Maxus Ecuador - SCADA System

Brown and Root awarded a major contract to eP to provide the major portion of a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system for Maxus Ecuador. Maxus Ecuador is an Ecuadorian based production operations company. The system is monitoring and controlling crude oil production facilities in the country of Ecuador.

The System

The system consists of three master terminal units (MTUs) with interconnecting interfaces to a pipeline leak detection system, an intelligent tank gauging system, several programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote operator work stations, and a number of remote terminal units (RTUs). Each MTU is a Dell 486/50-MHz computer running RealFlex Windows software system in a hot standby configuration. The RealFlex SCADA system runs under QNX, a real-time interrupt driven, multi-tasking, multi-user software. Each MTU will support all required drivers to gather data from the systems described above.

Scope of Supply

eP provided the following equipment to Maxus Ecuador:

• Systems integration services.
• Two RTUs complete with all software/firmware, I/O devices, radio modems, power supplies, cabinets and interconnections.
• Three MTUs each at three different locations, complete with all software/firmware, I/O devices, radio modems, power supplies and interconnections.
• Pipeline leak detection system integrated into the RealFlex operating system.
• Rosemount tank gauging system integrated into the RealFlex operating system.
• Programming and integration of all database and screen development in the RealFlex operating system.
• Printers and data loggers required.
• Portable PC for development, documentation and maintenance of the system.

The Site

Northern Production Facility

This is the company's primary facility for operations in the Orient Basin of Ecuador. The facility receives untreated crude oil from three well pad facilities and treated crude from the southern production facility (SPF). The well pad oil is treated and pumped with the oil from the SPF to Shushufindi.

Southern Production Facility

This facility receives untreated crude oil from eight well pad facilities which is treated and pumped into the pipeline to the northern production facility (NPF).

Lago Agrio Metering and Custody Transfer Facility

The Lago Agrio facility is the terminal facility of the pipeline with custody transfer metering and tank storage. The blended crude oil from the Shushufindi pipeline is metered into the storage tanks.

Shushufindi Blending Station

The Shushufindi facility is a blending station for the crude oil and the initiation station for the diesel pipeline. This facility receives heavy crude from the NPF, and diluent and diesel oil from outside sources. The heavy crude is blended with the diluent oil and the blended crude is pumped to Lago Agrio via the pipeline. The diesel oil is pumped to Pompeya, the NPF and SPF via the diesel pipeline.