Managing Automation - February 2008 - (Page 41) LaFramboise isn’t the only one who expects oil and gas companies to embrace WSNs eventually. “The advent of wireless LANs and wireless technology that functions at speeds often 100 times faster than dial-up creates new possibilities for oil and gas companies to do something new, innovative, and different, while encouraging lower cost and increased safety,” says Dick Caro, CEO for CMC Associates, a consulting firm that plans wired and wireless networks for data “The application of wireless sensor communications. In fact, potential wireless applications in network technology will likely snowball, the oil and gas industry are many, and inespecially once wireless sensor network clude monitoring wellheads, machine health, standards are well-established.” and pipeline integrity, experts say. “In the U.S., where there are nearly half a quently abandoned. We attribute some of this failmillion low-producing ‘stripper wells,’ it is imure to a lack of standards for these types of devices. portant to maximize the output of a well before Today, the meaning of wireless within the context closing it down,” says Mareca Hatler, director of of the oil and gas industry’s process control appliresearch/senior market analyst for ON World, a cations is wireless sensors.” firm specializing in emerging wireless research. WSNs promise to make it easier for Chevron to “Oil companies have a much better chance of extake measurements and gather data in remote lotending a well’s life and optimizing its output cations, LaFramboise says. Specifically, he sees by monitoring the wellhead for things such as wireless sensors being applied in challenging and pressure, flow, and temperature.” Wired solucostly applications, such as monitoring heat exchangers. He also sees WSNs’ potential use in Coming Soon: ISA100 Wireless Standard video imaging for recording intrusion detection lthough wireless technology has taken a major leap forward with the boom within land-based facilities and offshore production in wireless personal communications, applications for industrial field devices, and processing platforms. such as those used in the oil and gas industry, must meet distinctly different While Chevron has its eye on many new WSN challenges. One key to assuring the reliability of these devices is the ISA100 initial applications, the company currently deploys only standard, which is in development for wireless monitoring and alerting applications in a few. WSNs are in use in temporary installathe process industries. tions to monitor equipment performance, there“The ISA100 standard, formerly known as SP100, is being designed to standardize by replacing the cumbersome chore of collecting the way in which wireless field technology is deployed to manage coexistence, securidata manually. Chevron also uses WSNs to monty, and performance of WSNs,” says Ian McPherson, vice president of network archiitor the physical location of personnel in haztecture for Apprion, a wireless application network systems and service provider. ardous areas and during hazardous operations, “The ISA100 standard is an important driver for the success and adoption of wireaccording to LaFramboise. Additionally, WSNs less technology in the oil and gas industry,” says Hesh Kagan, strategic technology are helping to monitor vibration and temperadirector at Invensys Process Systems. “It is important that the standards mature corture on rotating equipment. rectly. There are more than 200 companies working on ISA100. It’s an exciting time The company, however, will likely deploy more for the process industries.” WSNs after the much-anticipated ISA 100 Wireless According to the ISA, a global, nonprofit standard-setting organization, ISA100 is Standard is released later this year. (For more on being created to define the ISO stack, system management, gateway, and security ISA100, see sidebar, at right.) specifications for low-data-rate wireless connectivity with fixed, portable, and moving “Chevron is developing uses for wireless techdevices with no battery or very limited battery consumption requirements. The stannology that are difficult to conceive of at this point,” dard is scheduled for release in early 2008. LaFramboise says. “Many types of measurement Indeed, some oil and gas manufacturers are beginning to appreciate the potential of wireless. At Chevron, for instance, where wireless has been used in process monitoring and control for decades, the emergence of the new breed of industrially hardened wireless sensor network devices and systems being introduced by industry leaders such as Invensys, Emerson Process Management, Honeywell Process Solutions, and GE has the oil giant exploring new ways to apply wireless technology to its upstream and extraction-related processes. “The meaning of wireless is changing,” says Greg LaFramboise, staff engineer at Chevron, the second-largest integrated energy company in the world. “A decade ago, wireless sensors appeared on the market with mixed results. Those devices did not perform as anticipated and were subse- applications are currently overlooked due to the difficulty of installing wired devices. Wireless sensors offer the possibility of completing an installation in a fraction of the time and with fewer people. The application of wireless sensor network technology will likely snowball, especially once wireless sensor network standards are well-established.” APPLICATION GUSHER A 41 February 2008
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