The “brain” of the Torrance Refinery exists within the Distributed Control System (DCS), which is staffed around the clock every day of the year by console supervisors. The DCS is a sophisticated network of sensors and controls that allows our console supervisors to safely operate the refinery while monitoring its operations from a single Control Center without physically going out into each unit in the plant. From the Control Center, they can communicate effectively with the Operators who are working out in the refinery on the process units.
The control system is distributed across 14 different locations throughout the refinery, with over 30,000 instruments wired through them. The monitors in this web of sensors provide data such as temperature, pressure, and levels in each control. Over 750 modules are connected by 120 switches and many miles of fiber optics, coax cables and network cables, which are critical for maintaining safe, reliable refinery operations, so the system is completely isolated.
In addition to console supervisors working at the DCS, a small team of eight engineers and analysts work to maintain and improve the DCS system and process control network. Five people help support the hardware and software of the system itself, while three people directly help the console supervisors optimize operations to produce the most product possible, safely and efficiently.