Remote Monitoring of Oil & Gas Pipelines
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 The Challenge
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Each day, hundreds of millions of gallons of petroleum products are shipped all over the world by pipeline companies. The vast underground and aboveground pipeline networks are continuously worked on day and night, being monitored and managed while petroleum products are pumped through the network.
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Every time there is a new pipeline connection or new network, it requires IT personnel to venture out in remote areas to install and configure the equipment to the network. Today, typical equipment used in the pipeline environment include sensors, flow values, and pipeline monitoring systems which are all critical in the successful 24 hour operation, and virtually none of the field equipment can be easily monitored or remotely perform diagnostics under current conditions.
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In order to keep costs down and continue to effectively monitor these networks, companies are turning to new technologies. They are always looking for an edge to remain competitive and gain a larger market share in the industry. Common business practices that are used to remain competitive include acquiring new pipeline networks, decreasing operational costs, maintaining customer satisfaction, creating efficient billing and investing in new equipment.
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- There is a substantial cost involved in upgrading the existing equipment to connect to the LAN/WAN. The equipment operates effectively as it is, and incremental functionality does not justify the large price tag.
- Often diagnostics and administrative tasks must be done on site in remote locations. Any troubleshooting, installation or configuring requires onsite visits.
- Data from the Omni Flow Computers, which controls valves, measures pipeline flow, and counts barrels can only send data through a SCADA system onto the server.
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Precidia's Solution |
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Precidia's serial to IP connectivity product, the Ether232Plus, connects any RS232, RS422 or RS485 pipeline equipment to an IP network, allowing it to be remotely monitored from a central location. Using the Precidia solution, pipeline operations can reduce the personnel costs associated with monitoring field equipment, as the devices are monitored in real time from a standard PC using the Precidia device.
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This cost effective solution extends the service life of expensive pipeline equipment, and simplifies its management and maintenance.
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Benefits |
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Pipeline companies realize several benefits by implementing Precidia's Ether232Plus:
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- Cost Savings
The Ether232Plus seamlessly installs into existing infrastructure, requiring no upgrade or replacement of older operational equipment. It allows older equipment to communicate from remote sites linking to the LAN/WAN, utilizing existing equipment, which eliminates the need to purchase additional equipment and wiring.
- Remote Administration
With the Ether232Plus, the IT department is able to remotely configure and install the devices to access the computers without having to leave the office - saving hours in support. The device also has the capability to perform automatic routing of traffic to backup for disaster recovery.
- Remote Diagnostics
The Ether232Plus facilitates remote configuration and diagnostics, with vast cost savings by eliminating the need to dispatch personnel on service calls and 24-hour onsite monitoring of the pipelines in remote locations.
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Conclusion |
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The Ether232Plus is a '3 in 1' network-enabling device, which seamlessly migrates legacy RS232, RS422 or RS485 equipment to IP, facilitating the upgrade of legacy equipment, and consolidating stand-alone equipment.
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Responding to simple configuration commands, the Ether232Plus swiftly incorporates any number of serial devices onto a company's IP network. The Ether232Plus operates within LAN or WAN environments using TCP/IP.
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| Contact Precidia |
150 Katimavik Road
Suite 1000
Ottawa, Ontario
K2L 2N2, Canada
Tel: 613.592.7557
Fax: 613.482.5770 |
info@precidia.com  |
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