Continuous connectivity can enable innovation in oil and gas production

The oil and gas industries contribute a significant amount to the global economy and trade. In fact, it was estimated that revenues reached approximately $2.1 trillion in 2021, according to research from IBISWorld. However, with revenues continually changing due to fluctuating demands, oil and gas industry leaders must make sure they stay one step ahead of the competition to remain profitable.

Not only that, but with governments worldwide looking to adopt more sustainable methods of energy consumption, operators must adhere to new usage regulations, prices, and production methods, which can also lead to unpredictable markets. By utilising the right technology, and in turn, the proper network infrastructure, operators can maximise results in daily oil and gas production lines, while keeping costs low, and productivity high.

Keeping production lines moving

The modern oil field has various challenging requirements that operators must consistently maintain to a high standard to meet global market demand. A typical oil field includes remote wells across hundreds of square miles of often rugged terrain in need of observation. This can cause issues when it comes to achieving a consistent network connection, as the core environment of an oil or gas production site can be unpredictable and often isolated. Operators experience difficulties securing a reliable connection by conventional means, such as with Long-Term Evolution (LTE) or 5G technology.

Wells are equipped with flow meters and other devices that measure data, pressure sensors, downhole pump function, and more. Usually, this information is only accessible at each wellhead location and requires a time-consuming and perhaps risky physical visit from staff to send this information back to the central production office.

The modern oil field has various challenging requirements that operators must consistently maintain to a high standard to meet global market demand.

Safety is a significant challenge in such an environment, which means that real-time optimisation and complete visibility are required. For example, oil rigs can be prone to heating up underground if the rig gets too dry, leading to potential burn up, and this poses a danger to remote site personnel and presents substantial repair costs. 

By implementing a secure, wireless connection that can rapidly identify and relay this information back to the central office, time and costs are saved, and there becomes no need for travel or manual measurement processing. Not only this but by receiving a direct connection, any problems with the machinery can be detected much more rapidly, allowing for faster maintenance and efficient optimisation, subsequently saving gallons of otherwise missed oil extraction.

Ensuring safety and productivity with new technology

With the emergence of complex technological capabilities such as mobile communication, real-time field intelligence, and predictive analytics, the quality control of oil and gas production processes has come a long way. This has led to increased productivity and, most importantly, ensured that sites are safer to work in for the personnel who operate in potentially dangerous oil rig and gas production environments.

Innovative technology, such hands-free voice communication and wearable cameras, can be used to provide a full-spectrum perspective that increases visibility and real-time insights in identifying earth disturbances and site monitoring of equipment, vehicles, and staff constantly on the move. Additionally, this technology also ensures complete security of the entire production site, preventing any unauthorised access. Still, without a secure connection present at all times, and a reliable communication protocol in place to identify site issues, oil and gas operators will be held back from realising their full potential.

Connectivity that prevents disruption

The best possible solution for ensuring unfailing and resilient site communications comes from a private wireless connection, as this can cover miles of field activity without the risk of cutting out. Offering an optimal network solution for an oil rig and gas environment, a robust wireless network, such as Rajant Kinetic Mesh technology, can provide oilfield operators with the fully mobile connectivity they require to increase daily operational efficiency. Rajant’s flagship BreadCrumb microscopic node technology can be installed on equipment, vehicles, and technician devices, creating the crucial link between the business-critical field assets and the operations command center.

Due to its fully flexible design, the range of applications supported by the private and redundant mesh network is unlimited, as it has the resiliency to seamlessly connect to site equipment and oil rigs, allowing for connectivity anywhere on site. By pairing this with Rajant InstaMesh networking software, oil rig and gas facilities can enable real-time data transfer. The BreadCrumb nodes seamlessly integrate with any Wi-Fi or Ethernet-connected device to deliver low latency, high-throughput data, as well as enable voice and video applications. In providing a military-grade network, the wireless Kinetic Mesh is ideally suited for emerging technologies beneficial to oil and gas production. It can rapidly self-configure while ensuring sensitive information remains highly secure as it travels.

A wireless connection that guarantees results

Having an unwavering connection attached potentially to any asset, real-time functions such as remote monitoring and enhanced video security are always enabled, allowing for maximised production and safety on an oil rig or gas production site.

By utilising and installing wireless network technology in the hazardous areas of a sprawling production site, operators can achieve continuous connectivity for the entire plant and expand the range of activities its mobile crew can perform. But due to a reliable connection and access to data analytics, they can also make more intelligent informed decisions and achieve increased visibility of their assets in motion anywhere, always. This will ensure operators can focus on becoming more innovative and agile as they prepare for inevitable market shifts in oil prices. A wireless mesh network can help them unlock tomorrow's fully integrated oil field.