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Fig. 4 - EcoStruxure for oil &
gas is an open architecture
designed to optimize IIoT
business value
ken and development planned in the aggregate, These new open architectures of connected pro-
with the application and the physical environment ducts, edge control, and apps, analytics and servi-
being central considerations (figure 4). ces now interoperate across the domains of power
Fortunately, there’s no need for oil & gas engine- and oil & gas plant facilities.
ers to reinvent the wheel by architecting a virtua-
lization infrastructure from the ground up. Infra-
structure companies like Schneider Electric have Linking the new technologies
developed vendor-neutral, validated architectures to profitability
(which Schneider Electric calls “EcoStruxure for Oil
& Gas”) that include an open but tailored stack of Early signs of the link of digitalization technologies
connected products, control level software, and to profitability science are emerging in the domain
cloud-based services for supporting applications of process automation. The new systems designs
and data analytics. Such platforms are made ac- are much more aligned to the business problem
cessible to developers and to a wide ecosystem than to the physical hardware constraints. That re-
of partners so that systems are more agile, flexible presents a huge step forward in terms of enabling
and secure. This common platform/open architec- higher profitability. In essence automation is emer-
ture/open ecosystem approach accommodates in- ging as not only an engine for control of a process,
formation technology (IT) and Operations Techno- but also a critical element in helping to control the
logy (OT) equipment and software and IoT-oriented profitability of that process.
solution development. New tools that enable this profitability measurement
EcoStruxure for oil & gas is the comprehensive (Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Profit Advisor
architecture of innovative digital technologies that being one example), use big data analytics to mea-
allows companies to seamlessly connect, collect, sure the financial performance of an industrial ope-
analyze and act on data in real time to improve sa- ration in real time, from the equipment asset level of
fety, a plant up to the process unit, plant area, plant site
The EcoStruxure architecture allows for much and enterprise levels. On-premise or cloud-enabled,
easier management of core oil & gas processes these tools work with any process historian to mine
across the key elements of cloud, edge, and on- both historical and real-time data. The data is then
premise. Operators, for instance, are able to view processed through the company’s segment-specific
cloud connected critical data anytime, anywhere accounting algorithms to determine real-time ope-
from any device. Resiliency and visibility are impro- rational profitability and potential savings. The tool
ved through live sensor data, predictive analytics, continually displays operational profitability and also
and smart alarming. Operators also have access to projects profit potential into the future. When inte-
experts monitoring connected assets 24/7. grated with process control, such tools help oil &
Deployable both on-premise and in the cloud with gas companies reduce energy and materials costs
built-in cybersecurity at each architectural level 3-5% and improve production output 1-3% [10].
users are able to perform real-time corrective ac- This new level of desired control means that deci-
tions in the short term and optimize their whole sions need to be made within a timeframe that im-
ecosystem in the long term. This results in better pacts the process. In instances where this is achie-
decisions which directly increase the profitability of ved, profitability will shift down into the domain of
the business. control. When profitability, control, efficiency, safety,
EcoStruxure improves the agility of organizations and environmental risk are all allowed to link, execu-
by enabling key process owners to respond more tives will be in a much stronger position to discern
quickly to market dynamics. By providing a colla- integration’s positive impact on the profitability of a
borative workspace that connects applications and plant because measurement is now visible. Once vi-
analytics to the field systems/devices, the archi- sible, stakeholders can learn over time how to make
tecture allows teams to view combined intelligent decisions that influence not only on the safety and
dashboards in real-time, enabling faster and more efficiency of the plant but also on the profitability of
accurate decisions. the plant.
Impiantistica Italiana - Marzo - Aprile 2018 29