Managing Automation - February 2008 - (Page 42) [ INDUSTRIES ] Transformation TechWatch Integration tions are often too expensive to install and, theremonitoring existing safety systems, such as eyefore, are not widely used in these cases, Hatler wash stations and safety showers,” he says. says, adding that pipeline integrity monitoring is The monitoring of eyewash stations and safety often done manually. showers is a perennial problem for oil and gas “Instead, WSNs are being used to monitor companies — something many WSN suppliers these wells continuously. Machine health monihave latched onto as a “gateway” application for toring, for instance, improves the management of their wireless solutions. CMC’s Caro explains, such assets as pumps and motors, and enables “WSNs are able to closely monitor when a safety these companies to replace equipment before it shower is used. In the past, in the event of an oil fails, which helps prevent unplanned equipment downtime,” she says. “Machine health monitoring improves Hatler also envisions oil companies usthe management of such assets as pumps ing WSNs in seismic surveys. “Again, this replaces the expensive and cumbersome and motors, and enables companies to wires and enables geologists to install replace equipment before it fails.” more sensing points more easily, which increases the resolution of their survey and, thus, spill, the person using the safety shower was its effectiveness,” she says. supposed to report its usage. The problem was There are more potentially significant applithat its use was often not reported. They washed cations. For instance, Hesh Kagan, strategic off the oil and said, ‘That’s good enough.’ Totechnology director at Invensys Process Sysday, using wireless sensors, oil companies can tems, expects oil and gas companies to use wiremonitor the occurrence and, before the person less solutions for their mobile workforces, procan get out of the safety shower area, the use of viding employees in the field with secure the equipment has been reported.” roaming access to realLINGERING DOUBTS time control systems. managingautomation.com Another potentially Yet, even as safety showers and eyewash stations huge application for wireare readily fitted with WSNs, there is still work to RELATED ARTICLES: less technology in the oil be done before the oil and gas industry will fully Wireless: Users Still Approaching with Caution www.managingautomation.com/wireless4 and gas industry is in perembrace wireless. One obstacle that remains is linsonnel safety, according to gering questions about data reliability. Wireless: A Work in Progress www.managingautomation.com/takeone42 Kagan. “WSNs provide “There have been innovations to improve data practical and cost-effective reliability, such as a wireless mesh network that When Networks Converge www.managingautomation.com/converge means to accurately idengets rid of the single point of failure,” ON World’s tify the physical location Hatler says. “The challenge for wireless mesh sysHoneywell Adds Equipment Monitoring to Its OneWireless Network of personnel in real time, tems is that these can get complex. Because they www.managingautomation.com/Honeywellmonitor notify first responders of need to send and receive data, they consume more Wireless Sensor Networks: safety shower activation, power, and because these are often battery-powMORE MESH, LESS GUESS provide ‘man-down’ notifiered devices, the battery life can suffer. The latter www.managingautomation.com/wireless2 cation for emergency servis not usually an issue for the types of applications Applications: The New Battleground In the ices, and perform remote WSNs are targeting because WSN devices do not Wireless Sensor Networks Market evacuation alarming to need to send and receive data very often, and www.managingautomation.com/WSN help safeguard employees therefore, they conserve power.” and visitors and ease comUpcoming standards such as ISA100 cover COMPANIES MENTIONED: Apprion pliance and regulatory redata reliability. But until data reliability is fully adwww.managingautomation.com/Apprion quirements,” he says. dressed and the standard fully implemented, it’s Dust Networks Jeff Becker, director of likely that many oil and gas manufacturers will www.managingautomation.com/Dust global wireless business for hold off on aggressively embracing WSNs, exEmerson Process Management Honeywell Process Soluperts say. But that day is not far off, wireless www.managingautomation.com/Emerson tions, sees wireless applicasuppliers say, particularly with industrial wireless GE Energy tions falling into three pristandards on the way. www.managingautomation.com/GEEnergy mar y categories: safety, “We are sort of at this tipping point now,” says Honeywell Process Solutions equipment reliability, and Robert Shear, director of market development for www.managingautomation.com/Honeywell efficiency. “Oil and gas cusDust Networks, a leader in standards-based intelInvensys Process Systems tomers also have expressed ligent wireless sensor networks. “Certain oil and www.managingautomation.com/Invensys interest in using wireless gas companies are pushing forward aggressively, devices as a mechanism for while others are holding back.” s maonline ma February 42 2008 Industries http://managingautomation.com http://www.managingautomation.com/wireless4 http://www.managingautomation.com/takeone42 http://www.managingautomation.com/converge http://www.managingautomation.com/Honeywellmonitor http://www.managingautomation.com/wireless2 http://www.managingautomation.com/WSN http://www.managingautomation.com/Apprion http://www.managingautomation.com/Dust http://www.managingautomation.com/Emerson http://www.managingautomation.com/GEEnergy http://www.managingautomation.com/Honeywell http://www.managingautomation.com/Invensys
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