Pilot Deployment of IIoT-SCADA by Leveraging Low Power Communication Technologies, Sensors, and Legacy Scada Controllers

Abstract

Abstract Remote monitoring and operation are a key aspect in oil and gas facilities due to remoteness of producing and gathering facilities. Traditionally, SCADA system based on wired Fiber Optics or wireless radio communication is used to gather this remote data and perform supervisory actions. During last decade IoT (Internet of things) solutions are being adopted in oil and gas industries because of their cost efficiency and ease in deployment. Most of industrial internet of things solutions (IIoT) available in market are utilizing LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) wireless technologies e.g., LoRaWAN, SigFox, NB-IOT with backbone network infrastructures based on GSM/Satellite/ public cellular network and cloud-based application/network servers. Such solutions, due to the involvement of 3rd party/public networks pose a concern related to data security and complete network ownership. This paper explains the deployment of a pilot project executed in Giant Oil and Gas Production Field (X Field) in ADNOC Onshore with following features, Deployment private LPWAN based on existing telecom backhaul consisting of FoC and WiMAX network. Data was taken from exiting active instrumentation and converted to Modbus RTU routed over LoRa wireless modulation as Physical Layer by adding LoRa Slave Modules. Data from slave modules was wirelessly communicated through LoRa Master Gateways to SCADA Master Controller (MTU). This solution embeds IIoT technologies i.e. Low Power Wireless Gateways to industry proven SCADA controllers for remote monitoring as well as some operational commands such as oil well closure. At present, in ADNOC Onshore there are multiple remote facilities e.g., oil wells, water injection wells, CP system solar stations etc. which are without centralized remote monitoring; at the same instance, the field has a widespread SCADA network based on WiMAX and FoC. This situation is equally applicable for most of oil and gas brownfield facilities. Private LPWA networks built upon these existing SCADA networks are cost effective solutions to cover the gap for remote monitoring of the facilities where near real-time data monitoring is required. In this deployment ADNOC onshore has successfully achieved the flexibility and cost effectiveness offered by LPWAN along with the hardened centralized SCADA controller to eliminate the cyber security concerns related to Application and Hardware Security. Below LPWA technology was primarily utilized as an added function for this development IIoT SCADA Private Lora (Modbus RTU over physical layer of Lora)