Pipeline Monitoring

How connectivity can improve operational efficiency

The oil and gas industry is under immense strain. Reduced demand, increased focus on renewables, security threats, and extreme weather conditions all present challenges; but the industry is responding with greater operational efficiency, increasing production while lowering costs.

Connectivity is a key part of this programme. With the reliable and timely receipt of critical data from remote sites, and the ability to execute commands remotely, producers are able to reduce the necessity to dispatch field workers, which lowers costs and enables faster response times.

As pipelines necessarily travel through remote areas, satellite connectivity is the best choice for reliability and security; with Ground Control’s solutions, you’re also better able to manage costs, with remote enablement / disabling of tracking devices as needed, and the ability to leverage cellular networks if available.

“Advanced connectivity to optimise drilling and production throughput and improve maintenance and field operations could add up to $250 billion of value to the industry’s upstream operations by 2030.” McKinsey Report 2020

Traditionally, the VSAT satellite systems have been adopted for pipeline monitoring, and these remain a low cost, reliable solution. That said, many producers are now exploring BGAN M2M: this newer solution is superior to VSAT in that it leverages the L-Band frequency; this means it is ultra-reliable (99.9% uptime) and secure, and isn’t affected by extreme weather conditions. Further, it’s a smaller device, which makes it less noticeable, and less likely to be vandalised.

Another option is the SCADASat powered by TSAT. This is a particularly secure solution, as it provides producers with a private satellite network without the cost and maintenance of building an earth station. Located in your process control centre, the SCADASat is completely independent of any public infrastructure, and has been designed to operate with legacy SCADA protocols as well as modern TCP/IP based protocols.

Case Studies

Case Study

Renewable Energy Monitoring

One of the biggest challenges in the renewable energy industry is finding a suitable location. To justify the investment involved in building and installing a wind turbine array a prospective site has to meet stringent requirements with regard to wind speed and frequency.

Case Study

Automated Landslide Monitoring

Slide Sentinel is a fully automated landslide monitoring system using RTK. It regularly monitors landslide activity with high spatiotemporal resolution and centimetre-level accuracy for long-term deployments. Measuring this way aids in early warning information and limits the use of invasive and expensive drilling.

Case Study

SCADASat and Garth Wind Shetland Islands Scotland

The SCADASat solution provides the connectivity between the wind farm and the termination point, reporting the data in real-time to effectively control the power generation. This is a crucial function to prevent power saturation at the point of termination and ensure most economic use of the power generated.

Pipeline Monitoring Devices

The new RockREMOTE leverages LTE and Iridium Certus for hybrid cellular and satellite connectivity. Its omni-directional antenna linking to Iridium’s low earth orbit satellite constellation makes it particularly well suited to hilly or wooded areas.

Any of these devices may meet your pipeline monitoring needs; it’ll depend on the frequency, volume of data, how it’ll be powered, and the level of security you’re looking for.

The new RockREMOTE is designed for industrial IoT applications, built with energy companies in mind

The Hughes 9502 BGAN range includes a variant that's certified compliant in hazardous environments

The SCADASat by TSAT gives you a private satellite network with no dependency on public infrastructure

Here for you

If you’re looking for satellite tracking and communication devices to monitor your pipelines, Ground Control has you covered. In addition to our own products, we work with leading, trusted manufacturers and satellite service providers, and we’re confident we can pair you with the best service for your needs.

Click outside to hide the compare bar

Compare Products