ABOUT
Patrick Bunn
The Controls Archaeologist
Owner & Automation Consultant
Every plant has buried history: control code nobody has opened in twenty years, drawings that don't match the panel, and a system that runs fine until the day it doesn't. I'm the one who digs in.
23
Years in industrial instrumentation and controls
9 + 12
Years in plant maintenance, then system integration
10
Industries, from metals and pulp mills to pharma and nuclear
4
Platform families: Rockwell, Siemens, AVEVA/Wonderware, CODESYS
Field Notes
Built in the field, not in a classroom
I spent nine years in plant maintenance and twelve in system integration before founding Bunn Automation Consulting in 2022. Over those 23 years I've worked in metals, food and beverage, water and wastewater, textiles, wood products, pulp and paper, oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, and nuclear facilities.
Much of that work has been excavation: upgrading about a dozen York and Carrier chillers from PLC-5 to ControlLogix, migrating Wonderware systems to FactoryTalk View SE and PlantPAx, and serving as technical lead on a utility plant upgrade from an ABB DCS to PlantPAx.
My goal on every project is the same: listen first, find the actual problem rather than the symptom, recover what the system was meant to do, improve on it where I can, and leave field notes so no one has to dig again.
Originally from San Diego, I now live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my wife Emily and our sons Theo and Levi.
Selected Excavations
1
Utility Plant
Chiller Fleet Upgrade
Artifact Found
About a dozen York and Carrier chillers running on Allen-Bradley PLC-5 controls
Restored To
ControlLogix
Field Note
Improved the visibility and interaction capabilities between the three plants.
2
Pharmaceutical
PLC to PlantPAx Upgrade
Artifact Found
Two Wonderware HMI systems and 28 PLC systems
Restored To
ControlLogix/CompactLogix / PlantPAx
Field Note
Improved the visibility and control of all the utilities, uncluding chillers, boilers, HVAC systems, refridgerators, coolers, incubators, and other water systems
3
Utility Plant
DCS to PlantPAx Upgrade
Artifact Found
An older ABB DCS interconnected with third-party systems
Restored To
ControlLogix / Rockwell PlantPAx
Field Note
Improved the visibility and control between the turbine and the chillers.
Teaching & Speaking
Passing the Trade On
Upcoming Webinar
From Relic to Reliable: Bringing Buried Control Systems Back from the Dead
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Taught AC Theory at a local technical college
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Trained co-ops and interns in motor controls, PLCs, and industrial networking
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Presented a multi-part series on control networking
Certifications & Training
Platform-neutral, by training
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Cisco CCNA 200-302 – The Complete Guide to Getting Certified
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Rockwell Automation – RAU SI PlantPAx Capability certificate
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Rockwell Automation – RAU Low Voltage Drives Assessment certificate
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Rockwell Automation – RAU Visualization Final Exam certificate
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Rockwell Automation – RAU Control Capability Assessment
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AVEVA – Citect SCADA 2018 R2 Configuration
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CISCO – IMINS2 – Managing Industrial Networks for Manufacturing
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PANDUIT – Industrial Network Design for Physical Infrastructure
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ALLEN-BRADELY – CCN144 - Kinetix 6500 CIP Programming, Studio 5000 Level 4
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WONDERWARE – InTouch Classic Stand Alone
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SIEMENS ENERGY & AUTOMATION, INC. – S7 TIA PLC Programming 1
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ABB UNIVERSITY – ACS800 Customer Multidrive
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SHERMCO INDUSTRIES – NFPA 70E Electrical Safety Training Course