Solutions
Brownfield Engineering
Brownfield engineering begins with what already exists. SMEC assesses installed equipment, drawings, software, field wiring, interfaces, spares, obsolescence and operating constraints before defining what can remain and what must change.
New Infrastructure. Existing Operations. One Practical Engineering Plan.
A greenfield project needs coordinated electrical, control and instrumentation architecture from the outset. A brownfield project introduces a harder question: how will the new equipment work with the plant that is already running? SMEC supports engineering of both new infrastructure and operating-asset modifications.
Services span surveys, interface registers, electrical distribution, PLC/SCADA, instrumentation, phased cutovers, FAT/SAT and commissioning support.
Decision framework
- Keep — technically healthy and supportable
- Repair — viable equipment with isolated faults
- Retrofit — retain the asset, replace a subsystem
- Migrate — move controls/data to a supported platform
- Replace — when risk, supportability or economics justify it
Typical scope
- Site survey and document recovery
- Control-system migration
- Panel modification and I/O reuse
- Package integration
- Shutdown/cutover planning
- FAT/SAT and rollback planning
Brownfield Modifications
Scope can include Site surveys, As-built review, Live-plant tie-ins and related interfaces. Equipment selection, engineering responsibilities and testing are defined against the project specification.
- Site surveys
- As-built review
- Live-plant tie-ins
- Interface registers
- Compatibility
Phased Execution
Scope can include Shutdown constraints, Pre-staged FAT, Temporary interfaces and related interfaces. Equipment selection, engineering responsibilities and testing are defined against the project specification.
- Shutdown constraints
- Pre-staged FAT
- Temporary interfaces
- Cutover
- Pre-commissioning
Energy & Monitoring
Scope can include Metering, Electrical monitoring, NexWave and related interfaces. Equipment selection, engineering responsibilities and testing are defined against the project specification.
- Metering
- Electrical monitoring
- NexWave
- Condition-data integration
Applications & Systems
Select a related system to open its dedicated product or system page.
Project Evidence
Operating Production Facility — Brownfield Control-System Upgrade
An operating facility required automation changes around existing equipment and live interfaces. The project summary covers site surveys, interface mapping, staged modifications, loop checks and restart verification.
Engineering Approach — Designing the new around the operating reality
Greenfield engineering allows the power and control architecture to be established from first principles. Brownfield engineering starts with constraints: existing switchgear, field wiring, installed controls, documentation quality, physical access and equipment that cannot be taken out of service.
Site surveys, tie-in registers, as-built verification, phased installation plans and pre-tested control interfaces are essential to credible execution. The engineering plan should show how each modification is sequenced, isolated, tested and handed back to operations.
Common questions
Can new systems be tied into an operating plant?
Yes, subject to a site survey, capacity review, interface register, safety requirements and an agreed execution or shutdown plan.
What drawings should be supplied?
Existing and proposed SLDs, P&IDs, layouts, equipment lists, as-builts and known site restrictions.
Related pages
Send the requirement
Send the existing make/model, drawings, software backups and shutdown window. Recommended RFQ inputs: project/asset, existing OEM/model, scope, drawings or specification, required date, site location, and any shutdown/mobilization constraint.