FEATURE Oil & Gas
Boosting productivity and effi ciency in the oil & gas sector
M
arket volatility is all too common in the oil and gas industry, but what never changes is the
drive towards maximising effi ciency, productivity and return on investment. The only way to achieve these goals in this demanding sector is to embrace automation and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, wherever possible, at every
level.Automation technology can also help to optimise resources by improving equipment reliability and uptime while boosting the eff ectiveness of the workforce. Having the right workforce and the right plan are essential to success in this sector. Equally important are having the right equipment and implementing automation technology, which can improve maintenance systems, increase productivity, enable data-driven solutions, reduce production costs, and optimise and protect assets. A Kimberlite study found that operators who used a predictive, data-based approach experienced a drop in unplanned downtime of 36% compared to those who used re-active tactics, with the result of an average annual boost of around $34m to their bottom line.
Hazardous location classification One of the most important features of any technology used in the oil & gas sector is that it must have the correct hazardous location classifi cation – this is Class 1 Division 2 (C1D2). This classifi cation is important because the gases and liquids present in hydrocarbon production and processing can often represent fi re or explosion hazards to levels not present in other situations. Technology used in such applications must involve design, construction and operational elements that keep the chance for combustion or explosion acceptably low, which means that a company supplying technology solutions to this
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sector must have a broad C1D2 product portfolio, such as that of Advantech. Advantech also off ers a range of embedded automation PCs for edge computing, bridging the gap between IT and OT in IIoT and Industry 4.0 settings.
Crucial connectivity The correct kind of connectivity technology is also vital in the oil & gas sector. For example, monitoring a pump for predictive maintenance purposes may involve collecting a limited amount of data at a high frequency, such as 10,000 samples a second, so the connecting technology must have bandwidth to handle this requirement, along with the reach to deal with data collection points that may be far removed. The cost of moving and storing data is an important consideration so it may make more sense to use edge computing for initial processing of the data and then forward on the processed information. Other important technology components required are embedded automation computers, panel PCs and human machine interfaces (HMIs). Advantech’s HMI series includes high-performance touch panel PCs, low-power industrial thin clients, web terminals for smart factory applications, and a variety of industrial monitors. Advantech’s industrial panel PC product portfolio includes customisable and all-in-one touchscreen PC series with multiple industrial touch panel sizes and rich I/O expansion to meet industrial standards. The company’s rugged FPM monitors are built to withstand operation in industrial environments, extreme temperatures and exposure to corrosive substances.
In the oil & gas sector it is also vital to be able to get data as efficiently as possible out of the field instruments and into the networks and computers for subsequent processing. Achieving this requires latest data acquisition
modules and industrial communication components, including Ethernet switches, serial device servers, media converters and protocol gateways. For example, Advantech’s remote I/O modules – repeaters and converters as well as RS-485-based and Ethernet- based remote data acquisition modules – deliver the types of industrial automation, control and measurement solutions that are ideal for harsh environments and demanding applications. Finally, there is unrelenting pressure in the oil & gas industry to increase data acquisition efficiency, reduce waste, reduce energy consumption and maximise equipment uptimes. To this end, Advantech has developed Wzzard, which makes it easy to capture sensor data from existing equipment and operations, enabling improvements to be made that lower costs and increase productivity.
CONTACT:
Advantech
www.advantech.com
Automation | December/January 2023
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