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Houston, TX - February 20, 2024 - aeSolutions, a leading consulting, engineering, and systems integration company specializing in industrial process safety and automation products and services, announces the opening of its newest office located in Houston’s Energy Corridor. The relocation is part of the company’s aggressive strategic growth plans and will serve as a hub for its operations in the Gulf Coast region. The new office will allow aeSolutions to enhance its service offerings in the energy sector, providing localized client support and strengthening relationships with key industry partners. The Houston Energy Corridor, renowned as a global energy hub, offers an ideal location for aeSolutions to engage with a wide range of markets, including traditional and alternative energy sectors, agribusiness, metals, chemicals, and petrochemicals. aeSolutions, explained, "Houston continues to be a crucial market for aeSolutions because of its concentration of client operations and its significance in the energy sector as well as many other growing market sectors. We believe growing a regional presence from Houston will allow us to serve our clients better." The Houston office will provide a variety of expertise and services tailored to support aeSolutions' clients in the region. These services include project development and execution, focusing on fired equipment, alarm management, process safety management, and safety instrumented systems. "We aim to offer project solutions to our clients in Houston and the broader Gulf Coast area, helping them navigate complex safety issues and enhance their operations to drive client success," aeSolutions added. As part of its outreach, aeSolutions invites interested parties to schedule introductory meetings to learn more about its services and explore potential job opportunities in the Houston area and nearby Gulf Coast regions. For job inquiries, please email resumes@aesolutions.com. About aeSolutions In business since 1998, aeSolutions is a consulting, engineering, and systems integration company that provides industrial process safety and automation products and services. They specialize in helping industrial clients achieve their risk management and operational excellence goals through expertise in process safety, combustion control and safeguarding, safety instrumented systems, fire and gas, control system design and integration, alarm management, and related operations and integrity management systems. For more information, click here.

Greenville, SC – April 2025 – aeSolutions, a provider of integrated, end-to-end critical system solutions that empower resilient operations and safer communities, is proud to announce three strategic internal promotions, reflecting the company’s continued commitment to realizing employee potential through the achievement of client success. Roland Stock, PMP, a current member of our Senior Leadership Team, has been named Vice President of Projects, where he will lead our Project Management Office and cross-functional project teams in the development and execution of projects to achieve our clients’ goals. Roland brings deep experience in project leadership and a strong track record of delivering complex solutions across industries. “These promotions reflect the depth and breadth of talent and the strategic importance of developing our leaders’ potential,” said aeSolutions. “Roland has demonstrated dedication to our clients’ success through exceptional leadership, technical acumen, and progressive experience. We are thrilled to him step into this new role.” Visit aeSolutions for more information.

May 2026 — by aeSolutions Technical Team — As the process industries experience the “great shift change,” developing the next generation of leaders requires more than technical competence. It demands ethical courage and the ability to influence others to uphold process safety under pressure. This paper explores how ethical decision-making and leadership behaviors can be intentionally developed through structured case-based learning derived from real engineering failures. Drawing on historical and modern examples such as the Flint Water crisis, the Volkswagen emissions scandal, and the Challenger disaster, the presentation examines the ethical breakdowns that preceded technical failures and identifies leadership behaviors that could have altered outcomes. Each case is used to highlight the moral obligations of engineers to “hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public,” and to show how ethical reflection builds the foundation for process safety leadership. Although the work does not present traditional process safety KPIs, it proposes leading qualitative indicators of ethical maturity, such as escalation behaviors, adherence to safety values under duress, and psychological safety for dissent, as precursors to measurable safety performance. The paper outlines a practical framework for integrating ethics-based reflection into leadership development programs, helping organizations sustain process safety excellence even as experienced leaders retire. Introduction Several years ago, during final commissioning activities on a newly installed Burner Management System (BMS), a corporate safety leader made a decision that delayed startup and imposed significant additional cost. The original validation and commissioning activities had been completed, and from a strictly procedural standpoint, the project could have moved forward. However, upon internal review, it became clear that portions of the work had been executed under schedule pressure and did not reflect the level of rigor the organization expected of itself. No regulation required the activities to be repeated. There was no formal non-compliance. Yet the corporate safety leader required that key validation steps be re-executed in full before the equipment was placed into service. The decision was met with understandable resistance. Project timelines were affected, operational plans were disrupted, and the financial impacts were real. What distinguished the moment was not merely the decision itself, but how it was communicated. The leader explained publicly that safety-critical work should never be rushed, “pencil-whipped,” or accepted at a standard below what the organization would defend in hindsight. If the work was not done correctly the first time, it would be done correctly before proceeding. The message was clear. Safety was not a box to be checked, but a value to be upheld even when operational pressures pushed in the opposite direction. For many younger engineers and professionals observing the situation, the lesson extended well beyond the technical. They witnessed a senior leader absorb cost and friction in order to align actions with the company’s principles. They saw that organizational values were not conditional on schedule convenience. Moments like this illustrate an important aspect of ethical leadership in process safety. Ethical leadership is often demonstrated not when a decision is obviously unsafe, but when a leader recognizes and interrupts the early stages of normalization of deviation before reduced rigor becomes accepted practice. As experienced leaders across the process industries approach retirement, moments like this raise an important question. What exactly are we at risk of losing? While much attention has been given to the transfer of technical knowledge and institutional memory, less attention has been paid to the transmission of ethical leadership. It is this visible modeling of values-aligned decision-making under pressure that this paper explores. This paper argues that as experienced process safety leaders retire, the deliberate development of ethical leadership capability becomes increasingly critical. Organizations can strengthen process safety performance not only by preserving technical expertise, but by training, equipping, and empowering leaders to make and model decisions that protect life and the environment even when those decisions carry personal, organizational, or commercial cost. Structural Transitions in the Process Industries The decision described in the introduction illustrates how organizational values are ultimately expressed through leadership behavior. Moments where safety-aligned decisions carry visible cost help shape how engineers and operators understand what their organization truly prioritizes. However, the context in which these leadership behaviors are transmitted is changing. Across the process industries, organizations are experiencing what is often described as the “great shift change,” as a large cohort of experienced engineers and operational leaders approach retirement. Much of the discussion surrounding this transition has focused on the transfer of technical knowledge. An equally important question concerns the transmission of leadership behaviors that shape process safety decision-making. Experienced leaders often carry not only deep technical expertise, but also practical judgment developed through years of navigating operational pressure and technical uncertainty. As these leaders leave the workforce, organizations face the challenge of ensuring that both technical competence and leadership norms are sustained in the next generation. Industrial operations inevitably function within environments where production targets, project schedules, and capital constraints compete with safety priorities. Major incident investigations repeatedly show that these pressures influence decision-making environments, particularly when technical uncertainty is present (Hopkins, 2012). At the same time, organizational structures have evolved. Many companies operate across geographically distributed assets, rely more heavily on contractors and specialized expertise, and maintain leaner staffing models. These changes can improve efficiency, but they may also reduce opportunities for informal apprenticeship through which personnel historically learned how experienced leaders approached difficult safety decisions. Taken together, these structural transitions do not imply that organizations today are less committed to safety. They simply highlight the importance of deliberately reinforcing the leadership behaviors that support sound safety decisions as experienced leaders retire and organizational complexity increases. What Ethical Leadership Means in a Process Safety Context Discussions of ethics in engineering are often framed in terms of professional codes and individual integrity. These principles are foundational, and most engineers readily agree that protecting the safety, health, and welfare of the public should guide their work. In practice, however, the ethical dimensions of process safety leadership rarely present themselves as clear distinctions between right and wrong. Instead, they typically emerge through routine operational decisions made under conditions of uncertainty, competing priorities, and incomplete information. In many situations, the safest course of action is not immediately obvious. Engineering analyses may indicate that equipment can continue operating within acceptable limits. Procedures may technically have been followed. Operational momentum may favor continuing planned activities rather than revisiting earlier work. Under these conditions, individuals may not recognize that safety margins are gradually eroding, or they may feel uncertain about their authority to challenge decisions that appear already accepted. The result is that well-intentioned professionals sometimes make expedient decisions that appear reasonable in the moment, even if those decisions incrementally reduce the rigor applied to safety-critical work. Over time, incremental compromises can reshape what an organization considers normal. Conditions that were once viewed as deviations may gradually become accepted practice, a phenomenon commonly described as normalization of deviation (Vaughan, 1996). As this occurs, safety margins may gradually erode without any deliberate decision to lower standards. Instead, the organization adapts to small departures from expected rigor until those departures are no longer perceived as unusual. Within this environment, ethical leadership plays a critical role. Ethical leadership in process safety involves recognizing and interrupting the early stages of normalization of deviation even when doing so requires slowing work, questioning accepted assumptions, or absorbing operational cost. The commissioning example described earlier illustrates this dynamic. The decision to repeat commissioning activities was not driven by regulatory non-compliance or a clear technical failure. Rather, it reflected recognition that the work had not been performed with the rigor expected for a safety-critical system. Understanding ethical leadership in these operational terms helps explain why leadership behavior plays such an important role in sustaining process safety performance. The challenge facing many organizations is therefore not simply to employ individuals with strong personal values, but to ensure that leadership behaviors that reinforce those values are consistently demonstrated and supported throughout the organization. How Ethical Erosion Occurs Major industrial accidents rarely begin with deliberate misconduct or reckless disregard for safety. Instead, investigations consistently show that incidents emerge through a sequence of decisions that appear reasonable within the context in which they are made. One mechanism through which this occurs is the gradual normalization of deviation. When small departures from expected standards do not immediately produce negative consequences, they can become incorporated into routine operations. As these departures accumulate, the boundary between acceptable practice and deviation becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish. The resulting decisions may continue to appear technically defensible, even as safety margins erode. Operational momentum often accelerates this process. In complex industrial environments, work frequently proceeds under schedule commitments, production targets, and project milestones that encourage forward progress. Within such contexts, the most expedient decision may be the one that allows operations to continue without interruption. While these pressures are not inherently incompatible with strong safety performance, they can create conditions in which revisiting earlier assumptions or pausing work for additional verification becomes increasingly difficult. Investigations into major incidents across the process industries reveal similar patterns. Events such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the 2018 explosion at the Husky Energy refinery in Superior, Wisconsin, and the 2019 fire at the Intercontinental Terminals Company facility in Deer Park, Texas demonstrate how technically defensible decisions made within routine operational contexts can gradually reshape assumptions about acceptable risk (Hopkins, 2012; CSB, 2018; CSB, 2019). These examples illustrate a common theme: ethical erosion rarely occurs through a single dramatic decision. Instead, it develops through a sequence of technically defensible choices made within complex organizational environments. When operational momentum, incomplete information, and shifting expectations combine, the gradual normalization of deviation can make it difficult for individuals to recognize when safety margins are being compromised. Under such conditions, ethical leadership becomes particularly important. Leaders who pause work to request additional verification, challenge accepted assumptions, or escalate concerns play a critical role in interrupting these dynamics. Organizational Reinforcement of Ethical Leadership Preventing ethical erosion requires more than relying on the judgment of individual leaders. Organizational systems and leadership signals strongly influence whether safety-aligned decisions are recognized, supported, or discouraged. While personal integrity remains essential, the environment in which leaders operate plays a significant role in shaping how safety priorities are interpreted during routine operational decisions. Research on process safety leadership emphasizes that visible reinforcement from leaders is a critical factor in sustaining strong safety culture (CCPS, 2015). Employees continuously observe how leaders respond when safety concerns are raised, work is slowed, or additional verification is requested. These responses communicate powerful signals about what the organization truly values, particularly when safety decisions carry operational or financial consequences. One important signal concerns how organizations respond when operational momentum is interrupted in the interest of safety. In environments where schedule performance and production targets dominate performance discussions, individuals may hesitate to question assumptions or request additional scrutiny. Conversely, when leaders demonstrate that raising concerns or pausing work will be supported rather than criticized, employees are more likely to intervene when safety margins appear uncertain. Clear escalation pathways also influence whether potential deviations receive appropriate attention. When escalation processes are unclear or perceived as ineffective, individuals may conclude that raising concerns will have little practical impact. Organizations that provide clear channels for escalation and respond constructively to concerns help ensure that potential deviations are addressed before they become normalized. The example described in the introduction illustrates how these reinforcing signals operate in practice. By requiring the BMS commissioning activities to be repeated and explaining the reasoning behind that decision, the corporate safety leader not only addressed a specific concern but also reinforced a broader organizational expectation. Safety-critical work must be performed with the level of rigor that the organization is prepared to defend in hindsight. Organizations ultimately receive the safety culture they reinforce. When leaders visibly support individuals who pause work, escalate concerns, or request additional verification, they strengthen norms that help protect safety margins. The Mentorship Gap Historically, many leadership behaviors that support strong process safety performance were transmitted informally through observation and experience. Engineers and operators learned not only technical practices, but also how experienced leaders interpreted uncertainty, responded to operational pressure, and decided when additional rigor was necessary. These lessons were rarely taught explicitly. Instead, they were absorbed through repeated exposure to how respected leaders approached difficult operational decisions. In this informal apprenticeship model, early-career professionals often observed moments when experienced leaders paused work, challenged assumptions, or escalated concerns despite operational inconvenience. These decisions served as powerful signals about how the organization expected safety margins to be protected. Over time, such observations helped individuals develop judgment regarding when a situation required additional scrutiny or intervention. As the process industries undergo generational leadership transition, this mechanism of leadership transmission may become less reliable. The retirement of experienced leaders reduces opportunities for younger engineers to observe how complex safety-related decisions are handled in practice. At the same time, organizational structures that rely on distributed teams, lean staffing models, and increased contractor participation can limit the frequency of direct interaction between early-career professionals and senior leaders. Organizational researchers have described how complex systems can gradually “drift into failure” when deviations accumulate without visible intervention from experienced leaders (Dekker, 2011). When opportunities to observe those interventions decrease, individuals may rely more heavily on procedural compliance rather than judgment developed through experience. As experienced leaders retire, organizations may therefore need to take a more deliberate approach to ensuring that ethical leadership behaviors remain visible. Highlighting and discussing leadership decisions that demonstrate how safety commitments are applied under operational pressure can help the next generation of engineers understand how safety expectations should guide operational judgment. Developing the Next Generation of Ethical Leaders If organizations can no longer rely solely on informal mentorship to transmit leadership behaviors, they must become more deliberate in how ethical leadership is developed and reinforced. While formal training and management systems play an important role, many of the most influential lessons about safety leadership still come from observing how leaders make decisions in practice. For this reason, the everyday actions of leaders can significantly influence how safety expectations are interpreted across an organization. Several leadership behaviors can help reinforce ethical decision-making in practice. Three are particularly important. Explain safety decisions openly When leaders make safety-aligned decisions, such as repeating incomplete work, pausing operations for additional verification, or escalating a concern, explaining the reasoning behind those decisions helps others understand how safety margins are evaluated. Without this transparency, employees may see only the operational consequences of the decision rather than the safety considerations that motivated it. Over time, openly discussing these decisions helps establish shared expectations about the level of rigor required for safety-critical work. Encourage questioning and verification Many safety-critical decisions involve interpreting incomplete or uncertain information. In these situations, individuals may hesitate to raise questions if doing so could disrupt operations or challenge established plans. Leaders who consistently invite questions, request independent verification, or revisit underlying assumptions signal that scrutiny is expected rather than discouraged. This behavior helps create an environment in which potential deviations are more likely to be identified before they become normalized. Support those who intervene for safety When employees observe that raising safety concerns results in constructive engagement rather than criticism or frustration, they are more likely to act when conditions appear uncertain. Conversely, when individuals experience negative reactions after slowing work or escalating a concern, they may become reluctant to intervene in the future. Leaders who visibly support individuals who pause work to address uncertainty reinforce the expectation that protecting safety margins is consistent with organizational priorities. Together, these behaviors help ensure that safety expectations remain visible to the next generation of engineers and operators. While technical procedures define required safeguards, leadership behaviors shape how those safeguards are interpreted when operational pressures are present. Making ethical leadership visible in everyday decisions therefore plays a critical role in sustaining strong process safety performance. Conclusion The decision described in the introduction delayed startup and imposed real operational cost. From a procedural standpoint, the commissioning work had already been completed, and operations could have moved forward. Yet the corporate safety leader chose to repeat the validation activities to ensure that the work reflected the level of rigor expected for a safety-critical system. Moments like this shape how safety leadership is understood within organizations. Engineers and operators learn not only from procedures and training, but also from observing how leaders respond when operational pressure challenges safety expectations. These visible decisions communicate how organizational values should guide judgment when competing priorities are present. As the process industries experience generational leadership transition, the visibility of these examples may become less consistent. While technical knowledge can be documented and transferred through procedures and training programs, the leadership behaviors that demonstrate how safety commitments are applied in practice are more difficult to capture in written guidance. Ultimately, the most enduring legacy of experienced process safety leaders may not be the knowledge they pass on, but the example they set. By openly explaining and supporting safety-aligned decisions, particularly when those decisions carry operational consequences, leaders help ensure that the next generation of engineers understands how safety values should guide decision-making under pressure. References Hopkins, A. (2012). Disastrous Decisions: The Human and Organisational Causes of the Gulf of Mexico Blowout. CCH Australia. Vaughan, D. (1996). The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA. University of Chicago Press. U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). (2018). Husky Energy Refinery Explosion and Fire Investigation Report. U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB). (2019). Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) Deer Park Terminal Fire Investigation Report. Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS). (2015). Process Safety Leadership from the Boardroom to the Frontline. AIChE. Dekker, S. (2011). Drift Into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems. Ashgate Publishing.

Learn how aeSolutions was able to help our clients overcome their unique and challenging difficulties. Also see the Industry, Geography, Unit Operation, Governing Autority of the site Project Success Stories Learn how aeSolutions was able to help our clients overcome their challenges. Heater Controls Upgrade Improves Safety and Resilience of Arctic Pipeline Pump Stations The client engaged aeSolutions to evaluate and modernize their aging heater and heater control systems supporting critical pipeline pump station operations in an Arctic environment. These heaters provide essential building heat, ensuring pump stations remain operational during extreme cold conditions. Through a phased, lifecycle-based approach, aeSolutions supported the client from... Read More Custom SI-BMS Solution Enhances Reliability and Safety for Critical Pipeline Transportation Facility A critical pipeline transportation facility required a custom Safety Instrumented Burner Management System (SI-BMS) upgrade for their incinerator operations. The project involved implementing a SI-BMS compliant with NFPA 86, integrating alarm and first-out features, and establishing seamless communication with their existing Distributed Control System (DCS)... Read More Achieving a High-Risk Systems Overhaul on an Accelerated Schedule When TGES America, Ltd. needed a critical overhaul of the complex control system and instrumentation for the central utilities plant (CUP) of a specialty materials manufacturing plant, they turned to aeSolutions, a Siemens Solution Partner. Subsequently, due to the need to complete the project four months early, the planned cold cutover to the new systems had to be done as a hot cutover without disrupting production. TGES America, aeSolutions, and Siemens made it happen, much to the delight of the customer. Read More Multi-Fuel Boiler BMS Upgrade for Chlor Alkali Production Facility A multi-fuel boiler project for a chlor alkali production facility resulted in significant modernization and operational improvements. The client's legacy relay-based Burner Management System (BMS) was upgraded to a DeltaV CHARM Safety Logic Solver, providing enhanced visibility, safety, and operational flexibility. This project not only modernized the client's system but also ensured compliance with NFPA 85 codes and met all Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) requirements. Read More Chemical Facility FEL3 & Detail Design Achieves PSM OSHA Compliance Under Total Installed Cost Budget | A Masterclass In aeSolutions’ Lifecycle Solutions Capabilities aeSolutions was tasked to provide Front-End Loading (FEL) and Detail Design for a newly acquired legacy agricultural chemical facility in order to meet full compliance with PSM OSHA 1910.119 standards and the client’s corporate safety requirements. Read More Designing and Implementing a Fire & Gas Detection System for a Hydrogen Production Plant aeSolutions was challenged to create an effective detection system that could handle the complexities of hydrogen's properties while ensuring the safety of personnel and the facility. Read More A Strategic Integration of SIS, BMS, and PSM in a Boiler Fuel Conversion Project Implementing Safety Instrumented Systems (SIS) and Burner Management Systems (BMS) within tight deadlines and supply chain disruptions is challenging. A recent project converting boiler fuel from coal to natural gas with a Safety Instrumented BMS met strict safety standards despite these hurdles. Read More Alarm Management for a Greenfield LNG Facility A Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility was being newly constructed (i.e., Greenfield) and the company wanted to conduct an alarm rationalization on the process prior to initial startup. Existing facilities (i.e., Brownfield) have the benefit of historical operating trends and data during a rationalization session to recognize whether setpoints are effective and which alarms might give troubles. Read More Pharma Company Detecting Natural Gas Leaks in Boiler House A pharmaceutical client determined they needed a natural gas leak detection and isolation system for a utility building based on a PHA recommendation. aeSolutions installed a combustible gas leak detection system to shut off the gas supply to the boiler, bringing the facility into compliance with the safety program requirements. Read More Large Specialty Chemical Company Reduces Alarm Floods A large specialty chemical company was facing alarm floods in their utility unit. With aeSolutions guidance, the site was able to effectively prioritize and reduce alarms through the rationalization process, which includes reviewing, validating, and justifying alarms needed for avoiding potential process upsets or abnormal deviations from normal operation. Read More Simplified, Cost-Effective, and Consistent Acidic Compound Detection New acid detector placement philosophy led to reduced maintenance , lowered costs, a reduced the likelihood of confusion during leaks, and helped create a uniform response strategy. Read More Energy Company Reduces Regulatory Compliance Costs Saving Almost $50 Million A client was facing a lengthy compliance process to upgrade a fleet of fired heaters. With aeSolutions guidance, the client reduced their compliance scope by 50%. Focusing on the NFPA 86 prescriptive design applicable to waste gas thermal oxidizers and applying our experience in Process Safety Management (PSM)... Read More Water Cannons Protect Community from Anhydrous Ammonia Leaks Client needed to reduce liability and risk associated with anhydrous ammonia storage tanks. aeSolutions provided a leak detection and suppression system that alerts personnel and provides the means to contain the resulting vapor cloud to the storage tank area using high-pressure, high-volume water cannons integrated with the control system. Read More Pharmaceutical Company Required Toxic & Combustible Gas Detection System A large-scale pharmaceutical manufacturing facility needed to develop and implement a gas detection system at their site to mitigate risk to personnel and equipment from a potential combustible or toxic gas leak. The project progressed from the assessment stages of developing a gas detection philosophy to ultimately integrating an industrially designed GDS 1400 MK II panel for the gas detection control and alarm system. Read More Complex Hot Cutover of Large Natural Gas Processing Facilities Due to facility siting factors, control rooms of one of the world’s largest natural gas (NG) processing and compression facilities were relocated from a possible blast zone to a Blast Resistant Modules (BRMs). This complex cutover for personnel relocation needed to be accomplished without a shutdown (S/D) of either interdependent ... Read More Specialty Chemical Site’s Increasingly Complicated Cutover When a project that began with standard safety system upgrades quickly expanded to a much broader scope of engineering with tight deadlines, aeSolutions responded with an experienced engineering workforce to deliver above-quality expectations while meeting key deadlines. Read More “Fit for Purpose” Solution Reduces Planned Downtime by 66% aeSolutions’ hybrid safety system design enabled the client to maintain safe continuity of their fired equipment, meet NFPA compliance, and significantly lower planned downtime. Read More Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement A pharmaceutical company needed to implement gas detectors at their facility to protect personnel from potential leaks of toxic and combustible gases. aeSolutions evaluated the gas detector placement and number of detectors that would provide the earliest warning to personnel based on the expected dispersion and behavior of specific gas release scenarios. Read More Alarm System Rationalization and Safe Operating Limit for Energy Production A current client was adding a new energy production unit with an innovative process to an existing site and wanted to ensure the new design incorporated the site’s existing alarm management practices that were previously set up by the aeSolutions alarm management team. Read More

The integration of diverse control systems (e.g., BPCS, SIS, ESD, F&G, etc.) into a unified system; this includes interfacing hardware, software, and services from multiple vendors and client stakeholders to improve quality and performance and add value (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time). aeSolutions' controls experts design complete construction and panel packages which interface the existing facility controls with the new controls systems. aeSolutions orchestrates the system integration model by providing the Automaton Support Matrix and Schedule documents which coordinate resources and personnel throughout the project execution phase. Acronyms & Terms Glossary <- More Definitions Systems Integration The integration of diverse control systems (e.g., BPCS, SIS, ESD, F&G, etc.) into a unified system; this includes interfacing hardware, software, and services from multiple vendors and client stakeholders to improve quality and performance and add value (e.g., reducing operational costs and improving response time). aeSolutions' controls experts design complete construction and panel packages which interface the existing facility controls with the new controls systems. aeSolutions orchestrates the system integration model by providing the Automaton Support Matrix and Schedule documents which coordinate resources and personnel throughout the project execution phase. Our Services Whitepaper: The Courage to Intervene | Developing Ethical Leadership in the Next Generation of Process Safety Professionals As the process industries experience the “great shift change,” developing the next generation of leaders requires more than technical competence. It demands ethical courage and the ability to influence others to uphold process safety under pressure. This paper explores how ethical decision-making and leadership behaviors can be intentionally developed through structured case-based learning derived from real engineering failures. aeSolutions Recognized with 2026 CSIA Social Responsibility Award aeSolutions is proud to share that we were recognized with the 2026 Social Responsibility Award at the 2026 CSIA Awards, held during the Control System Integrators Association Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. Whitepaper: Six Feet Under | How to Dig Yourself Out of a Recommendations Graveyard Have you felt buried under six feet of safety study recommendations that must be closed? Does it feel impossible to follow Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practices (RAGAGEPs) to convert recommendations into engineered design reality? You are not alone.

Protecting Personnel with Practical Gas Detector Placement A pharmaceutical company needed to implement gas detectors at their facility to protect personnel from potential leaks of toxic and combustible gases. aeSolutions evaluated the gas detector placement and number of detectors that would provide the earliest warning to personnel based on the expected dispersion and behavior of specific gas release scenarios. Challenge To design a gas detection system for a multitude of uncommon gases and vapors in a pharmaceutical clean environment with the possibility of both indoor and outdoor releases. The goal was to detect a release at a level as low as reasonably possible, taking into account internal ventilation influences on gas releases. Solution Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) scenario modeling was performed to justify the number and placement of gas detectors. The CFD models helped ensure the effectiveness of the gas detection system and provided an auditable record of the assumptions made (e.g., leak location, leak size, ventilation rate, etc.) that could be referred to and updated throughout the life of the facility Results The CFD models revealed some unexpected behaviors from the vapors of concern compared to what might have been reasonably predicted by their physical properties. CFD modeling revealed: • Lighter than air gases were pulled downward, and gas detector locations were revised accordingly • Gas leaks dispersed farther than expected and affected originally unprotected warehouse buildings; therefore, gas detectors were placed on the ventilation intakes of the warehouse • An ammonia leak from a sphere under pressure dispersed vertically and was not detected by ammonia detectors around the sphere; coverage was augmented by the use of an open path ammonia gas detector aimed across the top of the sphere The facility owner now has greater confidence that they are protecting their personnel with an optimal number of detectors in the right locations thereby minimizing long-term maintenance costs for the gas detection system. CFD modeling is the best investment for large facilities with specialty gases to ensure gas detectors are appropriately located for optimum performance. Learn more about our gas detection services Industry: Pharma Geography: Pacific Northwest Unit Operation: Gas Detectors Previous Story Next Story