The oil and gas industry faces challenges with the hazardous and remote nature of the operating environment. Other forms of connectivity often fall short for site connectivity needs, resulting in issues with critical operations. This article explores the role of private networks in the oil and gas industry, looking at key use cases and example deployments.
What challenges are the oil & gas industry facing?
The oil and gas industry often operates in vast and remote operational landscapes so maintaining consistent and low-latency connectivity can be challenging. For instance, an offshore rig located miles away from the mainland can’t afford connectivity lapses when critical decisions need to be made. Likewise, a pipeline stretching hundreds of miles requires ongoing monitoring to detect issues like leaks or blockages. Connectivity solutions therefore need to account for a number of physical considerations including:
Varying installation heights depending on the structure
Need for power efficiency
Space constraints (e.g. on an oil rig)
Equipment used in the oil and gas industry also operates under extreme weather conditions (winds, salt water exposure, high temperatures). As a result, they need to be ruggedised and require regular checks to prevent unexpected downtime. However, conducting physical site inspections across such large areas is often problematic – it tends to be labour-intensive, time-consuming and potentially put employees in areas of risk where the asset or ‘thing’ in need of inspecting is hard to access.
Avoiding downtime is absolutely vital in the oil and gas industry; any interruptions to operations can have significant cost implications. The Society of Petroleum Engineers predicts that a brief 3.65 days of downtime can cost companies more than $5 million.
Even more problematic is the hazardous nature of the oil and gas industry. There is a strong emphasis on safety for workers as well as the need for stringent site security. Companies need to ensure they are providing a safe operating environment for their workforce and are complying to industry regulation and company operational standards when it comes to health and safety.
How can private networks help in the oil & gas industry?
Private networks stand out as a useful solution to address the challenges faced by oil and gas sites by providing dedicated, reliable, and secure connectivity. Facilitating consistent connectivity across sprawling and remote sites, these networks enable the deployment of various innovative use cases like autonomous robots, drones, and advanced predictive maintenance systems.
By bridging the connectivity gap in distant operational sites, private networks pave the way for enhanced operational, maintenance, and safety protocols within the oil and gas industry.
Beyond providing a secure and reliable communications network, the key use cases in oil & gas that private networks can support include:
Advanced predictive maintenance
Video ingest and analytics for:Worker safety and monitoring
Incident detection
Security and surveillance
Drone navigation for site inspection
Push-to-X (talk, video, message)
Various IoT use cases, including for environmental (condition) sensing
For instance, private networks enables advanced predictive maintenance through providing reliable connectivity to ensure equipment is being monitored continuously to pre-empt failures. Autonomous robots and drones, used for data collection and site inspection, rely on uninterrupted data flow. They can be better enabled to roam vast areas, sending back vital information in real time, ensuring timely decisions are made whether it’s about machinery health or potential site issues.
Precision in monitoring is another domain where private networks can deliver value. Real-time data from extraction points and processing units ensures production quality remains consistent, minimizing wastage and ensuring efficiency. This real-time communication also enables the remote operation of equipment, allowing for machinery to be controlled from central hubs, and reducing the need for human intervention in potentially hazardous zones.
Safety and security applications are also enhanced. Surveillance footage, whether for site security or worker safety monitoring, is transmitted and analysed in real time. This means potential threats, whether they’re security breaches or safety hazards, are detected and acted upon immediately.
Many use cases also benefit from the use of edge computing, which we explore in more detail in our article here: Edge Computing in Oil and Gas: Driving Efficiency in Digital Transformation.
