Oil and gas
In the next ten seconds, the world will use nearly 1.9 million litres of oil and more than 800,000 cubic metres of gas; almost all of it will travel along pipelines on its journey to market.
Pipeline operators face a number of common challenges. Safety, efficiency and transparency are of critical importance. There’s an obligation to increase the efficiency of maintenance teams and to protect the environment from the harmful consequences of leakage. And there’s a need to guarantee the physical security of pipeline networks.
Business process integration
Oil and gas is a key market for Thales and the company’s new supervision framework – Thales Hypervisor – meets the need for ever-higher levels of functional integration within the sector.
The solution’s open architecture and unique human-machine interface (HMI) make it possible to integrate any application or system. An example of how this could benefit operators is the way that it makes it possible to create new links between existing applications.
“Operators need to know how much product they are producing, how much they are transporting and precisely how much revenue this will generate” says Jean-Pierre Vidal, Solution Leader, Thales. “And because they have to compete in an open market, they need this information in real time.”
Thales Hypervisor generates this real-time information by linking existing ‘silo’ systems, such as enterprise resource planning and process control. “Our solution makes it possible to establish deeper integration between operations and business processes” stresses Mr. Vidal.
Transforming maintenance
Systems integration of this sort also makes maintenance easier, with closer links between the applications used to manage maintenance processes, the purchase of spares and the scheduling of repair periods. This allows operators to streamline maintenance operations with reduced downtime and lower costs.
Thales’ expertise in geolocalisation and tracking means operators can also increase the speed and effectiveness of maintenance processes. One such process is ‘pigging’ – the routine scouring of pipes to remove debris. This is achieved using a close-fitting pipeline inspection gauge, or ‘pig’. The ability to track it is vital.
“There are two ways of doing this” explains Mr. Vidal. “One is to calculate its position based on flow. The other is to use an active sensor embedded in the pig to detect its position. This improves accuracy, because you can then reset the calculation to determine the exact position.”
THALES HYPERVISOR
A new supervision architecture for energy and utilities:
- Oil and gas pipeline networks
- Refinery security
- Electricity distribution
- Water utilities networks
- Nuclear power generation
Safeguarding the environment
The integration made possible by Thales Hypervisor also has the potential to improve leak detection – and provides operators with an unprecedented ability to monitor and take control of unforeseen events.
“Leak detection systems integrate a range of devices, including inputs from pressure, flow and temperature sensors, with algorithms to calculate the whereabouts of a leak” says Mr. Vidal.
“With Thales Hypervisor, it’s possible to integrate a range of additional systems to improve accuracy. By integrating real-time satellite imagery and geographical information systems, for example, we can improve the precision of leak detection.”
Protecting operations
The ability to clearly visualise operations inherent in Thales Hypervisor makes it possible to respond efficiently to any situation. “There’s a real need for co-ordination tools” emphasises Mr. Vidal. “With our solution, we can use a pre-determined procedure with on-screen decision support to help organise and co-ordinate the response if there’s an incident.”
The capacity to synthesise information has clear implications for pipeline security. Integration of security sensors like CCTV and smart perimeter technology, mean that it’s now easier than ever to secure vital assets.
Thales Hypervisor also meets the need for improved information security. “As IT systems grow, there’s a need to protect networks from cyber attacks” stresses Mr. Vidal. “Thales uses its domain expertise to protect IT infrastructure, so operators can be confident that their systems will remain secure at all times.”
FOCUS ON WATER
Water companies face a number of challenges. These include the need to address regulatory issues, such as water quality and leak reduction. There’s also a need to enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs and improve overall network supervision.
Thales’ new architecture for supervision systems - Hypervisor - meets both regulatory and operational needs. "With Hypervisor, we can integrate all applications, including leak management and water quality monitoring, into a single human-machine interface" explains Grégoire Chambon, Marketing Manager, Thales.
"We can then integrate modelling systems to optimise network capacity, and decision support and alarm management tools, so that in the event of an alarm cascade, most of the processes are managed automatically by Thales Hypervisor" says Mr. Chambon. "That’s of critical importance, because it allows the operator to focus on more strategic decisions and issues."
Thales Hypervisor also safeguards the security of physical assets, with cyber security to protect real-time control systems. And it provides integrated surveillance of remote assets, such as reservoirs and water treatment plants, with the control and operational infrastructure required by water companies to operate efficiently and safely.
GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Around the world, Thales’ supervision systems play a critical role in safeguarding energy and utilities infrastructure, including oil, gas, electricity and water distribution.
Key references include: Aramco. British Energy. Gazprom. GDF. RTE. Severn Trent Water. Sonatrach. SPSE. United Utilities.