Large Oil Company Uses AirLink RX55 for Jet Pump Monitoring

Sierra Wireless AirLink® RX55 Provides Remote Monitoring And Management Of Jet Pump Networks

Focusing primarily on exploration and production, one of Pakistan’s largest oil companies operates a network of jet pumps scattered across its concession area, which includes an onshore footprint of more than 10,000 square kilometers and the largest offshore acreage given to any single exploration and production company in the country. These jet pumps operate continuously—24 hours a day, seven days a week—as artificial lift mechanisms for producing oil in mature fields.

The Challenge

Unmanned Sites Require Remote Monitoring For Immediate Remediation

Most of the company’s jet pumps are located at unmanned sites, with an average travel time of about an hour from base operations. Unfortunately, the real-time status of the remote jet pumps was not accessible to the production team, which is centrally located at the company’s base. Operators had to routinely travel to the many jet pump sites to check system health in person. The travel was time-consuming and expensive in terms of human resources and delayed the identification and restoration of any failed jet pumps.

If a visiting operator noticed a problem with a jet pump, the operator alerted an initial response team to come to the remote site to troubleshoot the issue. Once a cause for jet pump shutdown was determined, the appropriate maintenance team was then dispatched from base operations. This manual process could take hours, even days – time in which oil was not being produced and both revenue and productivity was lost.

The Solution

Sierra Wireless AirLink RX55 Is Reliable In Hazardous Conditions

The organization realized it needed to implement real-time monitoring and management of its jet pump network to more quickly and accurately identify and remedy jet pump failure and eliminate downtime. The company turned to a member of the Sierra Wireless Solution Partner Program to develop a jet pump monitoring solution based on an instrument equipped with a solar panel, battery, intelligent charge controller, and NEMA enclosure interfacing with a fault annunciator.

Back in 2014, when the company first started looking for a solution, they were presented with a solar-powered communications enclosure that included the AirLink RV50 industrial router (proceeded by the newer RV50X). Today, with newer technologies available, the team at USAT would incorporate the Sierra Wireless AirLink RX55 4G LTE-A Industrial IoT router as it features several improvements over the RV50.

Similar to the RV50, the RX55 has a small footprint for easy installation and a rugged design to withstand extreme temperature changes, humidity, shock, and vibration. It includes certifications for hazardous environments (Class I, Div 2) and is ultra low-power, making it ideal for industrial deployments in rural areas where power options are limited.

Unlike the RV50x, which has an embedded Cat 6 modem, the RX55 is Cat 7, has models with available Wi-Fi 5 for additional applications, improved security features, and 30 GNSS channels (over the RV50 adn RV50X’s 12). The RX55 was also built utilizing Sierra Wireless’s next-gen web-based configuration interface, AirLink OS, instead of ALEOS, that has improved security by default and design.

When paired with Sierra Wireless’ AirLink Complete services, that include the cloud application AirLink Management Service (ALMS), companies can manage RX55s remotely - configuring, deploying, and monitoring their gateways over the air. Such capabilities make managing hundreds to thousands of devices as easy as managing ten. In addition, custom alerts can be set up for notification when devices go offline, resulting in faster issue identification, less downtime, and fewer field trips – precisely what the company was looking for.

When paired with the Poynting LPDA antenna, remote jet pumps can connect easily to distant cell towers, even up to distances of 25 miles or more depending on the landscape. If using Wi-Fi capable models, The NEMA enclosures can also be outfitted with PUCK 3-in-1 antennas for enhanced Wi-Fi and GPS range.

The Results

A Real-Time Monitoring and Management Solution

The new jet pump real-time monitoring and management solution covers parameters such as engine pressure, pump vibration, and more. The instrument collects data and communicates with the AirLink router via RS232. The data is relayed to the main server at base operations via the always-on cellular connection provided by the router. The router’s over-the-air configuration capabilities enable pre-defined authorization access for full data security.

The instrument’s solar panel is used to power the system, which has a self-monitoring feature to report the solar and battery voltage and the temperature of the enclosure. Customized software provides the necessary information for monitoring and analysis. Now the organization can check the status of its jet pumps every 10 minutes. In case of an event, the system immediately triggers an alert to relevant maintenance staff through SMS and email.

The company now has a clear picture of the status of its jet pumps on a near real-time basis, allowing it to decrease downtime and increase revenue. Mission accomplished.

About USAT

Device Provisioning, Activation and Installation Services

USAT specializes in designing and deploying fixed and mobile wireless data connectivity solutions for organizations of all sizes — complete with implementation, training, proof of concept (POC), system auditing, and on-site RF surveying services with optional engineering maintenance contracts. Our team not only helps you select, provision, and activate devices, we make sure they work in practical applications and real-life situations.

For over 25 years, USAT has provided fixed and mobile communications solutions to oil and gas companies for various applications across the USA. With our extensive catalog of world-class routers, gateways, and software designed for remote monitoring and management in even the harshest environments — you can count on us to get and keep you connected.

Better mobile connectivity translates to less manual equipment maintenance, reduced downtime, and an overall increase in your business's ROI. Contact the experts at USAT to learn how our wireless networking solutions can help meet your organization's exacting needs.