The StatoilHydro Ormen Lange natural gas processing plant in Aukra, Norway, has been selected by HART® Communication Foundation as recipient of the 2007 HART Plant of the Year Award. The award is given annually to recognize the people, companies and plant sites around the globe that are using the advanced capabilities of HART Communication in real-time applications to improve operations, lower costs and increase availability. The StatoilHydro Ormen Lange facility produces natural gas that will provide up to 20% of the natural gas for the UK. The natural gas is shipped via the Langled Pipeline, one of the world’s longest subsea gas pipelines-1200km from the coast of Norway to the UK. The Ormen Lange project consists of 24 subsea wells in four seabed templates with an onshore processing facility to clean up the gas before pushing it into the pipeline to the UK. StatoilHydro designed the Ormen Lange automation systems to take full advantage of HART Communication and the advanced capabilities and diagnostics of HART-enabled intelligent instrumentation. The HART-enabled intelligent instrumentation and automation infrastructure at Ormen Lange includes 1400-plus intelligent process measurement devices and modulating control valve actuators, connected through HART-enabled remote I/O systems to HART-enabled Process Automation and Asset Management systems.
