Pipelines dig the fieldbus: foundation fieldbus is no longer a mere pipe dream

摘要

In today's cutthroat oil-and-gas marketplace everyone is seeking ways to operate facilities more reliably at higher capacity for less money than ever before. For pipeline operators the task is even more difficult due to the widely distributed nature of their facilities, in some cases spanning the continent or flowing beneath the ocean (often in environmentally sensitive or densely populated areas), transporting everything from water to flammable materials. This is the type of environment where one should be certain of what is happening at every point along the way. Of course, producers and suppliers, operators, regulatory agencies, and governments-to get' their royalties-also want to know how much of what is where, and to know it as accurately as possible as well. Sophisticated software systems can closely monitor these pipelines, not only for potential leaks or failures, but also to estimate where a fault lies, if there is one, The ability to meet these demands of fault detection and custody transfer relies heavily on the instruments and control devices along the pipeline system, starting at the production and supply point, such as a wellhead or processing plant, through the various pumping and compressor stations and terminals to the final customer delivery point.