AN INTEGRATED control and safety system supplied by Yokogawa UK is forming the communications hub of the Scottish Area Gas Evacuation (SAGE) terminal at St Fergus, 65km north of Aberdeen. The terminal currently receives and processes gas from the SAGE and Britannia pipelines in the North Sea, and transfers it into the BG-operated national grid, which provides gas supplies throughout the UK. Through collaboration in a joint field development, BG and Amerada Hess have constructed an additional North Sea pipeline to transport gas and condensate into SAGE from the BG- and Amerada Hess-owned Atlantic and Cromarty fields, located 80km NE of St Fergus. The development includes the construction of a new extension to the SAGE terminal, dedicated to processing the Atlantic and Cromarty gas and liquids.
Yokogawa UK was awarded the contract for the control and safety system for the new Atlantic and Cromarty SAGE extension by ExxonMobil in April, 2004, and it has now been commissioned. The Yokogawa system used in the SAGE terminal is based on a Centum CS3000 distributed-control system and a Pro-Safe SLS safety system. Together, these offer an integrated solution which, in addition to providing control for the terminal itself, also interface with the measurement and control systems on the wells, including a high-integrity pressure-protection system. In addition to integrating all the measurement and control information and presenting a unified view of plant operation, the system is also fully integrated with the plant’s management information systems.
The company’s global network of 18 manufacturing facilities, 83 affiliate companies, and over 650 sales and engineering offices spans 28 countries. Since its foundation in 1915, the $4-bn company has been engaged in cutting-edge research and innovation, securing more than 7,000 patents and registrations, including the world’s first digital sensors for flow and pressure measurement. Nowadays, industrial automation and control, test and measurement, information systems, and industry support are the company’s core businesses.