Chemical Technology Oct 2015

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Chemical Technology • October 2015 30
IP creates a single, streamlined platform upon which
to deliver all the services necessary to operate satel-
lite assets. That’s a significant leap forward from the
conventional approach of multiple segmented systems.
Consider this: Automation controls, physical security and
surveillance systems; each of these remote services have in
the past required multiple, often proprietary, networks and
configurations to deliver their data to central control centres.
Such diversity drives up operating expenses, including the
high costs of maintaining disparate services and cross-
training staff on the intricacies of mismatched technologies.
Contrast to the use of IP: A single unified, wired and
wireless networking platform, with integrated cyber security
that easily interconnects different types of devices and
streamlines data delivery and control. This just scratches
the surface of the benefits that can be gained.
IP’s 'always on', connections provide the ability to collect
far greater quantities of data. More data provides the op-
portunity to perform more analytics – and more analytics
means faster, more intelligent decisions to manage, monitor
and maintain remote assets. This really is the 'Internet of
Everything' in action.
However, with this surge of data comes the need for care-
ful planning and engineering to ensure that each remote
service receives the appropriate level of network access
and priority. If the network cannot differentiate the types
of traffic coming from the asset and manage them based
on priority, then all the data will potentially be fighting over
the network uplinks.
The best systems also are tailored to the security needs
of the remote asset, from both physical and cyber security
aspects.
Streamlined wastewater management
Good planning equals good network design. Early engage-
ment of network and automation vendors will help ensure
companies with remote assets have the right services with
the correct capabilities.
A case in point: Early engagement was key in the recent
deployment of converged platforms for water/wastewater
treatment centres in the UK and the Netherlands. Each
treatment centre required a number of different remote
outstations, depending on the size of its geographical reach.
Each outstation had remote telemetry units collecting
various data about the localised treatment process, such
as the pH, turbidity and water flow rates.
Information from these outstations is critical to helping
water utility operatorsmanage their hydrological models. The
more data they have, the more information they can feed
into these models to improve the efficiency of the algorithms
that help balance the supply of treated water and ensure the
capacity to treat wastewater. Getting this right drives down
operating costs and reduces the risk of expensive fines from
releasing untreated water into rivers, streams and seas.
Simplifying
remote asset management with IP
From oil well heads drilled into Arctic
tundra to pumping stations far beyond the
walls of water treatment plants,
technology is driving down the
cost and complexity of monitoring remote
operations while increasing critical data
flows and improving
by David Bell, Consulting Solutions Architect, Cisco, California, USA