Full Report
I have been so grateful for my experience with ISA over the past 45 years.
Analysis Summary
# Main Topic
The deployment and impact of ISA (International Society of Automation) standards and control systems technologies in real-world industrial and infrastructure projects to achieve significant reductions in environmental pollution and operating costs, as documented through the author's 45-year career experience. This is a professional testimony regarding the positive application of automation and control standards, not a threat report.
## Key Points
- The author, a Registered Professional Engineer and ISA Fellow, leveraged ISA principles (including cybersecurity standards) via instruction and contracting to upgrade control system networks, improving plant performance, safety, and security while reducing costs.
- **Chevron Refinery Project:** Successfully eliminated flare of 30 million cubic feet of daily waste gas by redesigning the gas processing system to recover and pipeline marketable natural gas, leading to a \$1,200,000/year gross profit increase for the refinery and significant pollution reduction.
- **LAX Fuel Management Project:** Designed and installed a new SCADA and control system network for Jet fuel management, ensuring fiscal accountability and quality control across four different fuel suppliers by measuring flow rates, tank levels, and quality.
- **BP Marine Terminals Project:** Managed the installation of a custody transfer system (0.10% accuracy) and negotiated the installation of AC powerlines so tankers could plug in, using clean energy to power their pumps and eliminating significant air and water pollution previously caused by shipboard pumps.
## Threat Actors
None. The content focuses on engineering solutions and successful operational improvements, not malicious threat actors or cyber incidents.
## TTPs
N/A. The document details successful implementation TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures) related to process control engineering, custody transfer, environmental compliance, and industrial control system (ICS) network upgrades, specifically referencing ISA course materials (TS06, TS12).
## Affected Systems
- **Chevron Refinery:** Catalytic Cracking Unit, Gas Processing System, Control systems monitoring natural gas flow.
- **LAX:** Jet Fuel Management System, SCADA and control system network in the Fuel Farm control room, storage tanks (Jet A/SAF Blend).
- **BP Marine Terminals:** Custody Transfer Systems for supertankers, shipboard electrical infrastructure connections.
## Mitigations
- Implementing ISA standards for network security and control system design.
- Modifying refinery systems to meet stringent environmental emission control requirements (e.g., recovering waste gas).
- Installing custody transfer metering systems with high accuracy (better than 0.10%).
- Transitioning terminal power sources from shipboard pumps to cleaner shore-side AC power to reduce harbor pollution.
## Conclusion
The application of ISA standards and advanced control technologies has proven highly effective in optimizing industrial operations, significantly lowering costs, increasing throughput, and achieving substantial environmental benefits across major infrastructure projects in California. The primary takeaway is the tangible success of robust automation and control engineering practices.