8/29/12

Wireless technology for process world - www.aandd24.in

The knowledge-portal for industrial automation

Published in: A&D Aug-Sep11, p. 44 Oil & gas |

Wireless technology for process world

Taking into account the operating environment of the wireless network, available network bandwidth, transmitter reporting speeds and battery life, along with security requirements a strong foundation for selecting the correct wireless network can be attained As with all process manufacturing industries uptime is critical to business success and the oil & gas and hydrocarbon processing industries are no different. Refineries have three options in how they choose to monitor production equipment and their transmission pipelines: remotely by wireless transmitters; using a wired network; or through manual inspection. * Jerry Stanek The geographical locations of oil pipelines and refineries inherently place challenges on operators working to keep systems functional and maintained. In the United States with the majority of refineries located along the countrys Gulf Coast, the equipment endures hot temperatures, high humidity, thunderstorms and hurricanes. Under these types of environmental factors, refinery equipment and transmission pipelines are placed under an immense amount of stress, in addition to normal operating conditions. For technicians charged with keeping equipment functional, having accurate real-time performance data is invaluable. The more detailed information a technician can pull from the plant floor about the operational status of equipment the better decisions s/he can make about preventative maintenance. For instance, a technician thats able to monitor a boilers daily run time, pressure level and exhaust temperature in real-time can use the data to identify a problem immediately and fix it before it results in an outage. With the historical operations data available, the technician can see the number of cycles the unit has run since its last maintenance check to determine if a repair needs to be made right away or if it can wait until the next scheduled downtime event. Benefits of wireless technology Given the harsh environmental conditions and geographical terrain most pipelines traverse along with the vast amount of land they cover. Monitoring this type of infrastructure manually
www.aandd24.in/pi-india/index.php?StoryID=189&articleID=127708 1/3

8/29/12

Wireless technology for process world - www.aandd24.in

or with a wired network can be cost prohibitive if not impossible. The same goes for refineries. Even though the location of a refinery will be conducive to manufacturing processes, the operating environment creates a difficult setting for wired and manual monitoring of equipment. This is where wireless technology fits in. It offers the flexibility and mobility to monitor equipment across a facility remotely. The same goes with an oil pipeline. Wireless technology can be implemented across an entire pipeline or at a specific section. Wireless technology also offers safety benefits for environments with explosive hazards. Where a wired network requires power to be supplied constantly to operate, creating a spark risk, wireless technology operates freely of its own battery or solar power. A wireless network also provides increased savings compared to a wired network by removing the cost of purchasing and installing network lines. Instead, wireless technology provides the convenience of a plug-in-go configuration. Thus, greatly simplifying installation compared to running miles of wiring. Selecting a wireless network The fundamentals and key strategies for implementing a wireless network are the same across all industrial settings. What varies from installation to installation is the size of the network being implemented. A wireless infrastructure can vary from one to multiple networks; and from a small to a multipoint large scale mesh network. Deciding which configuration best fits your needs depends on why the network is being installed. The overarching uses for industrial wireless technology can be grouped into three categories: safety, reliability and efficiency factors that ring true for the oil and gas and hydrocarbon processing industries. Key items to consider when evaluating a wireless network are: ? will the network be operating in a noisy radio frequency environment? ? does your wireless infrastructure need to be capable of supporting wireless transmissions at multiple reporting speeds? ? does the battery life of the wireless transmitters meet your needs? ? do you need end-to-end data security across the wireless network? ? have you identified a plan for future usage and expanding the wireless network with additional applications? Having answers to these questions at the beginning of the review phase will help ensure the correct wireless technology is selected for your current and future application(s). Industrial wireless implementation The functionality of a wireless network goes beyond monitoring and reporting equipment status. With the availability to implement Wi-Fi technology on the factory floor, wireless technology can be used for activities such as aiding first responders in responding to an emergency call or equipping employees with read-time data access. Keeping in mind how wireless technology can extend beyond equipment monitoring is important. Especially as one evaluates how the network might be used in the future - A critical component to consider when determining how the wireless network can expand with the business. For instance, if your wireless network is not quality of service enabled in the beginning its possible that responders may overload the available network in an emergency situation. This will occur because the bandwidth available to the network may not be large enough to sustain transmissions from both the equipment and first responders communications. This is why its important to consider where the wireless network will be installed. If the network will be running in a noisy radio frequency environment, it is important to determine if the available infrastructure is capable of mitigating those risks. If there is a need to add applications later, its helpful if the network can support various transmissions at multiple reporting speeds without sacrificing battery power. For example, if a network only supports a fast speed the reporting points that report data at longer intervals can un-necessarily consume transmitter battery life and bandwidth. Conversely, slower-speed networks may not provide adequate reporting for more applications that are critical. When considering the hundreds of reporting points that are likely to be across a facility, having the necessary bandwidth will ensure the wireless network works efficiently. It will also guarantee that the transmitters get the best use from their batteries. The longevity of transmitter battery life is a common concern for manufacturers when considering the possibility of having to replace batteries in hundreds of reporting points distributed across a facility. However, the maintenance expense of replacing batteries should not negate the cost savings of less wiring. When evaluating wireless solutions, many vendors will quote the battery lifetime at a very low reporting rate. Knowing this, select the reporting rate you require and ask for the batterys lifecycle at that rate. The industrys standard reporting rate is typically three-five seconds. The next step is to make sure the wireless network is secure. Security is essential to protect against malicious intent and to safeguard workers, intellectual property and market share. Installing security safe guards for a wireless network should be easy to deploy, simple to maintain and offer multiple layers of protection. When evaluating the type of security needed for the wireless network consider location of the plant and pipeline(s), potential harm that could come from a security breach, and criticality of the data being transmitted. For a network that requires high security, a system should offer strong encryption, robust authentication and layered protection from attack. It is also important that the system offers end-to-end data encryption. Meaning the data should remain encrypted until it reaches a wired network. The open standard The majority of wireless technologies are configured using an open standard protocol. This enables the network to work with a variety of applications - old and new. There are several standard wired open interface protocols in use such as Modbus, OPC, HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus, PROFIBUS and Ethernet. In practice, the protocol the wireless network uses will not impact its implementation. Instead, its important to verify the wireless network is developed to support open protocol standards. Having a wireless network based on an open protocol allows the system to connect across a variety of legacy and new applications that may be in use in a facility. This will allow the network to service the entire facility
www.aandd24.in/pi-india/index.php?StoryID=189&articleID=127708 2/3

8/29/12

Wireless technology for process world - www.aandd24.in

and not just a single department. Industrial applications The capabilities of wireless technology for the refining and hydrocarbon processing industries are immense and include pressure, corrosion, temperature and gas emissions monitoring, tank level management, preventative maintenance programs, asset management and personnel tracking, along with enabling two-way communication. An example of the critical role wireless technology can play in monitoring pressure inside oil pipelines comes from Repsol YPF. The company completed an underwater pipeline crossing of the Rio Colorado in Argentina. The crossing consisted of installing one oil pipeline, two gas pipelines and a 585-metre aqueduct under the river to connect its Medoza Head oil field and Neuquen Head oil field. Government regulations required the pipeline be actively monitored to avoid possible spills into the river in the event of a pipe breakage. To ensure the pipeline remained secure and did not harm the environment, Repsol choose to continuously monitor the pipelines pressure and integrate the data into a SCADA reporting system. To transmit the data from the reporting system, Repsol evaluated both installing a wireless and wired network. The company determined that using wireless technology to connect the Mendoza Head and Neuquen would provide for the greatest cost savings. Repsol implemented wireless pressure transmitters with 4-20 mA outputs at both heads and used an existing remote terminal unit at its Neuquen Head to send data to its SCADA system. In addition to the cost savings, the wireless network also eliminated data transmission faults found in wiring, marshalling panels and junction boxes. Installing one to multiple wireless networks A single industrial wireless network topology offers greater flexibility for users. It can support both control-level applications as well as device-level applications, capable of communicating with wireless transmitters and Wi-Fi devices. This wireless network is basically an extension of the process control network. The topology will rely on W-VLAN technology to create a logical network for applications such as human-machine interface process displays and electronic operator round applications. A single wireless network is easier to maintain and monitor at the plant level. These single networks use a high speed backbone to transmit data so wireless devices leverage the wireless backhaul. This reduces the latency between field devices and controller and increases the battery life time of the wireless devices. Long-term investment Deploying a wireless network is not only an investment of today but also a long term one. The advantages for technicians to actively monitor process equipment in real-time extend beyond plant efficiency into preparing the business for future growth and efficiency. A wireless network needs to be able to grow and expand as the business needs to expand. As such, consider the total cost to implement and support the network well into the future. While wired networks can easily co-exist, wireless networks share the same limited air space. Without considering inevitable expansion, adding new wireless networks could create conflicts. Wireless technology offers benefits beyond just wire-related cost avoidance. Businesses can also justify the investment with real-time access to data previously difficult to collect and employee efficiency and safety. Plants can provide wireless connections between their wireless transmitters and controllers to connect remote controllers and I/Os. They can also benefit from reliability-related applications, such as vibration transmitters for rotary equipments, safety wireless devices, tablet PCs, handhelds and wireless cameras for access to real-time data. ? more@click-Code: ADI02761

www.aandd24.in/pi-india/index.php?StoryID=189&articleID=127708

3/3