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ARAMCO Ras Tanura Refinery

Engineering & Marketing International
Technology

Aveva

Industry

Oil and Gas

Client

ARAMCO

Country

KSA

Goals

Integrate new DCS data for ISBL and OSBL units into existing PI System. Ensure high availability and continuous data flow without disruption. Configure and optimize 50,000 PI tags for accurate real-time data. Delivered extensive ProcessBook graphics and Excel reports for operations.

Challenges

Managed and configured 50,000 real-time tags in a complex refinery. Ensuring secure and reliable PCS/DCS to PI System connectivity. Delivered graphics and reports quickly without impacting operations. Handled diverse data and monitoring needs from ISBL and OSBL areas.

Solutions

Installed PI OPC DA Interfaces at buffer nodes for Honeywell DCS. Configured and validated seamless flow of 50,000 tags into RTR PI System. Enhanced operational insight with comprehensive visualization and reporting. Created 400+ Excel Datalink reports to support detailed operational analysis.

Results

Smooth, reliable PCS data integration for continuous refinery operations. Enhanced operational insight with comprehensive visualization and reporting. Improved data quality and real-time monitoring with high system performance. Strengthened Honeywell-ARAMCO-EMI collaboration ensuring project success.

ARAMCO Ras Tanura Refinery Clean Fuels

– DAHS & PI System Integration
In 2020, Honeywell KSA awarded EMI a critical contract to implement the Data Acquisition and Handling System (DAHS) for the ARAMCO Ras Tanura (RTR) Clean Fuels project. This strategic downstream initiative focused on integrating data from new PCS systems covering both Inside Battery Limits (ISBL) and Outside Battery Limits (OSBL) into ARAMCO’s existing PI System infrastructure. The primary goal was to enable uninterrupted, real-time data availability to support refinery operations and enhance situational awareness.

EMI successfully deployed a large-scale PI OPC interface infrastructure tailored to the refinery’s operational complexity. This involved the configuration and validation of an extensive tag database, totaling approximately 50,000 PI tags across the ISBL and OSBL units. To empower operators and engineers, EMI delivered a comprehensive suite of ProcessBook graphics—over 2,200 displays—covering detailed operational views essential for process monitoring. In parallel, more than 400 Excel-based Datalink reports were developed to support deeper analytical and reporting needs.

The project presented challenges typical of large refinery environments, such as managing vast real-time data streams from diverse systems, ensuring secure and reliable connectivity, and meeting aggressive delivery timelines without interrupting ongoing plant operations. EMI addressed these through a robust architecture involving multiple PI Buffer nodes (PIBs) and meticulous validation of data flows to guarantee accuracy and availability.

The successful execution of this integration resulted in a highly reliable, scalable PI System environment that provided real-time, high-quality data visibility across the Ras Tanura Clean Fuels refinery. This enhanced operational insight and enabled effective decision-making, while reinforcing strong collaboration between Honeywell, ARAMCO, and EMI to achieve project goals on schedule.