VONK has successfully executed the Gbaran Ubie Control Systems upgrade project. This project involved virtualization and upgrades of the Control System, PCD-IT network and Power Management System at the Gbaran Ubie facilities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The Gbaran-Ubie field, located in the Niger Delta in Nigeria, consists of a Central Processing Facility (CPF) and 15 well cluster sites. Most of the gas feeds the NLNG plant at Bonny.
The field wide Distributed Control System was obsolete: there were reliability issues and the systems did not comply with the cyber security requirements. VONK performed a FEED to investigate the issues and to select the best way forward. Based on the FEED results VONK was awarded the contract for detail design and commissioning to upgrade and de-complex the Control System.
The site team, consisting of 6 VONK engineers, 2 Control Systems engineers and 6+ SPDC Engineers and Technicians, managed to successfully execute the site works during the annual turn-around, despite COVID-19, heavy rainfall and flooding in Nigeria.
SPDC now has an up-to-date, cyber secure and stable Control System that is ready for the planned extensions in the coming years.
