Production Facilities Control Room Operation

Overview:

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  Upon completion of the course, participants will be able to:

• analyze and anticipate the behavior of main control loop structures (DCS and SIS systems architecture and functionalities),

• explain production equipment, process operating parameters, and perform troubleshooting,
• implement proactive, anticipatory control room operation and acquire a safety mindset,
• react and act in a structured manner to anomalies and plant upsets,

• enforce safety guidelines during downgraded and critical situations.

Target Audience:

• Experienced control room operators and production supervisors looking to advance their know-how in control room operation.

Course Outlines:

Unit 1:

• GETTING STARTED - DCS FUNCTIONALITIES FOR PROPER ANALYSIS

  • • Familiarization with HMI functions and operations.
    • DCS tools review.

• PROCESS CONTROL & SAFETY INSTRUMENTED SYSTEMS

  • • Impact of P&ID parameters and simply closed loop tuning.
    • Study of control loop structures: cascade, split-range on the simulator.
    • Programmable logic controllers: introduction to automated sequences.
    • Monitoring of start-up sequence (compressor) through MMI.
    • Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS): PSS, ESD, HIPPS, and F&G systems description.

Unit 2:

• WELLS & PRODUCTION LINES OPERATION

  • • Well, start-up (ramp-up) and shutdown.
    • Analysis of automatic good control.
    • Well, monitoring and detection of abnormal conditions.

• ROTATING MACHINERY OPERATION

  • • Centrifugal pumps.
    • Centrifugal compressors:
    • Technology review, the study of process and auxiliary lines, protection systems.
    • Start-up and shutdown sequences.
    • Analysis of operating conditions and operating parameters.

Unit 3:

• PROCESS UPSET MANAGEMENT

  • • Alarms: priorities management and decision making.
    • Becoming aware of the need for anticipation VS on-alarm action.
    • Managing and predicting process disturbances by using trend views. Use of trends to anticipate deviations.
    • Global plant performance checks: identification and implementation of a routine checks roadmap.
    • Shift report and impact of a faulty report through role-play situations.
    • Process upsets: learning to react and act in a structured manner.
    • Identification, analysis, and containment of process upsets according to the learned methodology.
    • Example of simulator exercises performed:
    • Loss of centrifugal compressor.
    • Loss of cooling media.
    • Production rate decrease.
    • Unexpected slugging.
    • ESD activation due to process safety trip.

Unit 4:

• SAFETY IN OPERATION

  • • Learning to operate the plant in critical situations, to make adequate decisions, to follow-up on actions performed.
    • Example of simulator exercises performed:
    • Gas leakage to the flare.
    • Inhibition and downgraded situation mitigation (faulty pressure transmitter, SDV blocked open…).
    • Manual ESD activation following leakage detection.

Unit 5:

• PRODUCTION START-UP

  • • Analysis of production facilities start-up philosophy.
    • Safe plant start-up.
    • Implementing the start-up procedure on the simulator:
    • Operating parameters analysis and anticipation of process upset.
    • Generation of several malfunctions (by the instructor) to be fixed.

• CONTINUOUS ASSESSMENT TEST

  • • Weekly tests on the simulator.