Pertamina Bitung integrated terminal: pump PLC restoration

1. Overview

This project focused on the restoration and upgrade of the reliability of the field VSD (Variable Speed Drive) pump system. It addressed operational problems caused by damage to critical components, namely the VSD units and the pressure transmitter, which had degraded through age (lifetime) and heavy operation.

Besides renewing the hardware, the project included an upgrade of the communication infrastructure by installing Fiber Optic (FO) cable and the AVEVA InTouch SCADA system. The upgrade connects the field systems so that pump operating parameters can be monitored in real time and centrally from the Central Control Room (CCR).

2. Challenges

• Hardware degradation: The VSD and pressure transmitter failed under heavy operating load and at the end of their service life, which reduced the reliability of the pump system.

• Brownfield infrastructure work: Pulling Fiber Optic cable through an operating area (existing facility) required risk mitigation so other systems were not disturbed.

• Need for operational visibility: The previous system had little visibility. Before the upgrade, remote monitoring of pump health and parameters in real time was the main limitation.

3. Solutions

• Renewal and restoration: Replaced the damaged VSD units and pressure transmitter with new parts so the pump electrical and mechanical systems return to optimal operation.

• Communication network upgrade: Pulled Fiber Optic (FO) cable from the field panel area to the CCR. FO was chosen for fast, stable data transmission that resists electromagnetic interference (noise) in an industrial environment.

• SCADA integration: Developed and configured the Human Machine Interface (HMI) in AVEVA InTouch software. The system collects field data and shows it on the CCR dashboard, so operators can monitor pressure and VSD status without going to the field.

4. Lessons learned

• Preventive & predictive maintenance matter: Equipment damage from heavy use shows the need to record component lifetime and to schedule strict preventive maintenance, to avoid unplanned downtime in future.

• A holistic upgrade (from reactive to proactive): A failure does not have to be solved by simply "replacing the part". Using the opportunity to install FO and SCADA at the same time turned a reactive system (wait for it to break) into a proactive one (monitored in the CCR).

• Centralized data shortens response time: With the pump system connected to SCADA in the CCR, the operations team has direct access to real-time data. This cuts the response time (response time) for identifying problems such as pressure anomalies or a VSD trip.