Solution Brief
Leveraging Edge Computing Platforms in Midstream Oil & Gas
Providing no compromise, downtime free operations, and reliable data at the edge
Midstream Oil & Gas owners and operators are responsible for continuous, safe, reliable, and compliant operations while addressing demand pressures, environmental concerns, theft, and even cybersecurity threats. Digitalization strategies and resulting solutions should effectively serve this goal. A well-executed solution significantly improves Midstream business performance in terms of asset reliability, operational efficiency, security, product quality, and work safety.
Digitalization means using new digital technology such as improvements in pipeline SCADA, compressor and pump station HMI, historians, analytics, AI, and the operation of control rooms and command centers. Improved reliability though depends on the platform that best deploys these applications.
Stratus offers edge computing platforms for critical midstream oil and gas applications from the field to the cloud, bringing simplicity, security, and peace of mind, while eliminating the threat of unplanned downtime and financial and reputational risk. Stratus edge computing platforms simplify, protect, and automate your digitally transforming business-critical operations.
Key Benefits
- A Scalable Offering – Stratus edge computing platforms are ideal for monitoring and control, virtualization/thin clients, historian, analytics, MES, AI, control rooms and command centers, critical field automation and control stations with complex operations, and integrate stand-alone silos.
- Industrial Grade and Edge Ready – the Stratus ztC™ Edge platform is fan-less, rated at –40 to 60 °C, 10 to 95 % humidity, with 5-500 Hz vibration and is Class I Division 2 certified.
- Integrated Redundancy and Virtualization – Stratus edge computing platforms have redundancy and virtualization pre-integrated and configured out of the box. This prevents unplanned downtime and enables you to combine multiple applications in a single platform.
- Single Partner from Edge to Enterprise – Stratus edge computing platforms integrate seamlessly, providing a common vendor from your local control stations at the edge to your control rooms, command center, enterprise, and the cloud.
Industry 4.0 and IIoT-driven requirements are central to most technology advancements in Oil and Gas. Stratus is a trusted authority supporting critical Industry 4.0 and IIoT applications from Edge to Enterprise. With Edge Computing platforms, our goal is to educate, support and provide owners and operators a secure, protected, and simple platform to enable advanced applications at the Edge.
Asset Performance Management
A goal for many organizations is the desire to improve performance through the deployment of Asset Performance Management (APM) applications. APM is designed to provide access to information on mission critical assets including connection to real time data to Operation Technicians and Engineers. While the application may be cloud based or enterprise connected, data should be processed and stored at the Edge where the information is generated, allowing only critical and anomalous behavior to be elevated to control centers. All data stored with the critical assets minimizes replication, which clogs strained remote communication networks, and helps control bandwidth costs.
Advance Analytics, AI, and Machine Learning
Selecting an Edge Computing platform based on inherent redundancy and virtualization will enable the deployment of advanced analytics to include Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML). AI and ML require real time data collection and analysis processed at the Edge. The Edge platform then becomes part of the critical asset infrastructure, further requiring platform resiliency. This is where Stratus is a key differentiator, with its fault tolerant edge computing platforms capable of supporting these demanding edge applications.
Real-time simulation, Digital Twins, and efficiency
When measuring real time efficiency or running real time simulation in comparison to actual production data, the need for supporting infrastructure at the Edge is immediately realized. These tools enable faster response to operating conditions allowing for quicker analysis and business decisions to be made related to predictive maintenance as well as cost optimization. Digitalization also means enabling tools such as predictive or prescriptive maintenance, running real time models in a Digital Twin environment to compare reality with engineered design. These advanced tools require compute power to be deployed at the edge.
“If I had to give 3 words to describe our Stratus experience, it would be reliability, configurability, and sustainability. In the year that the Stratus has been deployed in our facilities, performance has been exactly what we expected, and the support model has exceeded our expectations and we foresee having Stratus for a long time.”
Steve Adams
Lead Automation Electrical Engineer
Columbia Pipeline Group, now part of TransCanada
Monitoring and control
Stratus has a long track record of supporting traditional automation services such as HMI, SCADA, Historian, and Tank Management, but as technology deployments increase, the demand for a simple, protected, and autonomous infrastructure will only grow. Stratus provides critical Edge Computing platforms that support these growing areas.
A 40-year history of delivering mission critical solutions
For 40 years, we have provided reliable and redundant zero-touch computing, enabling global Fortune 500 companies and small-to-medium sized businesses to securely and remotely turn data into actionable intelligence at the Edge, control center and cloud—driving uptime and efficiency.
This includes a long, successful track record providing major pipeline companies with redundant, reliable, virtualized compute and partnering with major automation companies, which have been supplying our platforms in Oil and Gas for years.
Today, we are successfully supporting real time applications for the deployment of IIoT or Industry 4.0 initiatives, further helping customers as they digitally transform their operations in order to drive predictable, peak performance with minimal risk. We bring this know-how and track record to Midstream Oil and Gas—helping ensure mission critical applications achieve desired return on investments.
For more information
Please contact your local systems integrator, channel partner, or Stratus sales representative to explore further how Stratus’ Edge Computing platforms might be right for you. More information about ztC Edge, ftServer, and everRun can be found at stratus.com.
Visit stratus.com/midstream to learn how Stratus is helping in Midstream Oil and Gas.
