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CACT Group Reduces Unplanned Downtime
and Saves Maintenance Costs by monitoring
critical pumps
Condition-based Maintenance Program eliminates
72% of unscheduled downtime on Oil Platform
Solutions
Remote Online Condition Monitoring System
• Enwatch® surveillance system provides
periodic monitoring of pumps, including
vibration and process variables
• XM® intelligent modules for condition
monitoring and protection of the pumps
• Incorporates existing data collected by
portable monitoring equipment —
Datapac® and VISTeC®
• Emonitor software integrates data from all
monitoring systems into a common database
• Meets API-670 standard for machinery
protection systems
Results
Reduced unscheduled downtime
• Reduced unscheduled downtime from
2.43% to 0.67%
Decreased maintenance costs
• Eliminated onsite data acquisition at a cost
of US$2K per visit
• Saves US$100K annually on 3rd party
maintenance costs.
Protects costly pumps
• Prevented damage more than 20 times in a
5-year period
Sheets of paper are wound onto large rolls during the final stages of production at Catalyst’s manufacturing plant.
Once cut, the rolls are shipped to customers all over the world.
Background
Ensuring continuous, safe operation of equipment is a challenge many
manufacturers share. That challenge has added significance for offshore
oil producers. Unanticipated equipment failure can quickly become a
shutdown costing millions of dollars — or a catastrophe putting workers
or the environment at risk.
Maintenance is a top priority on offshore platforms. Maintaining equipment
typically located hundreds of kilometers from shore can be a costly and timeconsuming proposition. The CACT Operators Group was determined to find
a better way.
A consortium of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), Agip
(Italy), Chevron (USA) and Texaco (USA), the CACT Operator’s Group was
formed to develop hydrocarbon resources off the shores of China in the Pearl
River Basin of the South China Sea. The group’s first exploratory well was drilled
in 1984 and commercial production began in 1990.
Today, CACT produces more than 100,000 barrels of crude oil each day,
destined for refineries in China. CNOOC holds a 51% interest in the oilfields,
while Agip, Chevron and Texaco each hold a 16.3% share.
IVP_China_Rev.qxd:Product_app_profile5-18-05.qxd
Challenge
Efficient, non-stop operation of pipeline
pumps is key to cost-effective oil production.
Initially, preventive maintenance was CACT’s
standard approach to keeping the pumps
online. However, the effectiveness of CACT’s
maintenance system was limited. CACT
was forced to react to equipment problems
that went undetected during routine
inspections. To improve their system,
CACT began to use Rockwell Automation
products to monitor the pumps on three
of its offshore platforms in the mid-1990s.
Initially, CACT based their system on
portable equipment – Entek® Datapac® and
the Allen-Bradley VISTeC®. The DataPac
is a portable instrument that collects field
data, including process variables and vibration
information. The VISTeC Vibration Meter
measures vibration in units of velocity and
acceleration and can also take Spike Energy
measurements, which can be used for early
detection of surface flaws in rollingelement
bearings. Temperature and running speed
measurements can be acquired as well.
Emonitor software was used to store the data
from the DataPac portable data collector.
To implement any needed repairs, CACT
contracted for maintenance through a
thirdparty at a charge of US$100K per year.
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Institute (API) Standard 670. API 670
is the most widely adopted standard for
machinery protection in the world.
CACT required a new system that would
provide real-time equipment monitoring
and API 670 compliance — and help
contain their maintenance costs. They called
on Rockwell Automation for a solution.
Solutions
The Rockwell Automation team worked
closely with CACT to develop a solution
that would meet the oil producer’s needs
and preserve their initial investment.
Rockwell Automation proposed a remotely
accessible, condition monitoring solution
that would incorporate the existing portable
equipment with an Enwatch system and
XM modules. Emonitor software gives them
the ability to store the data from the XM
modules and Enwatch system and compare
it against the data that they originally
received from their portable collectors.
Via an onboard Ethernet network, the
Enwatch system provides scheduled
monitoring of all the pumps on the
platform. Measurement parameters
include vibration and process variables.
Also, the data acquisition process itself was
very costly. To obtain the readings, CACT
periodically sent maintenance personnel by
helicopter to the platforms at a cost of
US$2K per visit. In fact, the yearly
transportation expense exceeded the
installation cost of the new online system.
On the same network, XM intelligent
modules process critical parameters used to
assess the current health — and predict the
future health — of the pumps in real-time.
The XM Series is comprised of DIN rail
mounted measurement, relays and process
modules. Ideal for critical machinery,
the XM system includes protection
capabilities, which can be used to safely
shutdown a machine before significant
damage occurs. For example, if the system
detects vibration outside of set parameters,
it will send a signal to the Motor Control
Center (MCC) to turn off the relevant
motors and protect the pump.
Appropriately configured, the XM
system meets API 670 standard.
Finally, the current offline system could
not provide the real-time pump protection
outlined by the American Petroleum
CACT operators onshore can remotely
configure the XM modules via a
DeviceNet™ network and view the
CACT was pleased with the performance
of their offline, portable system. At the
same time, there were limitations. For
example, the Datapac portable could
detect vibration changes, but as a portable
unit, it could not track and analyze the
pump’s condition in real-time.
equipment status through PlantLink®,
a user-friendly interface that provides a
graphical representation of the health of
all the machinery being monitored online.
Information from the condition
monitoring system is also integrated
with Rockwell Software Maintenance
Automation Control Center
(RSMACC™), where appropriate
maintenance is scheduled in accordance
with equipment requirements.
Results
With the new condition monitoring system
in place, CACT has eliminated the need for
manual data acquisition — and the associated
costs. Onshore operators 200km from the
platform collect, configure and analyze
data just as they would on a local server.
“The Rockwell Automation solution suits
CACT. It saves a great deal of manpower
and expense,” said Mr. Guo Jinwen,
maintenance supervisor, CACT. “We
can monitor equipment hundreds of
kilometers away from our office. The
solution preserved our initial investment,
while meeting our expectations.”
Since applying the Enwatch and XM
systems, CACT has reduced their
unscheduled downtime from 2.43% to
0.67% — a 72% decrease. In fact, during a
five-year period, the Rockwell Automation
system has prevented machines from
catastrophic failures more than 20 times.
Thanks to a Condition-based
Maintenance strategy, annual maintenance
expenses have also decreased significantly.
In fact, the drop-off in service time was so
dramatic that CACT saves US$100K
in 3rd party annual maintenance
costs annually.
Based on the success of this project,
CACT plans to install Enwatch and
XM systems on all critical pumps in
new installations.
Enwatch, XM, Datapac 1500, VISTeC, Emonitor Odyssey, Rockwell Automation, Entek, PlantLink, and RSMACCare trademarks of Rockwell Automation, Inc.
Trademarks not belong to Rockwell Automation are property of their respective companies. DeviceNet is a trademark of the Open DeviceNet Vendor Association.
Publication PETIVP-AP009B-EN-D – February 2007
Supersedes Publication PETIVP-AP009A-EN-D – July 2006
Copyright ©2007 Rockwell Automation, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA.