Navigating the digital oilfield

From reactive to proactive

GE has a well-established portfolio of remote monitoring and diagnostics services, primarily for its installed fleet of rotating and static plant equipment, but the reach of our monitoring expertise is definitely widening.

One of PII Pipeline Solutions’ latest monitoring technologies is ThreatScanTM, which provides real-time monitoring for impacts and threats to pipelines. ThreatScan measures the timing and relative magnitude of acoustic waves produced by every impact on a pipe wall, whether large or small. Data is immediately transmitted to GE’s iCenter in Florence, Italy, for expert risk assessment and customer notification. ThreatScan sensors are so sensitive that they can even anticipate third-party strikes.

The Florence iCenter is GE’s central command post for all these high-tech capabilities, with services including 24/7 Remote Monitoring & Diagnostics for optimized machine performance, maintenance and safety; Predictive Emissions Monitoring System for gas turbines; and Remote Tuning of emission systems.

The ultimate value of all this science, especially in the realm of our real-time capabilities, comes in giving customers a clear picture of how their assets are changing physically, what the performance implications are for their business, and what can be done about it.

From past to present

Another significant challenge facing the industry is the massive task of digitization. “Everywhere in GE, there is a lot of energy and attention devoted to real-time monitoring because it will make absolutely everything more efficient. And the key to it all is high-quality data,” says Manuel Terranova, Senior Vice President, Subsea Systems, VetcoGray. “But a lot of industry assets were designed well over 20 years ago – long before the digital age.” So, without so much as CAD files for some assets, GE is creating digital models from scratch.

From subsea to satellite

“GE is monitoring plants all around the world, our solutions are field-proven,” says Gary Shaw, Technology Leader for GE Oil & Gas’ VetcoGray business. “We are now applying these capabilities to offshore and subsea applications.” One of the most interesting areas of development will be active real-time monitoring of riser systems. Riser strings can stretch 10,000 feet through strong marine currents and are regularly subjected to 7-8 million foot pounds of bending load. To date, no one solution has gained wide market acceptance. But a cost-effective, real-time monitoring system can have immediate impact for reducing downtime and significantly improving safety when operating in harsh environments. “We are making that happen,” concludes Shaw.