Oil and Gas Monitoring Systems
Effectively operating oil and gas sites requires plenty of equipment, maintenance, and oversight. For the most part, this equipment is required to function in remote locations where no operator can physically be present. This poses many challenges for energy companies when it comes to overseeing a smooth operation process.
In the management of many of these complexities, oil and gas companies deploy SCADA solutions for effectively monitoring and controlling these processes. A proper SCADA monitoring solution utilizes hardware and software to collect and transmit aggregated data about key points in the supply chain, as well as providing vital information about equipment functionality. This limits the number of visits to sites by operators, leading to more efficiency and better time management for employees.
The data collected and transmitted by field equipment ensures that operations are smooth, processes are automatic, and corrective measures are quickly deployed when problems are detected. Here are five types of oil and gas monitoring systems that can result in cost savings and efficiencies.
1. Remote Monitoring of Gas Meter
For massive industrial and commercial consumers, a progressive and assured natural gas supply is necessary to keep the business operational. Natural gas suppliers need to have the ability to forecast demand to balance the amount of product to be purchased and delivered against cash flow.
Gas meter monitoring can aid in meeting the supplier and consumer demand. Through the collection of usage data every day, supply firms can use the data to predict purchases by cost, quantity, and date. In addition to the efficient management of cash flow, there is high customer satisfaction since suppliers can offer constant supply at competitive rates.
2. PIG Gas Monitoring System
PIG stands for Pipeline Inspection Gauges. These devices operate within the pipeline and capture pictures and readings for detection of corrosion or anomalies that may result in bursts or leaks. Through the use of GPS-synch location and time technology as well as tracking devices within the pipelines, technicians are able to align readings with proper location, aiding them to boost the accuracy of PIG readings and minimize costs and time related to carrying out PIG runs.
3. Remote Monitoring of Test Point
Test points aid in measuring the potential of pipe-to-soil in the certification of effective cathodic protection. Similar to rectifiers, there is a need for regular monitoring and configuration of test points to prolong the life of underground tanks and pipelines, as well as reducing leak risk. EIA states that there are more than 305,000 miles of intrastate and interstate transmission pipelines.
The expense of driving to these locations to check test points along this massive network can be high. Automated remote oil and gas monitoring of this device can minimize costs rapidly. These monitoring solutions can gather data from numerous test points and rectifiers and send it as often as needed to boost the system efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.
4. LACT Meter Oil and Gas Monitoring
LACT is an abbreviation for Lease Custody Transfer. LACT meters are vital devices in the petroleum product ownership transfer between production companies and gathering firms. These oil and gas monitoring systems offer volume readings to aid firms in determining the amount of oil being transferred and the cost to charge. EIA states that there are more than 600,000 active oil well sites in the whole of US.
A majority of these sites are in remote regions where there is limited infrastructure, and it can take time and cost to get there. Remote use of an oil and gas monitor at these sites is the most cost-efficient way of properly billing clients by volume without having to go to the site.
5. Tank Gas Monitoring System
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are almost 1.3 million underground storage tanks that are not regulated in the US. American Petroleum Institute estimates storage tanks to be about 700,000. Whether they have saltwater, condensate liquids, or oil, tanks can leak, spill, or overflow. When this occurs, tank owners need to have an environmental and social responsibility to correct the damage, and they could incur regulatory fines.
Both below-and-above-ground tanks can be monitored remotely to prevent these expense issues. Level sensors linked to equipment can indicate when tank contents have gotten to a high level and require emptying. These sensors also need utilizing in detecting probable leaks and corrosion when unexplained low levels are pinpointed.
Customized SCADA Monitoring Systems for the Oil & Gas Industry
In essence, SCADA systems are a highly configurable set of software apps that are used to support management improve almost any form of process production. Using a SCADA system to monitor the various elements of an oil and gas system can help energy firms reduce cost and increase efficiency. Additionally, SCADA systems can increase customer satisfaction and allow them to offer more competitive prices.
An energy firm that ignores the use of these sophisticated monitoring systems will have an increasingly more difficult time competing in this highly competitive marketplace. To learn more about how our custom SCADA solutions can benefit your business, get in touch with a High Tide Technologies distributor.