Upgrades made to Pump Station 3 Electrification & Automation equipment

We plan on taking the new Pump Station 3 (PS 3) Electification & Automation (E&A) pumps offline and operating the pipeline with the PS 3 legacy pumps for approximately 36 hours over the weekend of April 4 to 6. The transition will not require shutting down the station.

During this period we will make vendor-recommended modifications to the Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) software configuration as part of our equipment optimization process in the ongoing startup run-in phase. VFDs control the electric motor-driven pumps. The planned changes are intended to minimize the possibility for hydraulic upset conditions with the pipeline resulting from transitioning between the various mainline unit pump operating configurations.

Similar adjustments to the VFDs were made earlier in the startup period as we continued to run on the new E&A system. Engineers from the VFD vendor, Rockwell, requested this round of changes be performed with all three VFDs out of service so that we could assess the work starting with the VFDs offline. We anticipate utilizing the new pumps in a recycle mode throughout the period to avoid multiple transitions between legacy and new equipment, and to minimize possible impacts to pipeline operation each day while testing is in process.

The new E&A equipment has now been on line at PS 3 for more than 50 days and has operated very well, including during a week-long period of extended cold weather on the North Slope, when temperatures ranged from -40F to -55F. We’re continuing to experience solid performance from the new equipment as we progress through the run-in phase and move toward Operational Acceptance.