Shell Scotford Upgrader Named 2011 HART Plant of the Year

The HART Communication Foundation has selected the Shell Scotford Upgrader located in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada, as recipient of the 2011 HART Plant of the Year Award. The award showcases end users who have demonstrated creativity in the application of HART Communication. 

Shell engineers utilized the full capabilities and advantages of HART Communication to facilitate device configuration, loop testing, startup checks, valve tuning, safety device SIL ratings, and real-time centralized device status and diagnostics in a 100,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) expansion to the existing 155,000 bpd capacity Scotford facility. The result was a safe and efficient start-up, continued safe and reliable plant operation, real-time daily instrument troubleshooting, and not only preventable but also predictive ongoing maintenance.

“Our decision to broaden the application of HART technology beyond the use of handheld device configuration saved us time and money in all phases of this project,” says Andy Bahniuk, Shell Instrumentation Technologist. “With all the HART data available in one centralized control room, staff in operations, maintenance and instrumentation had ready access to this valuable information which ensured total confidence for both the operators and engineers that all devices were functioning properly.”