Tailored Solutions

ChevronTexaco OASyS 6.3 SCADA Replacement Project / Legacy System Support

Customer

ChevronTexaco Pipeline Company (formerly Chevron Pipeline Company), Houston, Texas

Goal

Technical Services, a technology organization within ChevronTexaco Pipeline Company (CTPC), was tasked with delivering a new centralized SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to replace all legacy SCADA equipment supporting the company’s Customer Service Center (CSC). Prior to DNI’s involvement, CTPC supported four (4) separate legacy systems, three (3) of which were acquired directly from the Texaco merger consummated in late 2001. The merger also increased CTPC’s internal support staff from seven to sixteen people (both employees and contractors) limiting the number of resources available to manage and work on the replacement project. Qualifying this effort required people with strong leadership skills and experienced technical backgrounds. CTPC engaged Diverse Networks, Inc. (DNI) to perform project related tasks where CTPC manpower was lacking, provide daily and 24/7 support to selected legacy systems and provide technical expertise in areas where CTPC employees were short of skills and experience.

Requirements

  • Replace the four separate legacy OSs with OASyS 6.3/HP UX-11i Version 2
  • Replace HP K Series 9000 Class Servers with HP rx4640 Itanium2 1.5GHz Servers
  • Replace OmniServe Disk Drive Technology with Raid V Architecture
  • Implement OSISoft/PI plant information system in addition to OASyS XIS (eXtended Information System) for historical data collection
  • Implement prototype Gas Measurement Accounting System (GMAS)
  • Replace controller console Unix workstation MMIs with PC technology
  • Replace SBS (Strategic Backup System) hardware and software
  • Replace controller console MMI graphics based on Sammi software platform with AutoCAD
  • Implement Decision Support System (DSS) infrastructure — intranet, web browser access to SCADA data and displays
  • Provide daily, and in some cases, 24/7 operations support for some of the legacy systems

Approach

CTPC organized this project into a number of distinct phases using internal proprietary project development methods and standards removed for the purposes of this abstract. However, a description of the high-level tasks follows:

Phase I & II: Preliminary Co-Engineering Effort (01/31/2002)
  • Review legacy system features and itemize to assure coverage
  • Develop preliminary statement of work (SOW) and budgetary cost estimate
  • Begin development of functional specification
  • Design and implement prototype OASyS 6.3 system to address operational scope of Cross Valley Fuel System which is the smallest legacy system to replace
Phase III: Final Co-Engineering Effort (03/31/2004)
  • Complete SOW and functional specification documents
  • Determine final fixed-price cost estimates
  • Port existing OASyS 5.2.2 Liquids Management System (LMS) application to OASyS 6.3 with specified enhancements
  • Install and commission Cross Valley prototype
Phase IV: Execution of Project Deliverables (12/31/2005)
  • Computer hardware (servers, controller workstations — 10 consoles, development workstations)
  • Networking and peripheral computer equipment (switches, routers, printers, RAID disks, optical disks)
  • Operating system software: HP UX-11i, Windows 2000, Windows XP
  • Perform Site Acceptance Testing (SAT) on a console by console basis
  • Application software: LMS (metering, leak detection, batch tracking), GMAS (electronic flow measurement, gas contract monitoring, inventory management)
  • Software licenses — Dual SCADA, Dual Historical, Dual CMX/XIS, DCMS/DXIS, OMS, XOS, Plant Information (PI)
Phase V: Operate and Evaluate (06/30/2006)
  • Ongoing

Solution

Initially, one DNI consultant was engaged to provide supplemental support to the OASyS 5.2.2 legacy system (liquids pipeline) while two other DNI consultants (one senior level) were tasked to provide exclusive 24/7 support of the Verano RTAP legacy system (gas pipeline). Later as the replacement project took form, an additional senior consultant was introduced to provide fulltime support for the replacement project efforts. DNI has been instrumental in providing insight and understanding to the newly acquired legacy systems and the accompanying RTU protocols inherent in them. In addition, a DNI security consultant was engaged for a period of three months to remedy security deficiencies discovered during routine auditing of the SCADA systems in use. The successful integration of a DNI professional services team has also contributed to CTPC awarding additional contract services in the areas of automated cathodic protection data recovery and managed services in SCADA communications support.

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