Steven Robinson, EMEA Oil & Gas Industry Leader, Rockwell
Automation, UK,
presents a recipe of integration, information and
safety in automation technology for the global pipeline industry.
P
ipelines and automation have been hand in glove since the
very first pipelines sought to reduce the manpower required to
move raw energy from source to destination. But now that a
global network of pipelines pass underground, above ground and
undersea, what can the latest solutions offer to improve efficiency and
safety as demand rises ever higher?
Simplicity
The needs of pipeline operators and owners do not really change; to safely
deliver the highest volume available at the lowest cost possible. Put like
that, it is remarkably simple. Keeping things as simple as they possibly can
be is a great approach to automation technology too. It is certainly central
to the way we approach our customers’ needs at Rockwell Automation.
Take a recent customer in Canada as an example. Having added an
extension to a pipeline, they were keen to increase oil volumes. It is a
simple problem and requires a simple solution – but as with many such
projects, the stakes are very high. In fact, in this case, shutting down the
pipeline altogether incurred a cost of CAN$700 000/d. The solution
An appetite for
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