Summary

Vibra Energia SA, an energy company, faced increasing risks of failures and operational limitations at its BADUC and BAGAM units due to obsolete controllers. To solve the problem, AutoMind supplied and installed new PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) racks, performed logic reconfiguration services, interface adaptation, testing, and safety validation, restoring reliability and creating a foundation for future integrations and expansions. 

The need for operational transformation 

In the units BADUC e BAGAM, However, the obsolescence of the controllers made corrective and preventive maintenance difficult and compromised the reliability of automated processes. Limited technical support, a shortage of parts, and restrictions on technological upgrades impacted operational continuity and increased costs associated with unscheduled downtime. 

The challenge: reduce the risk of failures and maintain reliable operation. 

The main challenge was to reduce operational risks and restore the reliability of control systems by replacing obsolete equipment without compromising operations. Furthermore, technological limitations hindered integration with more modern systems and impeded advancements in automation and digitalization, making it necessary to create a more modern architecture capable of supporting future integrations and expansions. 

Solutions implemented by AutoMind 

To eliminate the limitations of outdated controllers, AutoMind supplied and installed new, state-of-the-art PLC racks at the BADUC and BAGAM plants, focusing on a safe and controlled transition. The scope included reconfiguring the control logic, adapting the interfaces, functional testing, and safety validation, ensuring operational stability and preparing the environment for future technological integrations. 

Benefits for Vibra Energia 

• Greater operational reliability: Reducing failures and unscheduled downtime. 
• Greater availability and efficiency: Improved equipment availability and process efficiency. 
• Cost reduction: Reduced costs associated with corrective maintenance and improved technical support, with faster response times. 
• Basis for technological evolution: A more flexible architecture for future expansions and integrations, supporting industrial digitalization and enhancing operational safety. 

A milestone in modernization. 

The upgrade eliminated a critical pain point caused by obsolescence and added value to the business through greater stability, productivity, and potential for technological growth. 

“Automind made a decisive contribution to the modernization of our operation. The implemented automation solution brought concrete gains in productivity and reliability, in addition to significant energy savings through pump activation control. The team demonstrated a high level of technical expertise and understanding of our business, delivering an efficient integration aligned with our objectives.” 

— Marvin Jatobá Gomes, Industrial Automation Engineer, Vibra Energia 

Energy expansion requires a solid digital foundation.

Biogas is no longer a peripheral alternative in the Brazilian energy matrix. Today, it is consolidating itself as a strategic asset, with real potential for expansion, distributed generation, and replacement of fossil fuels in various sectors of the economy.

But there is one point that few discuss with the necessary depth: there is no sustainable expansion of biogas without robust digital infrastructure.

Without integration, there is no predictability.
Without predictability, there is no scale.

The invisible challenge behind growth

The expansion of biogas and biomethane requires much more than the physical deployment of plants. It demands integration with distribution networks, rigorous regulatory compliance, data traceability, high operational availability, and an architecture prepared for planned modular growth.

When these elements are not structured from the outset, what should be a strategic asset becomes an operational liability.

In this scenario, automation is not a technical accessory.
It is strategic infrastructure.

Automation as the structural basis of biomethane.

Biomethane plants need to operate with reliability, traceability, and an integrated vision. This is only possible with a well-defined automation and operational integration architecture. An adequate digital infrastructure includes:

• Architecture with redundant computing
• Cloud-based supervision
• Automatic data synchronization
• Integration of critical systems
• Structure prepared for expansion.

It's not just about controlling equipment. It's about connecting processes, assets, and data in a single architecture capable of transforming biogas into reliable energy with operational efficiency.

Data governance and operational continuity

A plant's digital maturity directly impacts its ability to grow. This means less risk, less rework, less regulatory vulnerability, and a greater capacity to attract investment. When there is proper integration:

• Operational continuity is preserved.
• Data integrity and traceability are guaranteed.
• Digital security is enhanced through network segregation.
• Scalability happens in a structured way.

Operational intelligence in biomethane projects.

Projects being implemented in states like São Paulo and Minas Gerais are already structured to guarantee availability, data governance, and an integrated vision from the initial phase. This approach reduces future risks, facilitates audits, simplifies integrations with distributors, and prepares the plant for planned modular expansion. If biogas is strategic for the energy matrix, the intelligence that supports its operation also needs to be.

What differentiates a plant prepared to grow?

The difference between a plant that merely operates and a plant that scales lies in the digital architecture. Fragmented operations depend on constant interventions, have low data visibility, and face difficulties in meeting increasing regulatory requirements.

Integrated operations work with predictability, governance, and a technological base prepared for expansion. Brazil has the potential to become a global leader in biogas. But this leadership will not be built solely on physical infrastructure. It will be built on digital infrastructure.

Simple interface.
Intelligent in architecture.
Reliable in operation.

Summary

BW Energy implemented a complete transformation in the measurement management of the FPSO Cidade de Vitória unit with Automind. Through AutoMed® Cloud, developed by the Sense Metrics unit, the company now has reliable data, increased regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. The project reinforces the role of technology in modernizing the oil and gas sector and demonstrates how integrated solutions can safely support growth.

The need for operational transformation

BW Energy has been operating in the oil and gas sector for over 20 years and is affiliated with the BW Group, a global leader in energy transportation and floating gas infrastructure. With dynamic and constantly evolving operations, the company identified the need to modernize the measurement management of its FPSO Cidade de Vitória unit, ensuring greater data reliability, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance.

The challenge: making processes more agile and reliable

In a regulated environment like oil and gas, measurement is a strategic factor. BW Energy was looking for opportunities to improve its systems architecture, reconciling software, hardware, and processes into an integrated structure. The goal was to ensure data accuracy, facilitate audits, and optimize resources, creating a solid foundation for quick and confident decisions.

Solutions implemented by Automind

To meet this need, Automind developed and implemented an innovative system, designed to meet the requirements of ABNT ISO 10012, ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 17.025 and the Technical Measurement Regulation (RTM), approved by Joint Resolution ANP/INMETRO No. 01 of 2013. The main solution provided was the AutoMed® Sync Cloud, an integrated fluid measurement management system developed to assist in the management and integrity of measurement systems.

Benefits for BW Energy

The modernization brought significant results for the company's operations.

• Data reliability: measurement accuracy and information integrity, supporting safer decisions.
• Regulatory compliance: adherence to ANP, INMETRO and ABNT standards, with mitigation of regulatory risks and transparency in processes.
• Operational efficiency: automation of flows and centralization of data that reduced time and resources dedicated to measurement management.

The voice of the customer

"Using AutoMed® Cloud is a fundamental part of ensuring legal compliance for the measurement systems under BW Energy's responsibility. The user-friendly interface and technical support provided, whether through software maintenance or measurement specialists, contribute positively to solving any problems encountered."

In the words of Sarah Vidal, who worked as a Metering Engineer at BW Energy at the time of the project.

The Responsible Business Unit: Sense Metrics

The project was led by Sense Metrics, an Automind business unit dedicated to industrial data management. Sense Metrics combines technology, methodology, and experience to transform technical information into strategic intelligence. Its mission is to support companies in the energy, oil, and gas sector in making reliable decisions based on solid data and advanced analytics.

In the case of BW Energy, this expertise was crucial in structuring a robust, sustainable measurement solution that was prepared to evolve alongside the operation.