Page 154: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (May/Jun 2014)

153 155

REVIEW

Moving forward from

Editorial

AUTOMATION EDITOR automation awareness

GREGORY HALE

Gregory Hale [email protected]

Awareness is a very big word circulating around standing all that information into chunks of vital,

EDITOR

NINA RACH the industry these days. Awareness about automa- usable facts and ? gures becomes so much more [email protected] tion. Things like Big Data. More awareness about important. That is where understand Big Data

MANAGING EDITOR safety. And a new-found enlightenment about comes into play.

AUDREY LEON security. Operators on the platform or in a central control [email protected]

With all the changes, and fears, this awareness room on shore can analyze these huge amounts of

PUBLISHER

BRION PALMER brings, it would be easy to just slip back into the data and use it as an early warning system when [email protected] old ways of doing things. But that just is not an problems threaten or highlight a way to safely in-

Art option anymore. crease production. That knowledge garnered from

PRODUCTION AND LAYOUT

When looking at automation, it is inevitable the all that data, in turn, will be able to keep facilities

Bonnie James technology will come on and take a ? rm grasp. running more reliably and productively.

Print

Companies need to jump on the bandwagon or else With new systems and data running from the

Quad Graphics they will end up left behind. platform to the head of? ce and back, the com-

Subscriptions/

With a stronger push from automation and the munications stream has to remain constant and

Customer Service bene? ts it brings, that will push more companies viable. However, as we have learned in this era of

Rates $160/year – non-quali? ed to ? gure out their security needs because attack control systems having the potential for bad guys requests vectors will change. When it comes to safety, suf- to take them over, the level of awareness of cyber

PO Box 47162

Minneapolis, MN 55447-0162, US ? ce it to say, with more automation and a need for security continues to rise.

Tel (US/Can): +1 800 869 6882 security, safety professionals need to ratchet it up Security is an enabler for the business and more (International): +1 763 746 2790 a few more notches. folks are becoming aware of that.

Fax: (US/Can): +1 866 658 6156

The China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC), “I think there is building level of concern and (International): +1 763 746 2785 email: one of China’s three major national oil companies, awareness where we have started building a prac- [email protected] knows all about the advantages automation can tice around helping people think through where to web: oedigital.com offer. start and how to broadly attack the problem and

Circulation:

As the largest offshore oil and natural gas we are making progress in that regard,” said Mike

Inquiries about back issues producer in China, CNOOC works with foreign Caliel, president and chief executive of Invensys’ or delivery problems should countries for the exploitation of offshore oil and Software and Industrial Automation businesses be directed to: natural gas resources in China’s territorial seas. during a meeting at the ARC Forum in Orlando, [email protected]

As a part of its plan to move forward and cap- Florida, in February.

Reprints: ture the essence of what an oil and gas producer “I think beyond the cyber dimensions of the

Both print and electronic does, CNOOC adopted a progressive strategy of problem and system dimensions are the issues reprints are available for an employing new automation technologies as the around physical assets as well. I think there is a upcoming conference or for use as a marketing tool. Reprinted on best way to ensure offshore projects are brought building awareness of people looking at the prob- quality stock with advertisements into production as quickly as possible with lower lem and it is such a complex problem that people removed, our minimum order is a operational and maintenance costs as well as just don’t know where to start.” quantity of 100.

For more information, call reduced man power levels. That understanding will lead to a having a solid

Jill Kaletha at Foster Printing:

This strategy, for CNOOC, should reduce the security plan in place to ensure the bene? ts of an +1-219-878-6068 time required for engineering design, construc- open architecture and communication.

or email tion, and equipment commissioning. In addition, Technology in the automation environment has [email protected] these automation systems should optimize pro- come a long way in the past decade. It has gotten duction assets through real-time monitoring and to the point where communication and real time management of intelligent ? eld devices in order decision making can occur safely and securely to ensure stable operation of production instal- from the sensor to the boardroom. lations. But the time to become aware is over, now the

Those moves to optimize assets and increase industry needs to start moving toward a stronger

OE REVIEW automation should lead to reducing production automation environment. downtimes and breakdowns and increasing up-

AtComedia time. Gregory Hale is editor and founder of Industrial 1635 W Alabama,

Houston, Texas 77006-4101, USA

To do that requires more data points which Safety and Security Source (ISSSource.com) and

Tel: 713 529-1616 leads to an increase in information. As operators, is the contributing Automation Technology Editor

Fax: 713 523-2339 engineers and executives end up deluged with the at Offshore Engineer. email: [email protected] rush of data coming at them, parsing and under- oedigital.com

OE | May 2014REVIEW 156 0514OER_Hale col.indd 156 4/19/14 11:04 AM