CASE STUDY
Until recently , when excess methane emissions were detected at a site , field crews would be deployed to address the issue . Often , the sites are remote and spread many miles apart , forcing crews to spend unproductive time driving with minimal knowledge of the issue or what service tasks are needed prior to arrival at the site .
Along with other pilot projects in the region , the company developed a solution to help prevent unscheduled flaring , venting , and well shutdowns . The automation solution performs several key functions :
• Continuous monitoring of methane emissions levels at locations where it is installed .
• Reporting those results to central control rooms for analysis and efficient planning of maintenance and service response .
• Throttling back well production when it detects emissions or other conditions that exceed established thresholds
• Restore production once conditions allow
The company used PACSystems™ RX3i CPL410 Controller system from Emerson to build the automation solution . The system is a powerful , modular Programmable Automation Controller ( PAC ) with a focus on high availability and features a single control engine and a universal programming environment to provide application portability across multiple hardware platforms .
The PACSystems™ RX3i CPL410 Controller system from Emerson is a powerful , modular Programmable Automation Controller ( PAC ) with a focus on high availability and features a single control engine and a universal programming environment to provide application portability across multiple hardware platforms .
The CPL410 Controller features PACEdge™ software platform , designed to help users to securely collect , analyze , store , and serve up machine data near the source or across enterprise systems . End users can easily build and deploy applications for a wide range of uses .
It also features built-in security protocols and a broad suite of cyber security technology and tools to help protect against attacks , prevent unauthorized code and application updates , and protect against man-in-the-middle and denial of service attacks .
The company deployed the automation solution using the Linux / PACEdge capabilities of the controller . The company had been working for some time to develop an automation capability , and the CPL410 provides several advantages :
• The flexibility of the control solution allowed for programming in multiple languages outside the control environment .
• The controller ’ s hypervisor secure connection between the Linux side of the controller and the control engine provided a higher level of security .
• The controller ’ s open connectivity enabled the solution to communicate easily with third-party devices , providing a very flexible solution that made it possible to use the automation solution in both brown field and green field applications
Automation Pilot Project Yields Positive Results
Product management worked closely with the company to provide technical support as it developed the solution and launched the pilot project across select unconventional production sites .
According to a company report , the first year of the pilot using the automation technology showed an 80 % decrease in flaring and venting upset volumes at sites and a 40 % reduction in well shutdowns . As a result of these improvements , the company is working to scale the use of the automation solution across location sites . In addition , the automation solution provides a practical way to help improve safety for company personnel working at the location by helping take people off the roads who would otherwise be exposed to safety risks .
Automation technologies like this one , which leverage the advanced edge computing platform of the RX3i CPL410 Controller , are giving major industrial operations new automation capabilities that can transform people ’ s productivity , while helping to reduce the carbon footprint .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jill Burdette is Director , Global Business Development for process and energy transformation for Emerson ’ s Discrete Automation Business . She works with customers around the world helping them solve their toughest problems , by understanding their business needs , being a thought leader , and proactively bringing new ideas to the table . Jill holds a master ’ s degree and in Mechanical Engineering from West
Virginia University , and is based in Richmond , Virginia .
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