MAC and Rich Engineering Expertise are key to Success of Modernization Project at Thai Refinery

Thai Refinery migration Yokogawa.jpgThis project was conducted for PTT Aromatics and Refining Public Company Limited (PTTAR), which was established in September 2007 through the amalgamation of Aromatics (Thailand) Public Company Limited (ATC) and Rayong Refinery Public Company Limited (RRC) and was Thailand’s no.1 integrated oil refiner and aromatics producer. In October 2011, PTTAR was amalgamated with PTT Chemical Public Company Limited to form the current PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited.

PTTAR’s AR1 crude oil refinery at the Map Ta Phut industrial estate in Rayong started operation in 1996 and was capable of converting 280,000 barrels per day. By 2006, after 10 years in use, the refinery’s original Foxboro IA Series (v4.3) distributed control system (DCS) was beginning to show its age. To decrease downtime and maintenance costs, the decision was made to replace it with a more modern control system.

In this modernization project, PTTAR chose to go with a Yokogawa control system solution and work with Yokogawa Engineering Asia as its main automation contractor (MAC). The main reasons for this decision were:

  • Star Petroleum Refining’s refinery at the same industrial estate has had good results with a Yokogawa DCS that has been in operation there for 15 years.
  • Yokogawa’s proven MAC project execution capability
  • Yokogawa’s excellent local support
  • Yokogawa’s experience in plant revamps involving migrations from industrial automation systems such as the Foxboro IA Series DCS
  • Yokogawa’s knowledge of the process technologies that PTTAR had licensed from Shell
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