SCADA
SCADAs New Role Looms Large In Future
Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (“SCADA”) systems have matured over their 20 years of mainstream use in the oil and gas industry. This article will take a look at the current trends and SCADA’s future direction as perceived by the writer.
Executives Confident Of Information Security Practices
PwC US has released a new report entitled, “Eye of the Storm,” which provides findings on information security for the oil and gas industry, based on survey responses from 143 senior industry executives. PwC found that despite data exploitation being up across the board, executives remain confident in their security practices as they have a set strategy in place.
Intelligent Control Room Management For Oil And Gas Pipeline Safety
Globally, mankind has more than 1,500,000 km of oil and gas pipelines – with more than 600,000 km in North America alone. These numbers are even higher when one adds pipelines transporting other hazardous gases and liquids. Though efficient and critical, these pipelines carry high costs for individual safety incidents. Around the world, pipeline safety and security are immediate concerns, both for industry and government.
Remote O&G Monitoring And Automation Needs In Iraq
While its estimated petroleum reserves are on the rise, Iraq’s output is not quite meeting national production targets. Looking to boost production and achieve accurate measurements, the country’s leading officials have moved to upgrade oilfield installations damaged by conflict and lack of investment, as well as establish comprehensive guidelines for the accurate measurement and automation of hydrocarbon production.
How to Use Ethernet to Improve Your Midstream Oil and Gas Communications
Midstream oil and gas markets typically use three types of networks. The first type is for control and for safety shutdown systems, typically starting at the controller level and extending down to I/O and instruments. The second type is for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, starting at the controller level and extending up to MES and to ERP systems. The third type of network is intranets for internal communications such as VoIP, dedicated email servers and file transfers. On any of those networks, switching to Ethernet may decrease costs and improve connectivity.
Fluor Wins Contract For Caspian Expansion Project
Fluor has been awarded a contract by Chevron Neftegaz—one of three project managers engaged by the Caspian Pipeline Consortium—for its recently announced expansion project.
SCADA Security For Critical Pipeline Infrastructure
The economy of every developed country in the world depends on the supply of oil, gas and water. The average American each day consumes two gallons of gasoline, 220 cubic feet of natural gas for heating and cooking, 30 kilowatt-hours of electricity- produced primarily from fossil fuels - and 150 gallons of water. The supply is an essential part of the critical infrastructure. Providing and protecting the security of that supply is a clear-cut mandate.
FERC Official Says Cyber Security Risks Can Come From Insiders
The threat of cyber attack is a very real issue with serious implications for U.S. energy companies and government agencies and the threat is as likely to come from a trusted employee, a disgruntled former employee or a business rival as from a terrorist attack, computer hackers or even solar flares, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) official said on Platts Energy Week.
DOT Control Room Regulation To Take Effect Early
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced June 16 that a new regulation to improve the management of pipeline control rooms will go into effect over a year earlier than originally planned.
A Fresh Approach To Control Room Management And Related Best Practices
This article summarizes a SCADA implementer’s perspective regarding the intent of the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Control Room Management (CRM) rule. In addition, it intends to provide a fresh approach to CRM, describing why companies should use the CRM process to go beyond compliance requirements and implement operating best practices that would significantly enhance operations reliability and pipeline safety.
New Satellite Data Handling Platform Boosts Bolivias Pipeline Operations
Bolivia has more than 4,700 miles of gas and liquid pipelines comprising a vital part of the nation’s infrastructure and critical to its economic wellbeing and security. One company manages more than 80% of Bolivia’s pipeline operations: YPFB Transporte.
Spread Spectrum Communications For SCADA Systems
As oil and gas companies work toward greater automation and e-business solutions, the challenges of getting real-time, reliable data from remote locations continues to be one of the greatest hurdles.
Advances In Wireless Monitoring Increase Intelligence Of Assets
Recent developments in process automation, wireless and information technology - and real-time data management systems - have helped make oil and gas field operations more intelligent.
Deciphering 49 CFR 195.446 Control Room Management Regulations When Choosing A SCADA System
Choosing a SCADA system based only on the human-machine interface (HMI) and a few performance features of the remote terminal unit (RTU) could paint you into an expensive corner when attempting to comply with 49 CFR 195.446. Understanding those regulations and keeping their requirements in mind when evaluating and choosing a SCADA system could save time, money and a lot of headaches.
Remote Monitoring Applications Profitably Feed SCADA Systems
Reliable remote monitoring applications for cathodic protection and other assets are available today to feed a pipeline SCADA system and increase operational efficiency, according to Finland’s FF-Automation. The company is a manufacturer of remote terminal units (RTUs) and supplier of supervisory and control and data acquisition (SCADA) solutions.
SCADA Networking Facilitated Using DNP3
Although malware has, for good reason, recently grabbed the attention when it comes to SCADA security, the other threats have not exactly gone away. Since the Stuxnet worm specifically targeted SCADA systems, that is all the better reason to ensure that vulnerability assessments and implementation measures encompass an even broader range of threats to one’s system.
Pemex To Install Centralized Control System For Nationwide Hydrocarbon Storage System
Pemex has signed a contract with Telvent to provide a centralized control solution for automated product handling at all Pemex oil storage terminals. In making the announcement, Telvent said its solution will optimize the accuracy of product data and support “agile business management” for the Mexican state-owned energy company. Pemex is among the world’s largest oil producers.
HMI/SCADA Solution Works For ENSTOR
Natural gas is an important energy source for reducing pollution. Compared to coal and oil, combustion of natural gas releases significantly lower amounts of harmful pollutants and carbon dioxide. After its exploration, production and transportation, natural gas can be stored for an indefinite period of time for future use.
Reduce Compressor Maintenance Costs With Remote Monitoring
Remotely located gas compressors can pose a significant operating and maintenance challenge. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are often used to address this challenge, but to be cost effective, a critical mass of units must be located in close proximity to one another.
Italian Natural Gas Transporter Selects Telvent In Milestone Implementation
Telvent reports that Società Gasdotti Italia S.P.A. (SGI), the largest private natural gas transporter in Italy, has completed implementation of Telvent’s gas-reporting application.
Communications Over A Converged Voice And Data Network For Gas Pipelines
Managing a gas pipeline is an around-the-clock, complex operation that involves continuous monitoring. Hence we need a highly reliable, simple and dependable way to get voice, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) telemetry traffic and, in some instances, video traffic from the gas pipeline block valve stations to the main control room.
ENTELEC 2010 Conference And Expo
The Energy Telecommunication and Electrical Association (ENTELEC), is an energy industry user group that focuses on communications and control technologies used by petroleum, natural gas, pipeline and electric utilities. In anticipation of this year’s ENTELEC 2010 Conference and Expo, scheduled April 13-15, 2010 at the George R. Brown Convention Center, a few of the group’s members recently sat down to discuss current issues affecting the industry.
Impact Of New PHMSA Control Room Management Rules
The Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006 (PIPES) mandates that the Secretary of Transportation issue regulations on control room management (CRM) requiring a human factors plan that assures control systems are matched to human capabilities and limitations, including fatigue management.(1)
EnerSys and UCDS Partner For SCADA Streamlining
EnerSys Corporation, a Houston-based upstream energy services company specializing in custody transfer measurement, SCADA and automation for oil and gas operations, announced a partnership with User Center Designed Services (UCDS) March 28. UCDS specializes in situation awareness and human factors in the control room.
Cockrell Ranch Waterflood: What Wireless Network?
The Cockrell Ranch Waterflood project is an ambitious enhanced oil recovery project located in the Texas panhandle. Cano Petroleum uses state-of-the-art technology and methods to recover oil from wells that would have once been considered ‘tapped.'
Hacking The Industrial SCADA Network
It was a Trojan program inserted into SCADA system software that caused a massive natural gas explosion along the Trans-Siberian pipeline in 1982. A newspaper reported the resulting fireball yielded “the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and fire ever seen from space.”
Costly Insider Security Breaches
A self-taught file system administrator had worked eleven years for Omega Engineering, a government contractor to NASA and the U.S. Navy, when he learned that he would be let go in a few days. The administrator inserted six simple lines of DOS code into the mainframe computer and borrowed the backup tapes. A few weeks after leaving the company, the program deleted every one of company’s mainframe files. The loss value was estimated at $10-12 million. The company never recovered. Here, in their simplicity, are the six lines of code. 7/30/96 F: F:LOGINLOGIN 12345 CDPUBLIC
SCADA Cyber Security Training
National SCADA Test Bed Advanced Training focused on energy sector participants to teach the difficult subject of cyber security, to raise awareness, to make better defenders and to encourage more security disciples.
New Regulations Drive Expanded SCADA Curriculum
The regulatory and standards framework for the operation, maintenance and security of critical infrastructure is rapidly evolving.
SCADA Security, Compliance, and Liability A Survival Guide
Two hot topics in the industrial world are security and compliance. Controversy surrounds the interpretation of how to address them.
- 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
