markwills.co.uk

Mark's CV

Mark's CV is presented here online for convenient reading. It can also be downloaded as a Microsoft Word file.

Name: Mark Robert William Wills Email: mark@markwills.co.uk

Telephone: +44 (0)7931 434 313

Date of Birth: 3 December 1970 Nationality: British Status: Single

Overview

SCADA/DCS/Controls Telemetry expert working in the oil and gas industry experienced with Oil & Gas Control Systems and import/export pipeline systems and associated instrumentation. Full compliment of computer and controller programming skills (including and PLC’s and RTU’s), database skills, & networking skills, speaks basic Russian, with experience of managing and training a small team of technicians. PC Application development experience includes mission critical applications using VB6 and VB.Net under Visual Studio 2003 and Visual Studio 2005.

Fully experienced in all aspects of project lifecycle, including initial specification and specification review, review of system architecture & topology, peer and vendor drawing reviews, working with vendor to resolve compatibility issues pre commissioning, meeting and working with end client on FAT’s, working with client and vendors on site to successfully conduct SAT’s. Installation of hardware and software systems on site, including working on own initiative to solve hardware/field and software issues, liaising with third parties as necessary.

Member of the Institute of Analysts and Programmers. (IAP)

Employment History

July 2006 – Present: Developer – Sub Contractor – Serck Controls (VB6 Role)
- Contract software development role with Serck Controls, where I was previously employed as a Senior Software Engineer (see below).
  Develop mission critical middle-ware application in VB6, running against Serck’s SCX 6 SCADA Software suite. The middleware provides communications between the Serck SCADA systems and river level monitoring outstations (for flood prediction and warning), using mobile telephone networks as the communications medium. The software decodes data sent from the outstations in the field in the form of SMS messages, translates it into the appropriate SQL and inserts the data into the SCX SQL database. Transversely, the software also regularly queries the SQL database, looking for new configuration for the outstations. Upon finding data, it constructs an SMS text message and sends it to the appropriate outstation. Software written as ActiveX EXE (out of process server), utilising ADODB, ODBC, FileSystem, NTEvent logging, and Serial (RS232) communications. A challenging project, as the outstations are made by a dutch company, and the SMS protocol specification for the outstations is only published in dutch.
- Present – Developer – Sub Contract – Micro Robotics (VB.Net Role)
  GUI based software development environment for MicroRobotics VM1 range of embedded micro-controllers. Previous software environments for this controller consisted simply of a text editor and terminal emulator. New package introduces a graphical development environment, where the software architecture is first ‘drawn’ on a canvas to establish the logical layout of the program, and then the ‘code’ behind is written for each function/routine. Additionally, the software integrates the serial communications with the controller, allowing the code to be uploaded, and run, from the development environment. Written in VB.Net using Visual Studio 2005. Utilises file system handling (FSO), Serialisation and persistence, threading, and serial (RS232) communications using the new SerialComms control shipped with VS2005 Beta onwards.
Oct 2004 – July 2006: Senior SCADA Commissioning Engineer, BTC (BP) Pipeline Project, Georgia & Turkey
- Contracted to ABB, commissioning, fault finding, and rectification, of Block Valve (Export Pipeline) Controller systems, running ABB AC800 controllers, against ABB 800XA DCS.
- Commission all Block Valve related field loops (BV control, pressure transmitters, temperature transmitters etc)
- Commission all loops within LER (Local Equipment Room) and interconnections between ABB System cabinets, & power distribution cabinets.
- Commission network comm's (TCP/IP, sub netted into sixteen separate subnet's, using routers, switches & multiplexers supplied by Page Europa & Siemens) between BV controllers and Pump Stations, and Control Rooms at Baku and Cheyan to facilitate telemetry communications. Involved working with network vendors to ensure reliable comms from Block Valves to control stations.
- Prove, and test Valve Control Logic, using Structured Text programming (IEC1131), & Function Block Diagrams (FBD’s) using ABB Control Builder software. Modification of code to alter block valve timing, alarms according to customer requirements and FDS specifications.
- Commission and test HIMA controllers, running MODBUS protocol communicating with AC800M controllers to provide ESD functionality. Perform tuning and modification to HIMA software using ELOP II programming software. Debugging of ESD software within original FDS constraints.
- Install, prove, instruct on site technicians and commission RS485 & Fibre Optic multi-drop communications between ABB 800M controllers (dual redundant configuration running MODBUS comm's) and Turbine control systems supplied by Solar.
- Commissioning Certification of instrumentation and control hardware, including authoring of SC1 (site completion) certificates, MC1 (mechanical completion) certificates and authoring of commissioning procedure documents to BP GOC (Guidance on Certification) requirements.
- Punch list inspections and reporting of mechanical and electrical hardware status for inclusion in weekly/monthly progress meetings.
Sep 03 – Oct 04: Senior SCADA/Telemetry Consultant – Invensys Systems Kazakhstan
- Working in Kazakhstan on the Karachaganak oil and Gas fields in Eastern Kazakhstan (KPO BV).
- Responsible for all aspects of installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance and development of three Serck Controls SCX v5 SCADA projects.
- Master station (SCADA Server) design and configuration, RTU logic design and implementation / commissioning on Oil Well Head control system, Remote manifolds and gas re-injection systems.
- Fibre optic network (dual redundant, contra-rotating) implementation, configuration and maintenance.
- Secure IP network design and implementation, including configuration of Cisco Routers, Smoothwall (Linux) Firewalls.
- RTU Logic design, configuration, & maintenance on Block Valves on 550km KPO BV export pipeline (Serck Controls SCX version 6 system, also known as ClearSCADA).
- Training of local Kazakh technicians and delivery of training courses.
- Provide consultancy to client in the installation and commissioning of well control hardware: Pressure control valves (PCV’s), Choke Valves, hydraulic ESD systems, Pressure transmitters, flow computers etc.
- Convert Legacy VAX Basic middleware application (VMS Platform) on leak detection system to Microsoft platform.
- Manage small team of local Kazakh and Russian technicians.
Aug 2000 to Sep 2003: Senior Software/Commissioning Engineer, Serck Controls Ltd. Coventry
Involved in large-scale SCADA projects for the Oil, Water and Gas industries. Where necessary designing middleware in order to enhance or modify the operations of Serck’s SCX SCADA/DCS software on both SCX 5 and SCX 6 platforms.

Additionally I have had a major involvement in a number of the company’s larger contracts:
- KPO (Kazakhstan Pipeline Organisation) – Karachaganak Export Pipeline:
  - Configuration of DCS database, RTU software, configuration of triple hot standby network with satellite fail-over link. RTU/PLC Software design in IEC 1131-3 (Structured text and FBD’s)
- ADNOC OGD II Onshore Gas Installation (Abu Dhabi):
  - Development of software, top end database configuration and commissioning, server installation, network configuration, Outstation configuration and commissioning. RTU software design in GrapheX programming language
- British Petroleum (BP):
  - Development of software, top end database configuration and commissioning, server installation, network configuration, Outstation configuration and commissioning. Development of custom written leak detection system to transfer real-time data between the Serck Controls SCADA system, and the REL Instrumentation ATMOS Leak Detection System. Software written with Visual Basic 6, and SQL Server 2000
- OPA (Oil and Pipeline Agency):
  - Development of custom written interface to connect Serck Control’s SCADA system (SCX) to REL Instrumentation’s ATMOS Leak Detection system. Configuration of a custom network built to support the SCADA system, including configuration of Cisco routers running optical fibre main back-bones & low bit rate ISDN fail-over links
- Environment Agency:
  - Develop middleware to allow legacy software systems throughout the Environment Agency (Hydrology, Met Office etc) to communicate with the newly installed Serck SCX6 SCADA system. Developed middleware to emulate the previously installed Argus SCADA system, ‘fooling’ the legacy systems’ RTU’s into thinking that they were still running on the original system. Complex data handling/translation techniques were employed, and the system relied heavily on SQL to translate the incoming data packets into SQL that SCX6 could recognise. The software was developed in VB6 and runs as an NT Service.
  - Developed a Telephony application to announce SCADA alarms via synthesized voice over national / mobile telephone networks. The system used custom written DLL’s (developed by myself) to form the bridge between the Envox telephony software that was used to drive the PBX system and the SCX6 SCADA software. Microsoft Text To Speech technology was used to deliver the speech to the caller
- Bangladesh GIDP (Gas infrastructure development project):
  - Six months on site in Bangladesh: Configure all aspects of MTU (SCADA Server) configuration, including points database, alarm handling, historic storage, mimics, and RTU controls. Install and implement copper networks in the various control rooms for client PC connection to server. Convert original VAX Database (VMS) into intermediate data for importing into SCX5 on Windows, using VAX Basic and Visual Basic.
  - Design and implement Microwave WAN (wide-area-network) utilising Cisco and 3Com routers, multiplexed through Simoco multiplexers. Install, configure, and implement mail servers for enterprise wide use. System controls 200 outstations located throughout Bangladesh to deliver gas to towns and villages throughout the country. System included triple standby server redundancy, each in remote locations, connected via microwave TCP/IP network.
  - Commission RTU and field instrumentation at well sites, pig launcher and receiver stations, manifolds etc.
  - Commission country wide network communications, working with Simoco, checking microwave signal attenuation, alignment and IP throughput rates
1994 to 2000: Project Coordinator / Systems Engineer, Merlin Research LTD, Craven Arms, Shropshire.
- SCADA Role. Stationed in Singapore. Overseeing the installation of the computer equipment that would control plant machinery in tin lead and copper sulphate plating plants. (Plating printed circuit boards for the mobile phone industry). Worked at Hitachi, Motorola, and Pentex Schweizer. Design and commissioning of software for Hitachi based micro controller system for controlling dual switch mode plating rectifiers. Software development using Omron C2000 and Allen Bradley PLC5 processors, using Ladder logic. Also HMI Design using Wonderware.
- Responsible for leading a team of (non English) system installers, ensuring, for example that cabling requirements were being met for the RS485 and Ethernet networks, issuing instructions regarding where systems should be installed etc (working from drawings), paying attention to health and safety issues, observing signal conditioning requirements etc, cable run lengths etc.
- Designing industrial software in assembly language (Z80 (8 bit) and 68000 (16 bit)) for use in the metal finishing industry, including designing control software for dosing controllers (controlling chemical additive processes), whereby the dosing controller (designed and built in house) would communicate with an Industrial PLC (Omron C2000) via an RS422 or RS485 serial link to receive it’s dosing instructions to ensure that all dosing requirements were met until the current process had ended. Further development of bespoke systems using Omron and Allen Bradley processors (dosing systems, anodising systems, power control systems).
- Commenced Degree in Industrial Information System Software design.

Willing to work abroad: Yes

Skill Set:

I am proficient in the following technologies:

Software Packages:
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Oracle (9i) (been a while)
- Microsoft Access, Excel, Word
- Microsoft Visual Studio 6 (Visual Basic)
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2003 (VB.Net)
- Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 (VB.Net)
- VAX Basic (VMS) (been a while)
- Active Server Pages (ASP)
- HTML
- JavaScript

RS Logix
RS Linx
Wonderware
Serck SCX5, SCX6, ClearSCADA
ABB Process Portal A (PPA)
Ladder Logic
FBD (Function block diagram)
SFC (Sequential Function Chart)
Structured Text
GrapheX & C-Calc
ABB Control Builder
HIMA ELOP II
IsaGraf

High Level Languages:
- Microsoft: Visual Basic 3, 5 & 6, Visual Basic.Net
- BASIC (ANSI), C (ANSI), Quick C (v.2.5),
- ASP (active server pages), HTML, Java Script, SQL, OLEDB (ADO 2.x - VB6)
- DAO (Data Access Objects)
- Venom (MicroRobotics)
Low Level Languages:
- Zilog Z80, 6502 & 6510 Assembly (8 Bit)
- TMS9900/TMS9995, Motorola 68000 Assembly (16 Bit)
- TMS34020, Motorola 68040 (32 Bit)

Hardware:
- Allen Bradley PLC5
- Allen Bradley SLC
- Allen Bradley RSLogix 500
- Omron C2000H PLC (been a while)
- MicroRobotics K4 / VM1
- Serck Proteus 2000M RTU
- Serck eNet RTU
- ABB AC800M PLC
- KD485 multidrop interfaces
Protocols:
- MODBUS (Serial & Serial multidrop)
- MODBUS (TCP/IP)
- Proteus
- DNP3
- OPC ControlNet
- DH+
- Ethernet
- RS232
- RS422
- RS485
Spoken Languages:
- English
- Basic Russian
Incidental Licences
- Clean Full UK Driving License
Professional Qualifications
- Masters degree in Science.
  Discipline: Industrial Information Systems (Software Design).
  Bridgewater University, UK 1991-1995.
Member of the Institute of Analysts and Programmers.
Other:
- Current UKOOA Offshore medical certificate.
Vaccinations: Polio, Tetanus, Malaria, Encephalitis, Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B – Dec 2005 for three years.

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