As part of the modernization of a gas production and processing plant operated by Air Liquide Austria GmbH, three existing sub-plants were technically upgraded, and a fourth central plant was designed and built to manage the overall operation of the facility. In addition, an overarching concept for hard-wired signal exchange between the individual sub-plants was developed and implemented.
The goal of the project was to enable fully automated transfer processes between the storage tanks and to ensure safe customer supply. Due to an outdated inventory documentation, a comprehensive inventory assessment was required to analyze and account for all interdependencies among the sub-plants. The safety-related shutdown functions were defined based on a HAZOP analysis and systematic risk assessment, structured in a C&E matrix, and integrated into a complex safety concept while taking existing systems into account. A particular challenge of the project was to reconcile the requirements for high plant availability with the required safety standards.
The implementation of the project significantly increased the supply reliability of Air Liquide Austria GmbH with regard to the provision of industrial gases for safety-critical applications. The now possible unmanned operation of the plant results in a significant reduction in personnel and resource requirements. In addition, the revised and updated plant documentation enables more efficient troubleshooting and shorter response times in the event of a malfunction.
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