Upgrading controls at PG&E’s Santa Rosa compressor station

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), a utility providing natural gas and electric service to about 16 million people in northern and central California, needed to get better results from the control system at its compressor station in Santa Rosa north of San Francisco.

Working as the Project Engineer, Verus carried out major scope phases including engineering/design, programming, installation support and commissioning. During the engineering/design phase, Verus reviewed the specifications with the client, and a control panel design and electrical installation design package was developed. The programming phase started with documenting the existing control system functionality, then reviewing the conversion of the existing program to an object-oriented structure, then developing the new PLC, OIT, and HMI programs. Finally, a comprehensive acceptance test was conducted against the design criteria. The installation support phase included having an engineer onsite to aid the construction team with interpreting drawings, supporting the organization of construction activities, and performing inspections. The final phase, commissioning, of the project was an extensive program to test all field wiring, conduct functional tests on equipment, complete operational tests of the complete system, and verify notifications to Gas Control. Resolution: PG&E received full support from qualified professionals at Verus, who were able to support a smooth and safe upgrade of this part of the utility’s network.

PG&E received full support from qualified professionals at Verus, who were able to support a smooth and safe upgrade of this part of the utility’s network.