Distributed environmental sensors continuously monitor the minimum presence of flammable gasses and toxic vapors in the atmosphere. Around the same time, 24/7 asset tracking helps anticipate catastrophic asset failures that may lead to fires or underwater oil spills.
FREMONT, CA: The production of offshore oil and gas (O&G) is exceptionally dynamic and precarious. The remoteness and isolation of offshore rigs make it impossible for O&G companies to gain a timely and reliable image of their continuous output. This occurrence ensures that operators sometimes struggle to realize when system and process variables are off-spec, which risks asset errors and expensive downtime. Worse, inadequate detection capabilities could lead to catastrophic fires that would significantly affect the atmosphere, employees' lives, and the reputation of businesses. Today, the Internet of Things (IoT) and next-generation networking provide promising possibilities for secure and cost-effective offshore surveillance.
IoT Applications for offshore monitoring include:
Asset Maintenance
Smart sensors retrofitted to hundreds of diverse properties record vital operating variables that help unveil unstable conditions before failure. This aspect allows operators to promptly deploy inspection and repair workers before significant delays arise, mitigate downtime production, and maximize asset usage.
2. Hazard Management and Wellbeing of Employees
Distributed environmental sensors continuously monitor the minimum presence of flammable gasses and toxic vapors in the atmosphere. Around the same time, 24/7 asset tracking helps anticipate catastrophic asset failures that may lead to fires or underwater oil spills. In an emergency, on-site warnings can be prompted for urgent response to protect staff and avoid extreme, permanent disasters.
3. Facility Management
Constant compilation and review of various data on rig systems (for example, pressure, friction, crack sounds, and so forth) and exterior weather conditions allow accurate evaluation of rig integrity to detect any structural harm. Likewise, vital equipment such as watertight doors and ballast tanks can be tracked round-the-clock.
4. Regulatory Compliance
With robust output data at hand, oil and gas managers can easily track and record regulatory enforcement to ensure a consistent and up-to-date process.
5. Security and Access Control
Wireless sensors can sense unusual movements in restricted areas and unlock doors around the rig to improve site security.
