Service: Measurement - Integration

Integration

• Assistance with the integration of metering facility systems into supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and gas management systems, including local and remote data communications.

• None of the systems used in gas measurement can be addressed as individual systems. A big picture integrated approach is needed to ensure the best possible accuracy from the transmitters and meters to the billing system as well as control functions back to the metering facility.

• The data from the transmitters, meters and gas sampling equipment need to get to the system doing the gas flow measurement calculations. The measurement, audit trail and alarm/event data need to get into the gas editing (management) systems. Operational information and volumes need to get to the supervisory control and data acquisition system for control and scheduling activities.

• Set points and possibly gas quality data may need to get back to the flow computer doing the calculations and control to ensure proper operation of the metering site. • Integration can involve numerous communication interfaces (dial-up, radio, VSAT, ethernet, etc.) and protocols (proprietary, MODBUS, BSAP, etc.), each with their own challenges.

• Setup, commissioning and startup activities must verify the data integrity between the end devices to the SCADA and gas measurement systems.

• Many devices require connection to the device with a lap top computer running the manufacturer’s interface application for configuration, programming and troubleshooting. Many of these devices now support ethernet, which allows a secure local area network (LAN) to be set up for access to multiple devices from several locations. This saves time and resources when doing verification, calibration and troubleshooting.

• Significant time, resource and money savings can be realized if secure remote communication access over a secure wide area network (WAN) is available to support staff and field technicians also. Many companies have discontinued dial-in access due to security concerns.

Services Offered:

Measurement
• Lost and Accounted For
• Instrumentation
• Gas Meters
• Meter Stations
• Integration

Automation and Control
• Control Strategies
• Flow Computers
• Communication

Additional Services
• White Papers