Inland Refinery DCS Console Replacement
Replacing DCS consoles without stopping the refinery
The DCS consoles at a Free State crude oil refinery had obsolete monitors and disks, with no spares left. We replaced them one at a time while the refinery kept running.
The work covered detail design, supply and installation, in two phases between 2016 and 2022.
New console detail design
Four operator consoles and supervisor consoles, detailed for the refinery’s DCS operator stations.
Three-tier operator layout
Two screens per station, a lower touch screen, and a third tier for annunciators and large displays.
Factory acceptance testing
The client tested the consoles with us at the factory before delivery.
Phase two wedge sections
Eleven replacement wedge sections carrying hand switches and LED lighting.
Lighting and acoustics
New control room lighting and acoustic panels completed the second phase.
How It Was Delivered
Disconnect, then reconnect
Power was pre-terminated before each swap. The change became “disconnect at the old console, reconnect at the new”.
Pre-terminated power
Temporary positions
While a console was out, its displays and utilities moved to a temporary position. The swap then went ahead one console at a time.
One console at a time
Permit-led changes
Every intervention went through the refinery’s management-of-change and permit process. Temporary lighting went up before the old fittings came down.
Management of change
At a Glance
4
operator consoles in the new design, plus supervisor consoles
11
replacement console wedge sections in phase two
3
bays added to one console for undocumented equipment
2
project phases, from 2016 to 2022
Client and site names are not published. See all projects.
The challenge
The legacy consoles carried obsolete monitors and disks. No spares were available. The equipment was built into the console carcass, so nothing could be upgraded in place.
The refinery could not stop. Any change had to happen around live operation.
The unknowns made it harder. Opening the old console backs was judged too risky. No wiring diagrams existed. As work progressed, undocumented equipment turned up inside the consoles. The design had to absorb all of this without holding up the changeovers.
The result
The refinery’s obsolete consoles were replaced one at a time, with the plant running throughout. Operators now work at consoles designed around their DCS stations: two screens, a touch screen below, and annunciators and large displays above.
The undocumented equipment found inside the old consoles did not stop the work. Detail design took it in. One console grew by three bays to house the extra equipment, and the changeovers kept to plan.
The second phase finished the room with new wedge sections, LED lighting, control room lighting and acoustic panels.
Frequently asked questions
Can DCS consoles be replaced without a shutdown?
Yes, if each swap is planned. Here power was pre-terminated and each console’s displays and utilities moved to a temporary position while it was out.
What if there are no wiring diagrams for the old consoles?
Plan for surprises in the design. On this project, one console grew by three bays to take undocumented equipment, without delaying the changeovers.
Why test consoles at the factory?
Factory acceptance testing with the client catches problems before delivery, when there is no time to fix them inside a live control room.