Our Projects

K604 Compressor Panel Replacement

Obsolete compressor control panel replacement & obsolescence upgrade — delivered by Mertech Group (panel build, electrical, installation & commissioning) in partnership with Catapult Engineering (controls engineering & program conversion).

The Challenge

Mertech Group and Catapult Engineering were approached by a customer to assist with their legacy compressor control system. The existing panel used an obsolete controller and control program, and the customer needed:

• A replacement for the obsolete compressor control panel and controller
• Exactly the same control functionality as the original system, unchanged
• A solution fully compliant with AS 60079 EEHA (explosive atmospheres) requirements

Our Approach

We solved the problem through a systematic approach to obsolescence upgrades. Catapult Engineering extracted the original program logic from the old controller and converted it into the new controller platform using in-house code conversion tools — efficient, reliable and functionally equivalent, with minimal manual changes required and significantly reduced risk of human error compared to a manual rewrite. This also meant faster, easier QA and Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT), since the conversion process itself was already validated.

Mertech Group designed and built the new control panel to the customer’s hardware requirements, to improve standardisation, ease of maintenance and day-to-day operation. Our team is intimately familiar with gas compressor control and operation, having carried out many similar obsolescence upgrades on unsupported, antique or rare control systems — and we bring more than just a program conversion: our understanding of compressor operation shapes the panel hardware and control system design to make sure it’s optimised for the customer’s actual requirements.

Delivery & Testing

The new controller panel was thoroughly simulated and all control functionality verified — including the on-skid HMI and site SCADA pages — before it ever reached site. We planned and prepared carefully to de-risk the commissioning process and get the customer safely back to reliable operation as quickly as possible, rather than leaving anything to chance.

As a result, the Factory Acceptance Test was completed earlier than expected, with only customer-requested changes outstanding. This sped up installation and commissioning on site, with only the field I/O and other interfaces that couldn’t be simulated needing to be tested in the field.

Deliverables

• Updated Operating Philosophy
• Panel General Arrangement drawings
• Electrical connection diagrams, single-line diagrams and layout of plant drawings, tailored to the customer (not generic)
• Updated Cause & Effect and Alarm & Trip documentation
• Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT)
• Commissioning procedure
• Commissioning handover documentation