The Benefits of a Consolidated Ignition SCADA System for Oil and Gas Operations
Battling inefficient systems in the oil and gas field isn’t just part of creating a better bottom line. Having the right SCADA systems in place for operations management, data delivery, and communications all affect the safety and security of employees, productivity, and morale, in addition to profitability.
Eliminating roadblocks when it comes to equipment use and monitoring, asset management, and employee training is crucial to a successful transition.
A Tale of Two SCADA Systems
While there are many reasons to consider periodic upgrades in a SCADA system, a merger or acquisition puts the need for an overhaul into sharp relief.
In a recent case study compiled for CSE ICON, an independent oil and gas company was using an XSPOC SCADA system to monitor and control assets by collecting operational data and generating alarm callouts and notifications to operators in case of any problems.
After purchasing the assets of another company, this oil and gas company almost doubled the size of its assets. However, at the time of purchase, the acquired company used a different SCADA system (iFIX) to control its wells.
To meet the needs of a larger user base and allow room for the acquisition of more wells, we knew that it would need to design a single Ignition SCADA system that consolidated current and acquired systems.
Facilitating Ignition Build Out & Training
In order to familiarize the oil and gas company’s stakeholders with the Ignition system and gather relevant information from the company’s employees, ICON facilitated multi-day workshops that covered subjects related to devices, tags, computing infrastructure, and expansion plans. The information gathered during this workshop helped us design a highly redundant Ignition architecture consisting of a dozen servers.
We created additional off-site redundancy requirements and began extracting information from the XSPOC and iFIX systems for import to Ignition. With new servers in place, we configured and deployed the new system. Our team of engineers then began importing the information in coordination with the customer’s IT department.
The alarm callout system also required a new solution. The old version was replaced with a VoIP system using a cloud-based SIP service and Ignition Voice Notification Module, and a custom pipeline was developed that would dynamically generate notification rosters.
With the right equipment installed, ICON’s experts traveled to the customer’s facility to perform user training on the Ignition system and assist with cutover from the previous systems.
SCADA Systems Built for Success
With conflicting SCADA systems consolidated into a unified Ignition system sized to meet the needs of a larger user base and to allow for future expansion, our client was set up for future growth and success.
Here's a PDF of the Case Study with a few more details.
To read more about how the consolidated Ignition system helped the customer standardize its reporting process and the process for exporting data into third-party applications,
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For more information on how CSE ICON’s experienced staff can help with consolidating SCADA systems, contact us today.