Invensys Implements Major Fieldbus-Based Automation Solution for Shell Canada at the Athabasca Oil Sands Project.

Energy Editors/Business Editors

FOXBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 2, 2003

I/A Series systems integrated with Foxboro and third-party instrumentation at one of the world's largest FOUNDATION fieldbus installations

In its role as automation supplier for the Athabasca Oil Sands Project in Alberta, the Foxboro Canada unit of Invensys plc has successfully implemented the latest I/A Series(R) automation technology throughout both the Scotford Upgrader, located north of Fort Saskatchewan, and the Muskeg River Mine, located north of Fort McMurray.

Two of the main production units at the Upgrader - the Hydrogen Manufacturing Plant and the two Sulphur Recovery trains - utilize advanced FOUNDATION fieldbus technology to help reduce installation, operations, and maintenance costs. The I/A Series system in these two units hosts approximately one thousand FOUNDATION fieldbus devices, making the Scotford Upgrader one of the world's largest FOUNDATION fieldbus installations.

These devices include a mix of Foxboro(R) pressure transmitters, Foxboro and Rosemount temperature transmitters, Yokogawa vortex flowmeters, and Fisher positioners, all residing on common FOUNDATION fieldbus segments. FoxCAE(TM) computer aided engineering software was utilized to provide a consistent configuration environment across all FOUNDATION fieldbus instrumentation. The individual fieldbus segments are integrated into the I/A Series system via Foxboro's advanced remote I/O subsystem and high-speed Ethernet "home run" network.

"The successful completion of this major FOUNDATION fieldbus-based I/A Series automation system for the world-scale Athabasca Oil Sands Project clearly demonstrates Invensys' leadership in advanced automation technology and our capability to deliver open fieldbus-based automation solutions on any scale," commented Sasan Goodarzi, president of the Manufacturing and Process Solutions business unit of Invensys.