(70d) How to Incorporate Future Automation Technologies & Capabilities with Installed Legacy Dcs Infrastructure

Legacy automation investments have delivered significant value over the years. But with today's increasing global competition and rapid technology advancements, older technology may no longer provide the required safe operation and competitive edge. As the age of our legacy systems approaches the danger level, we are all cognizant of the need to modernize to continue operating safely and remain competitive.

Many engineering & operations people feel the only low-risk solution is to stay with original vendor of their legacy system. Automation technology has changed significantly in recent years, becoming more open, such that even new systems from the original vendor will be different with more features to optimize the process and now may proactively alert operators of potential reliability issues. Therefore, some training will be required no matter what system is selected.

Refiners need a check list of evaluation items when considering a system migration. The solution must address short-term needs, including maintaining safe operation, but should also match long-term goals related to operation efficiency and increased reliability. Many automation manufacturers have developed low-risk solutions that eliminate the now perceived ?pain? of upgrading your system to a modern one. This presentation will describe how one company evaluated their short-term and long-term operation needs when modernizing their automation system. The new technology used to improve operation safety and reliability also contributes to faster and safer modernization implementation (pain elimination).