Connected Digital Potential for the Petrolchemical Sector
Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions for the oil & gas sector, an increasingly important niche market with its growing need for optimization and efficiency. Under the EcoStruxure™ for oil & gas umbrella, the company offers a number of sustainable, smart and integrated solutions capable of meeting the complex needs of offshore applications.
by Andrea Baty
Efficiency, process optimization, energy automation: these are the major challenges of the oil & gas sector. Schneider Electric’s offer aims at the reduction of maintenance costs as well as the improvement of the efficiency of offshore applications through the digitisation of processes and services. Its sustainable, smart and integrated solutions are part of EcoStruxure™ for oil & gas.
An an IoT-enabled platform the paves the way to innovation
EcoStruxure for oil & gas is an IoT-enabled architecture and platform that enables innovation at all levels – connected products, system integration and edge control, digital services – meeting the needs of the oil & gas sector by offering a broad ecosystem in which to select the technologies best suited to specific applications.
The energy management solutions for the oil & gas sector proposed by Schneider Electric range from the instrumentation for the distribution of electric energy in the field to real-time automation solutions, to provide safe and compact energy management and SCADA systems, suitable for use in offshore platforms and floating production and storage units (FPSO). EcoStruxure Substation Operation – based on the consolidated PACiS technology – improves the operational reliability of the electricity grid through intelligent and flexible digital systems, tested to withstand even the most demanding environments in maximum safety.
Smart electrical control panels for medium and low voltage
Smart control panels in medium and low voltage for oil & gas – As part of EcoStruxure Power, Schneider Electric offers a wide range of solutions and connected components for medium and low voltage that allow the potential of the IoT and digitalization to be exploited in order to increase efficiency and improve availability and maintenance.
With regard to low voltage, the new generation of Masterpact MTZ air circuit-breakers and Compact NSX high-performance molded-case circuit-breakers with the highest breaking capacity on the market (100 kA at 690 V and 200 kA at 440 V ).
For Medium Voltage, Schneider Electric offers gas-insulated solutions (GIS) for applications up to 40.5 kV, with compact and modular GHA type MV switchgear, and air-insulated MV boards with the PIX range with removable vacuum circuit-breaker and the MCset series with SF6 withdrawable circuit breaker, designed to meet all electrical distribution needs up to 24 kV. Both solutions are compatible with IoT applications that can be integrated into intelligent electrical networks and include flexible options for remote monitoring.
The other components and solutions for the Oil&Gas sector
Modicon M580 Safety ePAC is a safety and process controller enabled by the Industrial Internet of Things that allows unprecedented levels of operational profitability to be obtained in a safe manner. This solution offers flexibility and openness, in order to access consistent and accurate production information, reduce downtime, quickly identify the root causes of problems and make timely decisions regarding plant operations and energy management, finally finding the ideal balance.
The oil & gas product portfolio also includes field devices such as the absolute, gauge and differential pressure transducers IAP05S, IAG05S and IDP05S.
The DCS (Distributed Control System) EcoStruxure Foxboro is also among the highlight of Schneider Electric’s industrial automation: the innovative family of fault-tolerant components capable of consolidating critical information and improving staff performance in the field, to ensure impeccable and continuous operation of the systems.
Accompanying the DCS, the Triconex EcoStruxure safety system, an integral part of the IoT EcoStruxure Plant architecture, is made up of TÜV certified systems (Tricon, Tricon CX, Trident and Tri-GP), with SIL3 safety level, suitable for every application of control and safety even in the most challenging contexts, such as the oil & gas plants.
Finally, another intelligent and customizable solution: Altivar Process ATV6000 is a speed variator connected for medium voltage applications, which embraces every business context, from the optimization of processes to energy management, up to the control of asset.