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Systems Engineering & Engineering Tools Transocean Sedco Forex
Vessel: Sedco S709 Semi-submersible,
dynamically positioned oil exploration vessel: Off-shore, Nigeria.
System: Test, monitoring and maintenance system for the BOP (Blow Out Preventer) Mux System. Worked in cooperation with Transocean Sedco Forex Electrical Engineering Services in Montrouge, France to restore the rigs 1970 designed BOP Multiplex control system and provide the following services/system deliverables;
Engineering services provided: Electrical
engineering services to bring all in-use and spare electronic circuit
boards and component parts to a fully serviceable state. Set up an off-site
board repair and test facility to carry out continued maintenance, testing
and repair of BOP circuit boards.
Designed and delivered specialized test sets to provide comprehensive
testing of electrical and electronic components of the BOP during the
short duration that the equipment is available for these activities. This
has resulted in zero down time since implementation. Prior to the above
deliverables the system had experienced an extremely poor track record
with high associated revenue losses for the client and unacceptable operation
risks.
System development has continued to provide automated test/monitoring
functions integrated with the existing system and supplied test hardware.
This system provides automated sequencing that allows for more exhaustive
testing, as well as extensive logging for test analysis, system diagnosis,
reporting and historic data recording. The design of the system focuses
on setting up recognizable patterns that facilitate recognition of system
anomalies. The system also will provide fault analysis and expanded troubleshooting
capabilities to allow the client to diagnose subsea problems without the
unnecessary and and extremely expensive recovery of the BOP. This system
is designed with an S7 300 PLC, PC-based VB programming interfacing with
the PLC and an HMI.
As part of this system, a custom database was designed to provide circuit
board repair history, issues tracking and inventory / location tracking.
2000-2002 Transocean Sedco Forex
Vessel: Sedco Express Class semi-submersible, ultra deep-water drilling rigs: Brest, France; Singapore, Gulf of Mexico.
Systems: Drilling automation systems, mostly using Siemens S7 PLCs, Soft PLCs and Wonderware HMI interfaces.
Engineering services provided: Pre-commissioning/commissioning
engineering and integration management of drilling systems and sub-systems
from over 12 primary vendors, and involving over 20 primary control devices/sub-systems.
Also developed a specialized data management utility, binding SW and HW
portions of the system to manage changes and testing during the pre-commissioning
and commissioning portions of the project.
2000-2001 VARCO/MDTotco Systems
Vessel: Express, Energy
and Cajun Express - Semi-submersible, ultra deep-water drilling rigs:
Brest, France, Singapore, Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, Nigeria, Egypt and Las
Palmas, Gran Canaria.
Systems: V-ICIS drilling automation system. Multiple Siemens S7 400 and 300 PLCs. Extensive Wonderware HMI system and various other sub-applications i.e. Ind SQL apps, development of a collision avoidance system.
Engineering services provided: Commissioning
engineers and software developers.
2000-2001-ongoing Alaska State Marine Highway System/Siemens Marine
Vessel: MV Kennicott
oceangoing car and passenger ferry: Moss Point, Mississippi, Juneau Alaska.
Systems: Alarm and Monitoring System, Siemens S5, PLC-based propulsion automation system, generator controls and an AC-AC Bow Thruster Drive (2MW Simovert VFD).
Engineering services provided: Project
management and systems engineering support during the later part of the
shipyard period. AKA and Siemens then jointly delivered a 3-year vessel
training and maintenance service which included maintaining vessel spares,
carrying out yearly system audits, refresher training and providing troubleshooting
services as required.
Have continued working with the client on system enhancements, changes, etc. in vessels automation system and electrical distribution system.
1998-2001 Transocean Sedco
Forex/Rigtech
Vessel: Cajun Express:
Gulf of Mexico.
Systems: Drilling Fluid Management System PC/QNX based.
Engineering services provided: Commissioning and software development.
2000-2001 Varco
Vessels: All drilling rigs
equipped with Varco Top Drives: Orange, California.
Systems: Automated Casing Roughneck.
Engineering services provided: Designed,
programmed and tested the Siemens S7 300 PLC-based automation controls.
2000-2001 Transocean Sedco Forex
Vessel: Sedco S601 Semi-submersible
oil exploration vessel: Off-shore Indonesia.
System: Drilling subsea instrumentation
interface S7 300 PLC system with serial interface to various other vendor
components.
Engineering services provided: Design,
construction, installation and commissioning of a data collection and
data management interface for a subsea instrumentation package.
2000 CSL/Siemens Marine
CSL Vessels: MV Spirit, MV Sheila Ann, self unloading bulk carriers: Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai, China.
Systems: Automated self-unloading systems employing Siemens Simovert AC conveyor drives, a Siemens S5 PLC control system, and HMI for process control and monitoring.
AKA services provided: Site management and technical resources for the engineering team in Shanghai.
Developed specialized commissioning and test database tied directly to
the system control software and drawing database to track issues, management
resources and billing and planning testing and produced test documentation.
1999-2000 Sedco Forex
Vessel: Sedco S708 Semi-submersible
oil exploration vessel: Off-shore Angola and client office in Paris, France.
Engineering services provided: All
electrical engineering services for definition and specification of electrical
work scope for proposed rig modernization estimated total work scope:
$65M US ($10 $15M electrical).
1999 Global Marine/Siemens Marine
Vessel: Global CR Luigs and Jack Ryan
Horizontal Pipe Racker (HPR): Houma, LA.
System: Drilling System Horizontal Pipe Racker and Pipe Racker Control System using Siemens
S7 400 and S7 300 PLCs to control multiple Siemens Simoreg DC drives via complex synchronous algorithms and automated sequencing process.
Engineering services provided: AKA was brought in late to provide programming and systems expertise to assist a Global Marine sub-contractor who had stalled on the design and programming of the automation portion of the HPR. With a six person team, AKA defined the automation system, developed the programs, demonstrated successful system operation, and managed the FATs.
1999 Siemens Marine
Vessel: Glomar Explorer (Global Marine
Ultra Deepwater Drill Ship): Mobile, Alabama.
Systems: Siemens Simoreg drilling drives, drilling control system and switchboard, Simoreg propulsion drives (35,000HP through 2 shafts and 5 azimuthing thrusters) and propulsion control system (Siemens S7 PLCs (400 and 300 series) and OP31s.)
AKA services provided: Project management and technical resources.
1998-1999
Transocean / Siemens Marine
Vessel: Transocean Amirante (Semi-Submersible
Oil Exploration Platform): Mobile, Alabama.
Systems: Drilling and anchor handling Simoreg SCR drives.
AKA services provided: Field engineering.
1998
Canadian Coast Guard
Vessel: CCGS Henry Larsen Arctic
Class Ice Breaker: Halifax, Canada.
Systems: This diesel electric vessel was refitted with a Siemens Alarm, Monitoring and Control System integrated with existing GE Propulsion Controls, 8 MW Cycloconverter drives and Woodward digital generator controls.
Engineering services provided: Engineering support to solve various system control problems. Currently providing a system upgrade to the HMI portion of the Alarm and Monitoring System.
1996-1997-ongoing Washington State Ferries/Siemens Marine
Vessel: Steel Electric Class Vessels
MV Nisqually, MV Quinault, MV Illahee: Seattle, Washington.
Systems: These diesel electric vessels
were refitted with new Alarm and Monitoring Systems, Propulsion Control
Systems, Propulsion DC Drives (Siemens Simoreg), and Generator Control
Systems (including Power Management System and Woodward digital controls).
The Siemens S5 fully redundant 155H PLC-based system was designed for
high fault tolerance and no single point failures.
AKA services provided: Systems functional
definition and concept design, commissioning and field engineering support
on all fitted equipment, vessel testing and post-delivery engineering
support.
1997-1998-ongoing Project Engineering Toolset
AKA produces an integrated package of software engineering tools designed to optimize the organization and execution of all phases of engineering projects. These tools
include;
Commissioning Database: A proprietary
database application designed to track all relevant integrated vendor
data (i.e. real world interfaces and intersystem data and communicated
data), related technical issues to the defined areas of the system (HW,
IO, Interfaces, etc.) for management purposes as well as to bind the system
HW and SW together facilitating change management and continued system
development. (This application was used extensively during the commissioning
of the drilling equipment on the latest Sedco Express Class rigs, and
was recognized by Sedco senior management as being a major factor in the
pre-commissioning and commissioning turnaround of these state-of-the-art
rigs.)
Troubleshooting Database: A proprietary
database application that allows users to graphically navigate through
data signal paths in a highly complex, multi-vendor automation system,
and dynamically link system data point to systems documentation, such
as, Autocad drawings, OEM documents, etc. |