SCADA
Beyond Compliance: Reducing Major Incidents, Creating Business Value
In the five years since the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, operators have undergone progressively tighter regulatory restrictions in both offshore and onshore environments. Along with restructuring the Department of the Interior to include the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), more than seventeen reforms have been implemented since the 2010 accident, targeting everything from well-design to maintenance reviews to safety culture.
Buzz on Drones: Theyre Coming to the Energy Sector
Few trends have been bigger or more exciting to watch in the last decade than the rise of drones. From serious applications like warfare to more quirky ones like pizza delivery, the world is still clearly just starting to figure out how drones can profitably be used. That background makes the recent chatter about the opportunity for drone use in commercial oil and gas applications an extremely interesting trend to watch.
Survey: IT Experts Confident of Ability to Detect Critical Attacks
A new survey of over 400 energy executives and IT professionals in the energy, oil, gas and utility industries found that most energy security professionals were extremely confident in their ability to detect a cyber-attack on critical systems, with 86% stating they could detect a breach in less than one week.
Key Issues Taken on at Pipeline Conference
Pipeline & Gas Journal’s 11th annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference brought in 400 attendees from throughout North America, all focused on getting the most up-to-date information regarding the oil and natural gas industry. In addition to a full day’s worth of conference presentations and roundtables, guests had ample time to network during the even held March 24 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston’s Galleria district.
NACE President Seeks to Diversify Services for Rapidly Growing Membership
Raised in Pittsburgh, Jim Feather, NACE International’s 2015 president, says he grew up “not only with the steel metallurgy industry in my blood but also in my nostrils.” And while Feather did work directly in the steel industry as a sophomore through a co-op program at Carnegie-Mellon University, even then he could see “the writing on the wall” concerning steel’s long-term future in the United States.
STATS Group Completes Complex Isolation of North Sea Pipeline
Pipeline engineering specialist STATS Group was contracted by Apache North Sea Ltd. to isolate the Forties Pipeline System (FPS) so that subsea isolation valves (SSIV) and piping spools could be safely installed and leak tested, avoiding the need to depressurize the entire pipeline system. The 36-inch main crude oil line is a major pipeline network in the North Sea carrying 40% of the UK's oil, with over 50 offshore assets flowing into the 169-km FPS, which runs from Forties Charlie platform to Cruden Bay terminal, transporting 700,000 bpd.
ROSEN Sponsors Roundtable on Linear Threats
The ROSEN Group brought key industry stakeholders together for a roundtable on the topic of “Linear Threats in Pipelines” on May 28. The event attracted over 100 attendees from throughout North America and Europe who were hosted at the ROSEN facility in Gahanna, OH. The roundtable began with an official welcome by ROSEN Executive Vice President Chris F. Yoxall, who emphasized the importance of “why we are here.” He addressed the goal and set the tone for the day – bringing together all stakeholders to collectively work on common topics of interest.
Effectively Using New Data Technologies for Pipeline Routing
Oil and gas companies are using information technologies and resources now accessible on desktops for planning new pipeline routes. Technologies and resources include geographic information systems (GIS), mobile information technology, satellite imagery, topographic maps, environmental data and tax data.
Wireless Field Measurement Takes Next Step
For process monitoring applications, the wireless revolution has come of age. Particularly in the upstream sector, oil and gas operations have fully realized the value proposition advertised by manufacturers. Wireless transmitters are now very commonly applied to measurements of level, pressure and temperature at compressors, gathering lines, separators, rod pumps and well-head “trees.” Wireless instruments have proved to be cost-effective, reliable, safe, secure, simple and environmentally friendly.
Cyber-Threat Puts Oil and Gas Majors on Edge
The massive cyber-breach of the U.S. Government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) systems is the latest in a string of high-profile cyber-attacks in the last couple of years.
California Oil Spill Gushed Like Hose 'Without a Nozzle'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters investigating a reported petroleum stench at a California beach last month didn't take long to find a spill — oil was spreading across the sand and into the surf. Tracing the source, they found crude gushing from a bluff like a fire hose "without a nozzle," records show.
Major Pipeline Operators to Evaluate Aerial-based Safety Technologies
Three of North America’s largest pipeline operators - Enbridge Pipelines Inc., TransCanada Corporation, and Kinder Morgan Canada - have signed a Joint Industry Partnership (JIP) agreement to conduct research into aerial-based leak detection technologies, in the interest of enhancing across-the-board pipeline safety.
Quorum Enhances Capabilities with Acquisition of Fielding Systems
Quorum Business Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of business information technology solutions for the energy industry, announced completion of its acquisition of Fielding Systems, LLC. Fielding provides cloud-based applications for the oil and gas sector, including field data capture, production reporting and remote SCADA monitoring. The acquisition expands Quorum’s product suite and advances the company’s strategy to deliver industry-leading software and services which enable clients to better manage data across their organizations.
Control Room Management Best Practices
<em>(Editor’s note: This is the second article of two articles.)</em> Pipeline controllers work in an environment with continuous interruptions and distractions. With every new SCADA upgrade there is the potential to increase the amount of information presented on the displays, causing the amount of distraction to grow side by side with industry innovation. Such distractions can become “noise,” confusing or distracting a pipeline controller from making timely decisions that affect the safe operation of the pipeline.
Cybersecurity 2015: Connected Pipelines and Proliferation of Threats to Infrastructure
On Aug. 5, 2008, the 1,099-mile-long Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, which is frequently used by many of the world’s largest oil and gas companies to transport crude oil across Europe, exploded outside of Refahiye, Turkey. Shortly after the incident, the ethnic group, known in Western Asia as Kurdish separatists, claimed responsibility for the explosion.
What's New: April 2015
What's new from Rotork, Ajax TOCCO, Crest Industrial, Transducers Direct, Tulsa Rig Iron and more.
Developing Crack Size Detection Criteria for Unpiggable Gas Pipelines
NYSEARCH/Northeast Gas Association (NGA) and development partner Invodane Engineering have introduced the Explorer series of robotic internal inspection platforms and sensors which can perform integrity assessments on natural gas pipelines now incapable of using conventional inline inspection (ILI) technology. The commercial partner on the project is Pipetel Technologies Inc.
Pipeline Integrity: Its An Imperative, Not A Choice
The late 19th century’s most brilliant businessman, J.D. Rockefeller, was an oil tycoon who discovered that the best way to take advantage of his country’s growing thirst for oil was to control distribution. Although the pipeline that Rockefeller built in the 1870s wouldn’t look like much compared to today’s sophisticated pipeline networks, it was an engineering feat that helped his company ensure oil got to the clients who needed it most.
NTSB Study Seeks Changes to Gas Transmission Integrity Programs
A new National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study calls for major changes to integrity management (IM) programs of gas transmission pipelines in high-consequence areas (HCAs).
RTU And Process Security From The Ground Up
Recent news regarding SCADA system intrusions has highlighted the security differences between network and s. SCADA system operators must assess vulnerabilities and implement security measures at both levels.
SCADA And Telemetry In Gas Transmission Systems
SCADA systems provide combinations of field devices, communications infrastructure and software integrated into a system that provides for safe and reliable operation of remote facilities.
Energy Providers, Including Pipelines, Vulnerable To Malware
Financial services firms may have a slight edge in security readiness over their energy sector counterparts, but not by much. These two industries – highly targeted by cybercriminals – must move quickly to address their cybersecurity deficiencies and shore up their defenses against advanced malware threats.
Advanced SCADA Ushers In Era Of Anytime, Anywhere Data Access
Human Machine Interface (HMI) has evolved significantly from the days when operations staff had to sit in front of a single screen to monitor a machine or a process. HMI/supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) applications now not only monitor and help control equipment and processes, but also provide a huge range of information regarding machine and plant operations.
Business Of Control Room Training
Training of new employees is required for all businesses. For some jobs it may consist of an awareness followed by a gradual increase in duties and responsibilities or a complete boot camp approach in which one is educated on basic concepts and policies before taking on responsibility.
Characterizing Performance of Enterprise Pipeline SCADA Systems
There is a trend in Enterprise SCADA toward larger systems controlling more assets from a single location within the pipeline company. As additional control systems are required for new assets, expansion of existing assets or projects to replace legacy systems, it is natural to want to leverage or expand an existing successful SCADA infrastructure.
Wireless I/O Communication Solutions For Hazardous Environments
In 2010, an incident in San Bruno, CA brought national attention to the oil and gas industry when a natural gas pipeline exploded in a residential neighborhood, leveling homes and claiming several lives. The resulting shockwave from the explosion was equivalent to a 1.1 magnitude earthquake.
SCADA And DCS Battle For Globalization
The line of functionality between supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and distributed control system (DCS) is blurring.
Human-Machine Interfaces Can Benefit Oil & Gas Industry
Standard practices today simply use human machine interfaces (HMI) as windows into a system by allowing some information to be passed back and forth through those windows. This method anticipates the user having the knowledge to use that information both in and out of the system, such as coming up with solutions to problems or passing the information along to the correct individuals.
Measuring Uptime Of A SCADA System
Promigas is a natural gas transportation company on the Atlantic coast of Colombia that, on average, transports 0.3 Bcf/d and may reach 0.6 Bcf/d at peak times. Its system consists of pipes ranging from 1-inch to 32-inch diameter with four entry points and 330 exit points, serving about 6.2 million homes.
Cybersecurity: How Much Is Enough?
Cybersecurity concerns with our critical infrastructures are well-known. In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other authorities have encouraged critical infrastructure owners and operators to take steps to ensure cybersecurity for both their business and critical control system assets.
- Trump Aims to Revive 1,200-Mile Keystone XL Pipeline Despite Major Challenges
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- ONEOK Agrees to Sell Interstate Gas Pipelines to DT Midstream for $1.2 Billion
- Energy Transfer Reaches FID on $2.7 Billion, 2.2 Bcf/d Permian Pipeline
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Tullow Oil on Track to Deliver $600 Million Free Cash Flow Over Next 2 Years
- Energy Transfer Reaches FID on $2.7 Billion, 2.2 Bcf/d Permian Pipeline
- GOP Lawmakers Slam New York for Blocking $500 Million Pipeline Project
- Texas Oil Company Challenges $250 Million Insurance Collateral Demand for Pipeline, Offshore Operations
