Maximum plant availability for the oil and gas industry

The control system for process automation

Beckhoff calls on a comprehensive modular range of components and deep-rooted, cross-sector expertise to create open automation systems using PC-based control technology. All control functions, such as PLC, visualization, cloud connection, safety technology, and measurement technology, are integrated on a universal platform. For the oil and gas industry, a comprehensive modular range of components is available for the implementation of integrated solution concepts for communication from zone 0/20 to the cloud.

PC-based control for oil and gas production:

• universal platform for the automation of all processes and plants
• integration of all control functions into a single system
• high level of interoperability due to open interfaces in hardware and software
• control and cable redundancy for increased plant availability
• PC-based control technology is established worldwide across all industries

Ideal for the oil and gas industry: The open EtherCAT fieldbus

As a universal and open high-speed fieldbus, EtherCAT is suitable for all areas of application – from PLC and drive technology to sensors and measurement and safety technology. With EtherCAT, you only need one communication technology for your entire plant and can also benefit from the safety and optimum performance of the comprehensive EtherCAT architecture. The EtherCAT-based control is also open with regard to integrating third-party EtherCAT devices and other fieldbus systems.

Advantages of EtherCAT for oil and gas production:

• wide selection of EtherCAT-compatible sensors and actuators on the market
• fast troubleshooting through diagnostic functions
• Extended Distance technology for data acquisition across expansive areas
• cable redundancy for high plant availability
• lean system cabling through remote I/O

TwinCAT: The control platform for the oil and gas industry

With its TwinCAT automation software, Beckhoff offers a central platform for controlling plants in the oil and gas industry. In addition to classic process control in the PLC program, algorithms written in C++, MATLAB^®, and Simulink^® can also be executed in real time. The scope of application of PC-based control for process automation is extended with the comprehensive integration of specific process technology protocols and interfaces. By supporting common standards such as NAMUR, HART, and FDT/DTM, TwinCAT covers the application areas of industry-specific applications.

TwinCAT highlights for oil and gas production:

• control-integrated Industry 4.0 and IoT applications
• modular plant automation with TwinCAT MTP
• TwinCAT Controller Redundancy for increased plant availability
• comprehensive data evaluation with analytics functions
• support for common standards such as NAMUR, HART, and FDT/DTM

Elegant Ex panels: The CPX series in a robust aluminum design

With the CPX Panel models, the tried-and-tested multi-touch technology of Beckhoff Control Panels and Panel PCs is available in a particularly robust design and meets the requirements for use in zone 2/22 hazardous areas. A high level of functionality combined with high-quality workmanship ensures the durability of the CPX panels even in harsh environmental conditions. The comprehensive CPX portfolio offers a wide choice of formats, sizes, mounting options, and performance features. The fanless panel PCs also offer reliable plant control.

Multi-touch panels for the oil and gas industry:

• capacitive touch technology for optimized operation
• high-quality design
• robust and durable
• flexible mounting
• up to 100 m distance between Ex panel and industrial PC with CP-Link 4

Connecting Ethernet-APL field devices to the modular I/O system

The rise of digitalization, especially in the areas of plant diagnostics and monitoring, is currently one of the major topics in the oil and gas industry. Processing plants are generally very widespread and have particular requirements that are met by the specially developed standard Ethernet-APL, which offers a transmission rate of 10 Mbit/s and a cable length of up to 1,000 meters.

Beckhoff integrates the Ethernet-APL technology into the modular terminal portfolio. The compact ELX6233 can be mounted in the control cabinet in combination with other EtherCAT Terminals. Two Ethernet-APL field devices can be connected via each ELX6233 Terminal. As with all EtherCAT Terminals in the ELX series, the ELX6233 enables direct connection of intrinsically safe field devices from zone 0.

Integrated communication from the sensor to the cloud

A networked control system is crucial in oil and gas production to ensure seamless communication across decentralized plant components. Due to its openness, PC-based control provides the ideal foundation for Industry 4.0 and IoT concepts: Flexible interfaces in both software and hardware enable both horizontal and vertical integration, such as to higher-level control systems.

The TwinCAT IoT software library is available for communication between the plant control system and cloud-based services. It is designed to support the standardized OPC UA, AMQP, and MQTT protocols for communication with popular cloud systems such as Microsoft Azure™ and Amazon Web Services, as well as private cloud systems in the company’s own network.

Integrated controller redundancy increases plant availability

Plant availability plays a decisive role when it comes to oil and gas production. Measures to increase this include using redundant architectures to safeguard against failures of individual control components. For redundant control operation, TwinCAT Controller Redundancy is available.

This system-integrated software solution allows two standard industrial PCs to be operated as redundant controllers that both run the same PLC program. An additional high-performance network connection between the two controls provides the necessary data synchronization, and the fact that standard Ethernet is used means no dedicated hardware components are required. This ensures that only one of the two industrial PCs addresses the fieldbus components at any given time and that the control programs are executed on both computers with the same database. If one control fails, the second control seamlessly takes over, preventing plant downtime and data loss.

Simplify the commissioning of field devices with TwinCAT

The full integration of the HART functionality into both the I/O system and the TwinCAT engineering ensures simple project planning and commissioning. The HART protocol integration allows users to integrate HART field devices directly into the controller. In addition, TwinCAT reduces the engineering work: The TwinCAT FDT container enables the integration of field device DTMs directly into the TwinCAT Engineering and thus offers programming and field device configuration in one environment.

The Beckhoff ComDTM enables the seamless integration of TwinCAT controllers into existing process control systems. Using ComDTM, the DTMs of the field devices connected to HART-enabled EtherCAT Terminals can be integrated into any FDT containers in higher-level systems. This allows field devices to be configured and parameterized remotely without direct access to the PLC.

Remote or offshore plants are monitored and controlled using high-performance edge controllers (industrial PCs) and local control logic, ensuring that processes continue to run autonomously even if the remote connection fails. Data is transmitted in encrypted form – for example, via OPC UA – and is temporarily stored in case of an unstable connection or high latency. Based on this data, diagnostics can be carried out remotely, settings can be adjusted, and faults can be resolved quickly. To this end, Beckhoff provides industrial PCs with TwinCAT runtime (including an OPC UA server), EtherCAT I/Os, and functions for condition monitoring and secure remote maintenance to implement such architectures.

High plant availability is achieved through preventive, condition-based maintenance, redundant system architectures, and rapid interlock mechanisms. Quick response times, remote diagnostics, and clearly defined testing procedures enable a swift return to operation. TwinCAT 3 Condition Monitoring, in connection with the scalable industrial PC platforms provided by Beckhoff, provides the data foundation for condition-based maintenance and efficient remote maintenance. Redundant system solutions further increase plant availability.

To minimize downtime, various redundancy options are available, ranging from data acquisition to communication with higher-level systems. Typical redundancy options in the oil and gas industry include controller redundancy, network redundancy, redundant power supplies, I/O and field device redundancy, as well as redundant data storage and logging.

At the field level, EtherCAT redundancy can be used for the redundant integration of remote I/Os. In addition, redundant power supplies and network communication via the Parallel Redundancy Protocol are used. Network redundancy is achieved through EtherCAT ring or parallel topologies, fiber-optic links for long distances, and dual communication paths to SCADA/DCS systems and remote sites.

Controller redundancy enables two controllers to operate in parallel, so that the system can switch to the standby unit in the event of a failure. The Beckhoff solution integrates controller redundancy via TwinCAT in combination with the EtherCAT redundancy concepts described above, redundant industrial PCs and power supplies, as well as FailSafe/hot-standby I/Os to ensure fast, deterministic failover in offshore and onshore plants. In addition, UPS and power supply redundancy, RAID mirroring for historian logs, and data replication to central systems are used to prevent data loss. For the implementation, RTO and availability targets, SIL/PL requirements, and zone classifications are defined, HAZOP tests are conducted, and regular failover drills are scheduled.

Process data is collected in real time via an edge device, pre-processed, tagged with local alarms, and transmitted to historian systems or cloud platforms via standardized interfaces (OPC UA/MQTT). There, analytics and machine learning models enable the identification of anomalies and wear indicators, as well as the estimation of remaining service life. High-quality data collection, meaningful operational status data, and appropriate raw data processing are crucial for reliable forecasts. Beckhoff solutions such as TwinCAT Analytics and scalable edge controllers offer integrated data collection, preprocessing, and seamless integration with cloud analytics.

Field device communication via Ethernet-APL not only enables the transmission of process data, but also offers additional functions such as integrated web servers for configuring field devices or interfaces for advanced diagnostic data. This remote access significantly streamlines the commissioning and maintenance processes for equipment, particularly in the case of installations that are far apart or geographically dispersed in the oil and gas industry.