided the
necessary flexibility while supporting all hazardous area
protection techniques and using the same simple design
rules. The Zone 2 certification of the selected Megablock
wiring components allows connection to non-incendive,
non-arcing and flameproof certified field devices.
MTL and Relcom are no newcomers to fieldbus. From involvement
in defining the earliest standards through to representation
on today’s industry bodies, MTL has attained a distinguished
profile in fieldbus activity. Its installed base of fieldbus
power supplies exceeds that of any other manufacturer,
bringing with it the experience that feeds into second-generation
designs. Relcom's range of power supplies, wiring components
and field-mounted terminators were the first on the market
and have built an enviable reputation for reliability. |
