HOUSTON - (Sept. 27, 2004) - IHS Energy, the leading global source of oil and gas information, analysis and software, has introduced iNodes, a new line of wireless sensors designed to bring affordable automation to mature onshore fields where the cost of automation has long been prohibitive, as well as streamline ongoing automation projects for a broad range of oilfield assets.
After months of field tests and analysis, iNodes will be unveiled at the Society of Petroleum Engineers' (SPE) Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, September 27-29, 2004, at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center in IHS Energy's booth #1224.
"With iNodes, the benefits of wireless automation are now within reach for the vast majority of onshore fields where trenching has been such a formidable economic obstacle," said Doug Boone, vice president of product management for Production Solutions at IHS Energy. "Operators will find these smart sensors to be significantly less expensive in terms of hardware, maintenance and installation."
iNodes, added Boone, addresses the concern of operators who have found the exorbitant outlay associated with field automation to far outweigh the benefit of gathering near-real-time production data from lower-producing assets.
Each iNodes device is self-contained, self-powered, wireless and completely integrated with a solar panel, bi-directional radio/satellite transmitter, and back-up battery.
The complete suite of iNodes products include:
- Wireless pressure monitor: senses wellhead pressure; offers on-board data storage and processing
- Electronic flow monitor: monitors natural gas flow and total volumetric flow rates
- Tank level monitor: uses ultrasonic technologies to provide fluid levels in tanks
- Compact flash radio: includes a standard interface for all Windows-based pen PC's, PDA's and laptops; and it plugs into any compact flash port
- Concentration and communications unit with ModbusT Gateway: allows a remote terminal unit (RTU) or existing radio infrastructure to retrieve data from any remote iNodes sensor
According to Boone, with iNodes, the economics of automation now make sense for wells with production as low as 5 BOE/day, based on increased production, greater operational efficiencies, less downtime, better revenue protection and reduced environmental and health/safety risks.
"Lower-producing wells now can achieve the benefits of field automation once exclusively associated with high-profile assets," he added. "In addition, these sensors have enough intelligence to support the sophisticated distributed computing strategies becoming more common in oilfield automation."