If automation for you conjures up images of complexity along the lines of The Matrix or other elaborate theory, I have some good news. It doesn’t have to be that complicated.
As an example, I love looking at all the ways the actual data from creating automation can improve the bottom line and generally make life simpler. Or the way something simple like automating tank levels with alarms can actually save lives - the possibilities are endlessly beneficial, but not nearly as complex as you may think (or have to worry about anyway).
I work with loads of Engineers, who specialize in things like automation, and development, but personally, I like to figure things out and be able to explain them easily to anyone, and be simple and easy to understand. In fact, one of the beauties of our automation systems is that it can be as simple and direct as you want, or as far-reaching and comprehensive as you need.
For simplicity, let’s look at DeltaV SaaS SCADA with Tank Protect, that delivers several types of tank monitoring. Maybe right now your hard-earned oil production flows into a tank battery, where it waits for a truck to pump it out on its way to a pipeline or a refinery. Easy enough.
If you’re relying on eyeballs to make sure it’s working right, you have some significant risks.
The most common issues are, first, that the pump could stop working, for a variety of reasons, costing you money in delayed production. If you’re waiting for a pumper to discover this fact, that well site might be down for a day or more before you know to send anyone out to fix the issue.
Second, and much worse, is that for some reason the trucking company is delayed and doesn’t make the scheduled pick up. Then you run the risk of the tanks overflowing. Now you have two problems—you’re losing the use of that production (forever, this time) and you’re creating a hazardous spill.
All this, when a basic tank level monitor would’ve let you prevent everything.
We can set the system to alert you in several ways. If your levels haven’t changed in a certain amount of time—a few hours, for example—it’s likely that the well has stopped flowing. An alert will tell you to have someone go out to check on it, and get production flowing before you’ve lost too much time.
Second, we can set alarms at certain fill levels. For example, when the tanks reach, say, three-fourths full, you can receive a preliminary alert. This will give you time to call the trucker and find out what the schedule will be.
Then when the tank reaches its limit, you can receive another alert—and the alert can be tied into a cutoff switch for the well. That way, it’ll shut off automatically before a spill happens, and your money is lost forever and the hazardous spill clean up needs to happen that will cost you even more.
With this tank alert you can also cut back on drive time—your pumper no longer has to check the well every day. So it not only prevents losses, it saves money off the top. Not bad for a simple tank monitor and an alert system.
DeltaV SaaS SCADA can easily make big, super complex, high input systems work, no problem. But, we can also start out small with you, get your people trained, and then move to the next step when you're ready.
Our cloud-native IIoT platform is designed to be scalable to fit your needs, what your comfortable doing today, and tomorrow as your business needs increase and you can easily prove return. It's also secure with layers of security always being updated without your people having to worry about any of it. And we have the more robust services to help you every step of the way; for full 24/7 support with real humans, complete training with loads of learning options, and other Servies too, like Project and Alarm Experts to help add to your team without the cost or risk of added employees.
