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Anyone who has worked in automation knows that one of the most time-consuming and unpredictable aspects of deploying a system is working with a plethora of equipment from multiple vendors, many times with varying protocols and standards. Historically, the upstream oil and gas industry has used a range of proprietary protocols and ‘standard’ Modbus.
In our previous article, Making the Case for DNP3 in Upstream Oil & Gas, we discussed the growing adoption of the DNP3 protocol in the oil and gas automation market and how this adoption will benefit end users of automation equipment, particularly RTUs and SCADA. We will now take a closer look at how this interoperability is achieved.
Achieving the necessary site architecture long term requires the right combination of scalability, as it relates to processing power and I/O, along with the flexibility to obtain as much control as needed with tools and systems that are designed with users in mind.
As companies look to their future in an uncertain environment, selecting the right automation and measurement platform becomes a critical decision that can deliver real operational cost savings by reducing complexity, allowing for more flexible engineering practices, and providing the tools necessary to employ truly standardized approaches across the organization and asset base.
A critically important factor in selecting an automation platform is ensuring the technology has been designed and engineered for oil and gas operations. Fit-for-purpose automation technologies are much more likely to deliver superior performance long term while providing an optimal user experience.