Enthusiasm for Digital Oilfields and wireless integration has smashed through the management ceiling and is seeing a new wave of take up across the region. Oil & Gas Middle East profiles the latest offerings from the four leading process, automation and wireless infrastructure integrators.
Dave Tredinnick, Emerson’s president of Middle East & Africa business says key technology offerings geared directly at the oil and gas industry’s needs, and a heavy emphasis on local capability and improved service is responsible for a successful 2011, and has paved the way for a very exciting 2012.
Tredinnick says the upstream portion of Emerson’s business has rebounded strongly in the past 18 months on a global scale.
“It’s a very positive time for us, and the Middle East has been a key component of that growth. We see contractors from all over the world, China, Korea, Europe and of course North America who have all remained active in the Middle East. Our direct business may be with one of the contractors in another region, but we see the installation and the end client here.”
Tredinnick has massive confidence in the region, and is focused on maintaining growth across the groups activities, particularly in the energy space.
“In the Middle East we certainly see continued growth. This year we will add about 200 people. We’ll finish the year with 700+ people, and we wouldn’t be growing our business both in staff numbers, and in terms of facilities and headcount unless we were confident of translating that into more business.
Tredinnick says customers have been particularly interested in the Delta V version 11 with remote IO capability, and that its advent has been very well received. “Because a lot of upstream modules will be built outside of this region and shipped in, this product line makes the installation process very simple for the contractor. An explosion-proof junction box can be installed in the field, and then the contractor can literally wire up whatever he wants in a really scalable way.”
He says the product line has been met with particular enthusiasm in Iraq, where integrating skids on arrival becomes very simple.
“With the introduction of I/O on Demand, an unprecedented amount of field I/O adaptability, ease-of-integration and plant availability becomes possible. Costs and concerns around single points of failure, marshalled crosswiring, power and grounding of FOUNDATION fieldbus segments, and late project I/O and process design change orders can completely disappear.
Regardless of I/O type – traditionally wired I/O, FOUNDATION fieldbus, Profibus DP, DeviceNet, AS-i bus, or even redundant wireless–you can add and begin using the information all natively and with far less engineering, design, and field work. You choose the I/O you need, we make it easy,” he explains.
From a contractor’s perspective, making late project changes is now easier and less costly; because new field wiring can be added to cabinets at any time with no impact on the system architecture says Tredinnick. “The DeltaV electronic marshalling lets you land field cabling wherever you want, regardless of signal type or control strategies.
With electronic marshalling, each terminal block has a single channel characterization module, or CHARM, which allows field wiring of any signal type to be terminated anywhere.
This means electricians can terminate the field wires on terminal strips in the same way they have in the past, but the cross-wiring from the marshalling panel to I/O cards has been eliminated.”
Expansion
Emerson opened its new Middle East Flow Service Center in Abu Dhabi earlier this year. Representing an investment of $3 million, this new center serves customers with the first, in-region VSL Calibration and Measurement Capability certified calibration facility.
“The opening of Emerson’s Middle East Flow Service Center represents Emerson’s continued commitment to the region, while delivering much needed, local and certified services.
Never before has an internationally-certified calibration facility been available to customers, locally, to eliminate lead time issues and reduce costs for flowmeter calibration,” enthuses Tredinnick.
Emerson has also launched a new 9,000 suare metre manufacturing facility in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
Profile: Yokogawa
Yokogawa is making a big splash in the wireless market, despite getting into the game later than competitors.
“Today, in the Middle East, Yokogawa is performing trials and is in the process of delivering solutions to customer’s upstream. However, we have some interesting operating examples in India, Indonesia and Malaysia, each being driven by different factors,” says Ian Ramsay-Connell, chief technology officer for the Middle East.
“In one case our wireless technology enabled an operator to avoid going into a snake-infested jungle! As of April 2011 we had delivered 60 solutions globally which does not include trial systems.
A tank farm in India makes good use of the extended range for remote temperature monitoring. Our ISA100 solution meant a reliable low cost solution in a congested environment removing the need for human patrols.”
Yokogawa’s current wireless field instrument offering is led by the EJX pressure transmitter. This is a device utilising digital sensing technology which does not rely on any analogue circuitry and can provide both static and differential pressure.
“This has the major benefit of guaranteed long term performance without the need for calibration which is important for remote inaccessible devices, and it provides two measurements in a single device which optimises the wireless network,” he says.
“Another key feature is our battery management. Other suppliers use expensive battery packs. Yokogawa provides interchangeable packs which encase standard lower cost D Type Lithium/Thionyl/Chloride cells which are easy to change in the field, even in hazardous areas. This reduces operational costs.”
Ramsay-Connell asserts that the principal challenge in upstream is the acceptance of new technology. “This is not helped by the existence of different “competing” standards which raises the concern of users choosing the “wrong” one.
This is an ongoing discussion but Yokogawa feels that ISA100 better embraces likely future requirements and accommodates other standards. There are many benefits of wireless systems but there are user concerns over security and suitable application.”
Ramsay-Connell says he is confident wireless field instruments has its best days ahead of it in the region.
“Very confident, in fact almost all of its days are ahead of it in the region, but it is
clear that demand will only increase and a key area may be brownfield upgrades to ageing facilities.”
Profile: Honeywell
Honeywell Process solutions has seen its project pipeline and installed base swell over the course of a very strong year in the regional energy business. Norm Gilsdorf, president, Honeywell Process Solutions tells Oil & Gas Middle East that staying ahead of the region’s ever more complex technical demands has been key to the stream of awards.
The company is well known for its comprehensive offerings across the upstream, refining and petrochemicals sectors in the process and automation fields, but Gilsdorf highlights the advent of advanced solution layers as key to meeting future expectations.
“We start with the crucial control systems which operate key energy installations, including the automation and safety systems of the process units, and we also provide fire, gas and security systems that are all integrated into the control system,” explains Gilsdorf.
“We also provide many of the required field instruments, for example, we provide radar level gauging for tank farms and other key equipment around the tank farms, but an important and growing role of our business today is what we call the advanced solution layer.
This is technology that sits above the control system and helps optimize the plant, connecting process plants to an ERP system, managing supply chains, alarms, and safety systems. Many of the refineries in the region take advantage of our software solutions for this control.”
Gilsdorf says that the increasingly integrated nature of oil and gas processing facilities is posing a fresh set of challenges to contractors and operators alike.
“Any time you offer integrated solutions for complex projects today, the key is to understand your customer’s needs, right from the beginning.
It is important to listen to customers, sometimes you have to advise on functionality of the solution then educate and guide before the customer has a clear idea of their full requirements. It takes listening skills, teaching skills and time, but with a little patience we can always find the best solution,”
Major projects
Honeywell was appointed the I-MAC vendor (Interpreted Main Automation Contractor) for the large Shah Gas Development Project being undertaken by Abu Dhabi Gas Development Company Ltd (ADGDCL) last summer.
When it reaches full production capacity in 2014, the Shah site is expected to yield some 1 billion cubic feet of sour gas per day.
Honeywell will provide its OneWireless industrial wireless network both inside the plant and at the gathering field well pads to track key personnel and assets during both construction and operational phases. Operations staff will be equipped with wireless gas detectors that will transmit alerts when dangerous gases are detected.
They will also have Honeywell’s wireless handheld and Webpad computers that will allow them to develop consistently safe operating rounds and processes.
“This is the biggest gas development project for years in the UAE, and designing and delivering this solution would not have been possible even five years ago,” says Gilsdorf.
“We had a similar role with Shell GTL and we are also the MAC for Borouge 2 and 3, and in talks with several plant operators for facilities that are ready to be configured. We are working on the Zakum Development Company (ZADCO) project quite extensively, which is keeping us quite busy here in the region.
In KSA, we are very involved in Ras Tanura, we are doing a lot of the offsite automation here; and are also going to be involved in much of Upstream projects in Saudi Arabia,” he adds.
Profile: vMonitor
Sami Suheil, chief operating officer of UAE control and automation provider vMonitor says its Abu Dhabi hub and a strong technology portfolio has enabled it to crack the wellhead monitoring market in and around the Gulf.
The company provides comprehensive control and automation solutions for the digital oilfield, including hard-wired and wireless instrumentation equipment, wireless remote terminal units and Real Time Production Optimization software.
“vMonitor started its journey into the wireless instrumentation field early in 2000 and is one of the pioneers in designing its own electronics and low power radio solutions, in order to be used in challenging environments such as offshore platforms, deserts, jungles, swamps and in hazardous applications,” explains Suheil.
Beyond providing just the wireless instruments, vMonitor engineering and services team provides technical support and design of tailored solutions for each type of customer needs, including radio frequency studies, backbone communication designs, control rooms and software used to optimize the production of its oil, gas and water wells.
Solutions provided by vMonitor include wireless pressure and temperature transmitters, flow and water cut meters, differential pressure measurement, gateways, wireless clamp-on adapters to retrofit existing instrumentation and wireless CCTV, as well as state of the art radio equipment, including WiFi and WIMAX.
“vMonitor has supplied wireless solutions for about 2,500 well sites only in the Middle East, both onshore and offshore, including wireless instrumentation in natural oil producing wells and wells with any type of artificial lift, especially wells with electric submersible pumps (ESPs), water injection, and a remote shut down system,” adds Suheil.
“Commonly the process variables that are monitored with WL instruments are wellhead pressure and temperature, differential pressure and flow calculations, however we have installed a number of wireless CCTV systems for offshore platforms in compliance with all safety and security certificates.”
vMonitor is an Emirati company, and has established its headquarters in Abu Dhabi with R&D, centers and manufacturing facilities in Houston, USA and Mumbai, India, as well as system integration facilities in a number of countries worldwide.
“We offer the longest range wireless instruments in the market. This is thanks to its unique design technology and low power consumption, reducing the quantity of required hardware for a wireless cluster, radio licenses and in many cases, even the expensive satellite service bills, as well as reducing the security risks involved and helping the end user reduce its CAPEX and OPEX during the implementation of its Digital Oilfield,” he says.
Suheil outlines the principal challenges facing oil companies in terms of their digital rollout as mainly the battery life and security threats. “However, available technology today has allowed wireless manufacturers to produce low power electronics and radios with up to 128 bits encryption systems which enable secure data transmission systems.”
Suheil says that demand for these systems in the Middle East upstream sector is unquestionably on the up.
“Since awareness about available wireless instrumentation technology is growing among end users and engineering companies, and the initial fear of the IT departments due to security concerns is waning, the demand for wireless solutions has grown steadily over the last few years,” says Suheil, who cites both the intrinsic benefits, such as easiness of installation and commissioning, reduced quantity of civil works and trenching, reduced quantity of hardware at the remote site (lesser quantity of RTUs) and reduced maintenance on one side and increased promotion of wireless manufacturers on the other.
vMonitor has been awarded several wireless projects in 2011. “However, the major development will take place in Q4 of 2011 and early 2012 when major projects will put to tendered in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar,” Suheil concludes.
