A vital safety system at the Pueblo plant received an upgrade in October.

“The Process Data Acquisition and Recording system, or PDAR, is the nerve center of the plant,” said Justin Weaver, automation data architect and lead PDAR administrator, Bechtel Pueblo Team. “This system is needed to make sure that we’re running the plant correctly and we don’t cause harm to the environment.”

The system tracks process information in the plant, such as alarm data, temperature levels, and flow and pressure readings from various field instruments, said Weaver. It also stores the histories of these readings, which help the workforce address and mitigate any potential issues that could hinder safety.

The original PDAR system was installed five years ago, before the plant’s pilot testing phase. The recent system upgrade addressed hardware limitations and rooted out software bugs while incorporating database system updates from Honeywell, the system’s manufacturer and specialist for industrial facility automation control systems, Weaver said.

“The biggest advantage of this upgrade are the various improvements that have made things run more smoothly,” said Weaver, “and improves the database functions.”

Weaver’s team also includes Alan Frush, automation engineer, who worked closely with the vendor to ensure the new system worked correctly. Support was also provided by automation network administrators Daniel Lynchard and Jason Guzman.