LOGIX® site manager platform integrates legacy systems

Overview

The North Sea represents one of the most challenging environments for oil and gas operations. For one operator, drilling high-pressure/high-temperature (HP/HT) wells in a heavily regulated North Sea location demanded precision, safety, and efficiency. Advanced technologies were necessary to mitigate risks and maximize profitability.

Integrating LOGIX^® site manager – a cutting-edge platform for real-time valve monitoring and control – into the project enabled the operator to enhance safety monitoring, ensure procedural compliance, and boost operational efficiency. This approach not only addressed the project’s complexities, but also played a critical role in advancing automation in this complex drilling environment.

Challenge

Outdated systems can lead to critical gaps in visibility and coordination, negatively affecting safety and operational efficiency. Fragmented systems often include legacy sensors, manual workflows, and disconnected systems, which can lead to siloed data and misaligned processes. Procedural gaps often refer to paper-based procedures that lack live feedback, thus increasing the risk of flow-path misalignments or incidents caused by poor valve tracking. Without real-time monitoring of valve positions or flow paths, operators are forced to rely on reactive measures, which could result in costly errors, financial losses, or regulatory penalties.

The consequences of disconnection can cause operational downtime, which can cost rigs millions annually in nonproductive time. Safety incidents, like valve misalignments, can escalate into environmental spills or equipment failures. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny is increasing, making procedural compliance. more critical than ever.

Solution

Facing the relentless demands of HP/HT wells and Norway’s stringent regulations, the operator turned to the LOGIX^® site manager platform, which modernized operations and unified fragmented legacy systems with advanced Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, thus empowering the operator to better manage safety risks and operational hurdles. LOGIX^® site manager successfully integrated 26 existing valve sensors, along with rig-wide pressure and flow data, into a unified platform – providing seamless data aggregation from legacy systems and ensuring that all critical signals could be captured without requiring costly infrastructure upgrades.

Additionally, 96 wireless valve position sensors were installed across the jackup rig, using a custom LoRaWAN network. These sensors provided real-time visibility into valve positions, enabling the operator to monitor critical components remotely and to reduce manual inspections in hazardous zones. An automated flow path detection system continuously monitored valve alignments, pump states, and flow configurations to automatically detect any critical issues. Any misalignment or deviation from safe configurations triggered immediate alerts. Using browser-based technology and edge computing, the LOGIX^® platform synchronized human–machine interface (HMI) systems across onsite teams and remote stakeholders – allowing the operator to assign controller or viewer roles to ensure clarity and control while maintaining secure remote access via internetconnected devices..

Result

The LOGIX^® site manager platform enabled the operator to deploy 96 sensors across the jackup rig and to integrate 26 existing valve sensors, as well as pressure and flow data, into a unified platform. With these installments, flow paths could be automatically monitored across all critical configurations, and digitized workflows ensured procedural compliance with real-time feedback.

By utilizing the LOGIX^® site manager platform, the operator was able to increase operational alignment, with all stakeholders having access to live system updates for better decision making. This, in turn, enhanced safety, since automated flow path detection reduced manual oversight requirements for unmanned operations while ensuring that critical safety parameters were met at all times. Additionally, digitized workflows eliminated reliance on paper procedures, thus reducing procedural gaps and improving accountability across teams. Bridging legacy systems with the LOGIX® site manager platform and IoT technology allowed the operator to modernize operations while avoiding costly infrastructure replacements.