Reduce Compressor Maintenance Costs With Remote Monitoring

Remotely located gas compressors can pose a significant operating and maintenance challenge. Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are often used to address this challenge, but to be cost effective, a critical mass of units must be located in close proximity to one another.

Additionally, traditional SCADA systems have limited analytical capabilities. The result is that a tremendous amount of data is produced, but the utility of the data can be marginal.

Internet-based monitoring can help overcome these challenges by providing the ability to monitor individual remote assets and by providing tools to make the data operationally relevant to the organization. One area where remote monitoring can have significant benefits is within an organization's maintenance program, but there are many others including dispatch, machinery analysis, and diagnostics.

In order to maximize the benefit received from deploying a monitoring system, the culture of the organization must be ready to take advantage of the software. It is critical that business personnel are comfortable with the investment and the return on the investment. A company’s operational staff needs to understand how the system will benefit them in their day-to-day activities. Everyone who interacts with the system must be fully trained and engaged with the program. Success with remote monitoring requires the full commitment of the entire organization.

Set Up
Due to the remote nature of leased compressor deployment, most setups benefit from utilizing satellite communications. Cellular communication systems work for some of these units, especially those at compressor stations since they are unlikely to move. However, for leased units that are likely to move over time, satellite communications systems ensure that the units will always be able to communicate.

A piece of hardware in the field communicates with the control panel to gather pertinent information. The units can transmit once a week, once a day, once an hour, or more frequently depending upon how the data will be used. Additionally, the device reports whenever a shutdown occurs. The device handles two-way communications and ensures that every message is acknowledged automatically as it is received by the data center. This capability allows the unit to be shut down remotely in the event that the equipment is running in a manner that could damage the unit.

To fit each field unit generally requires an average of less than six hours on site. If an upgrade is necessary - such as adding a panel annunciator, instrumentation, or correcting grounding issues -it can add two to six hours to the project. Figure 1 shows what a typical installation might look like. The enclosure contains the remote monitoring equipment and the satellite communications terminal is mounted on the top of a pole.

Remote monitoring systems assume that proper instrumentation is already in place and takes advantage of data that are usually already being collected at the panel. The remote monitoring device then connects to the panel utilizing Modbus RTU or similar protocols.