Internet of Things is per definition access to information everywhere. For
process automation IoT can be divided into Service Applications, solutions
for the mobile workforce, into wireless Field Devices utilizing different radio
solutions to make information in systems and devices accessible and into
long range wireless communication solutions for the Remote Monitoring of
a process and a plant. In this chapter we present a wireless Field Device
targeting the Oil and Gas environment. Process industry in general and Oil
and Gas in particular put special requirements on field devices. Devices have
to operate under harsh conditions; dirt, often high temperatures and sometimes
in explosion prone environments. It is a challenge to develop a field device
that not only is easy to install and maintain, have a long enough life length but
also withstand this tough environment.
Problem description:
Why is the information from installed Field Devices not already available? Modern process control systems often have the facility to pass HART commands through the I/O modules so that instrument configuration can be modi- fied at the host system level. Remote access to HART instruments at the HOST system has been available for years however because of large number of brown field installations with a legacy communication architecture it is estimated that less than 10% of the entire population of Field Devices is connected so that all the information it provides is made available to the higher level system for a picture of a system. To get access to the information you need to wire in a HART multiplexor which is difficult to do and normally require a plant shutdown.
Integrated operations:
With better connectivity to Field Devices better concepts for safe and costeffective operations of facilities can be developed which is for both environmental and business reasons extremely important for the Oil & Gas industry.
Therefore Statoil, ABB, IBM, Aker Kvaerner and SKF joined forces in an
R&D effort known as the CORD project in the beginning of the 2000’s to
develop new technology for more efficient operation of oil and gas field. The
objective was to develop technology, processes and knowledge to extend the
lifetime of Statoil’s oil and gas fields, and thus improve the recovery factor.
It was to evaluate, test and apply new and open standardized communication
system architectures that allow handling increased amount of data from field
devices to corporate systems in a cost-efficient and reliable manner.
The vision did not stop at the Field Devices but ambition is also to make
the maintenance workplace accessible both at site as well as in the onshore
operations center. Information should be possible to share both with internal
as well as with external experts, i.e., experts from the product or system
manufacturer thus facilitating co-operation between user groups and between
different locations.
Potential with wireless:
Much of the envisioned solutions only become possible with wireless communication. Wireless technologies have undergone various industrial trials over the last years, which have demonstrated that wireless communication can be deployed in a wide variety of use cases, ranging from monitoring to safety critical applications. The main obstacle for a rapid adoption of wireless technologies is no longer the lack of suitable technologies; rather it’s the lack of established industrial standards. Without standards, there is no effective means to achieve the interoperable, multi-vendor solutions which is required by customers. In addition, as many technologies operate in the same frequency band, standards are also required to ensure co-existence of wireless technologies (as wireless is an open medium).
The first wireless standards for process automation emerged only some years ago but already in 2002 the CORD project started investigating the possibility to do wireless condition monitoring on small AC motors. The project had mapped degradation mechanisms of these motors by interviewing specialists from the Oil companies and found that the most common and costly failure modes were bearing breakdown due to vibration and insulation failure. In 2004 the project tried to identify and assess different technologies and techniques to monitor the degradation mechanisms and the conclusion was that none of the existing “off-the-shelf” condition monitoring systems seemed to meet the requirements. In 2005 the project started to evaluate if and how the monitoring could be achieved by utilizing micro technology and in 2006 the spin-off project Wireless Condition Monitoring project was formed.
Why Motors:
Why was condition monitoring of small AC motors selected? Some of the small AC motors on an oil rig are highly critical with respect to regularity, some are critical with respect to safety if for instance placed in EX (explosion proof) zone. Larger machines are normally always monitored but for these smaller AC motors the then prevailing maintenance strategy was “run-to-failure” due to their high numbers — of up to 1000 units per offshore installation — and the cost associated with monitoring them. A failure leads to high maintenance costs estimated to approximately 10 000 per motor and per repair with a bearing failure being the most critical, causing the larger cost. The definition of AC motors is that they are below 400 kW in size and normally run at around 3000 r/min. At an oil rig these are the motors used to drive equipment such as pumps, air compressors and fans.
WiMon 100
The outcome of the project was an ABB product called the WiMon 100. It is a battery operated device with an expected lifetime of five years that intends to reduce the cost of maintenance as well as extend the lifetime of electric motors. The sensor is Ex-proof and is ideal for use in the offshore sector. In principle, however, it can be used in all industrial sectors with the same benefits. The product uses the new WirelessHART™ communications protocol, which was ratified in September 2007. The Wireless Vibration system delivers a cost effective, secure and reliable data acquisition, analysis, and sharing of real time information. The small, autonomous
WiMon 100 unit comprises a vibration sensor, temperature sensor, long-life battery and a WirelessHART™ radio. WiMon 100 was jointly developed by ABB researchers in Norway and Sweden, in cooperation with SKF Reliability Systems and SINTEF (an independent research organization based in Norway). The project received financial support from the Research Council of Norway through its Petromaks and DEMO2000 programmers, as well as from several oil companies including Statoil and BP.
Due to the cost efficiency, small size and ease of mounting and installation of the WiMon 100 sensor, continuous vibration monitoring can be realized for all types of rotating machines. WiMon 100 units form a mesh communication network; providing a secure, reliable and redundant path from WiMon 100 sensor to a gateway and onwards to monitoring and analysis tools (the central system). The central system (PC, network, DCS…) performs the necessary data analysis and storage and makes data available in real time.
The system also contains a WirelessHART™ gateway that coordinates the sensor communication and manages the network security. The gateway device converts wireless device data to a format that is compatible with the wired automation systems.
AWiMon DataManager provides the following main functionalities: a system browser, a system for commissioning and maintenance support (including firmware upgrade), automated data acquisition and storage of waveforms and dynamic data (velocity, envelope and temperature) in an OPC server, an operator interface for showing vibration waveforms and trends and temperatures and a waveform export tool for the interfacing of analysis packages like the ABB Analyst.
The WiMon has been successfully deployed on oil rigs for the North Sea and more wireless Field Devices, also energy harvesting without the need of batteries, are developed and marketed by ABB. More and more information is made available to the benefit of a more efficient and environmental friendly operation of the future oil and gas fields!
Problem description:
Why is the information from installed Field Devices not already available? Modern process control systems often have the facility to pass HART commands through the I/O modules so that instrument configuration can be modi- fied at the host system level. Remote access to HART instruments at the HOST system has been available for years however because of large number of brown field installations with a legacy communication architecture it is estimated that less than 10% of the entire population of Field Devices is connected so that all the information it provides is made available to the higher level system for a picture of a system. To get access to the information you need to wire in a HART multiplexor which is difficult to do and normally require a plant shutdown.
Integrated operations:
With better connectivity to Field Devices better concepts for safe and costeffective operations of facilities can be developed which is for both environmental and business reasons extremely important for the Oil & Gas industry.
Potential with wireless:
Much of the envisioned solutions only become possible with wireless communication. Wireless technologies have undergone various industrial trials over the last years, which have demonstrated that wireless communication can be deployed in a wide variety of use cases, ranging from monitoring to safety critical applications. The main obstacle for a rapid adoption of wireless technologies is no longer the lack of suitable technologies; rather it’s the lack of established industrial standards. Without standards, there is no effective means to achieve the interoperable, multi-vendor solutions which is required by customers. In addition, as many technologies operate in the same frequency band, standards are also required to ensure co-existence of wireless technologies (as wireless is an open medium).
The first wireless standards for process automation emerged only some years ago but already in 2002 the CORD project started investigating the possibility to do wireless condition monitoring on small AC motors. The project had mapped degradation mechanisms of these motors by interviewing specialists from the Oil companies and found that the most common and costly failure modes were bearing breakdown due to vibration and insulation failure. In 2004 the project tried to identify and assess different technologies and techniques to monitor the degradation mechanisms and the conclusion was that none of the existing “off-the-shelf” condition monitoring systems seemed to meet the requirements. In 2005 the project started to evaluate if and how the monitoring could be achieved by utilizing micro technology and in 2006 the spin-off project Wireless Condition Monitoring project was formed.
Why Motors:
Why was condition monitoring of small AC motors selected? Some of the small AC motors on an oil rig are highly critical with respect to regularity, some are critical with respect to safety if for instance placed in EX (explosion proof) zone. Larger machines are normally always monitored but for these smaller AC motors the then prevailing maintenance strategy was “run-to-failure” due to their high numbers — of up to 1000 units per offshore installation — and the cost associated with monitoring them. A failure leads to high maintenance costs estimated to approximately 10 000 per motor and per repair with a bearing failure being the most critical, causing the larger cost. The definition of AC motors is that they are below 400 kW in size and normally run at around 3000 r/min. At an oil rig these are the motors used to drive equipment such as pumps, air compressors and fans.
WiMon 100
The outcome of the project was an ABB product called the WiMon 100. It is a battery operated device with an expected lifetime of five years that intends to reduce the cost of maintenance as well as extend the lifetime of electric motors. The sensor is Ex-proof and is ideal for use in the offshore sector. In principle, however, it can be used in all industrial sectors with the same benefits. The product uses the new WirelessHART™ communications protocol, which was ratified in September 2007. The Wireless Vibration system delivers a cost effective, secure and reliable data acquisition, analysis, and sharing of real time information. The small, autonomous
WiMon 100 unit comprises a vibration sensor, temperature sensor, long-life battery and a WirelessHART™ radio. WiMon 100 was jointly developed by ABB researchers in Norway and Sweden, in cooperation with SKF Reliability Systems and SINTEF (an independent research organization based in Norway). The project received financial support from the Research Council of Norway through its Petromaks and DEMO2000 programmers, as well as from several oil companies including Statoil and BP.
Due to the cost efficiency, small size and ease of mounting and installation of the WiMon 100 sensor, continuous vibration monitoring can be realized for all types of rotating machines. WiMon 100 units form a mesh communication network; providing a secure, reliable and redundant path from WiMon 100 sensor to a gateway and onwards to monitoring and analysis tools (the central system). The central system (PC, network, DCS…) performs the necessary data analysis and storage and makes data available in real time.
The system also contains a WirelessHART™ gateway that coordinates the sensor communication and manages the network security. The gateway device converts wireless device data to a format that is compatible with the wired automation systems.
AWiMon DataManager provides the following main functionalities: a system browser, a system for commissioning and maintenance support (including firmware upgrade), automated data acquisition and storage of waveforms and dynamic data (velocity, envelope and temperature) in an OPC server, an operator interface for showing vibration waveforms and trends and temperatures and a waveform export tool for the interfacing of analysis packages like the ABB Analyst.
The WiMon has been successfully deployed on oil rigs for the North Sea and more wireless Field Devices, also energy harvesting without the need of batteries, are developed and marketed by ABB. More and more information is made available to the benefit of a more efficient and environmental friendly operation of the future oil and gas fields!
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