Reliable industry connectivity
Published: 18 June, 2021
Reliable and secure connectivity of critical production, operational and safety systems in the oil and gas industry, such as Red Zone management and real-time location applications, can be provided by Salunda’s new Hawk wireless sensor network.
Offering the latest in robust standalone technology, the patent protected Hawk network (US Patent 11,026,154) can accommodate more than 5,000 ultra-low power sensors as part of a fully integrated and functioning wide area network, providing real time location and monitoring of people and equipment operating in hazardous environments.
Already proven in offshore drilling across a range of safety systems, the new network can be integrated with third party sensors and control systems to improve platform safety, enhance production, predict equipment failure and boost operational efficiencies.
The Hawk wireless network can be easily retrofitted to existing infrastructure and rapidly commissioned while drilling activity continues, ensuring minimum downtime and disruption to productivity. Intrinsically safe and offering long-term operational benefits together with ultra-low power, long lasting battery performance, it is unaffected by fluctuating signal levels due to multi-path and multi-propagation effects due to the metallic environment of offshore structures.
Hawk is specifically designed to operate with optimum functionality in harsh and cluttered environments where there are regular changes to propagation paths – for example, equipment movements and relocation blocking transmission paths. Sensors attached to people or equipment do not require line-of-sight connectivity to communicate effectively with the network, ensuring there is no drop off in signal strength or loss of message status, contributing further to improved safety levels.
Comprising robust concentrators to send and receive messages, gateway beacons to relay messages and passive sensors that listen for transmissions, Hawk can support a range of position tracking performance technologies that help to avert incidents and trigger personalised warnings to reduce the risk of workplace injuries and accidents.
The low latency network already provides the operating infrastructure for Salunda’s Crew Hawk system for improved personal protection and management of people, and the Latch Hawk fingerboard latch monitoring and pipe handling solution. Integration with third party sensors and control systems that trigger anti-collision and machine emergency stop can also be added for wider end-user flexibility and ease-of-use.
IECEx and DNV certified for use in flammable environments, Hawk can also be extended with connectivity to additional technologies and devices such as digital ranging (e.g. Time of Flight or LIDAR) cameras and machine vision to provide expanded levels of real time coverage, zone management and control of critical work area access, safety and security. Configuration flexibility sees the network capable of accommodating all sizes of multi-levelled offshore structures as well as installation in areas requiring large scale safety and automation such as drilling rigs, derricks, decks, machine rooms and mud plants.
Hawk networks are operational globally, and systems utilising the technology are operational on offshore platforms and drilling rigs in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and South East Asia.
Alan Finlay, CEO at Salunda, said: “The Hawk network has been specifically optimised to meet the requirements of industrial environments. In particular, its excellent in-service reliability, flexibility and capacity to accommodate large numbers of battery-powered sensors for very long periods is already making a significant contribution to keeping people safe and secure in hazardous environments.
“With wireless sensor networks now being widely deployed in a diverse range of essential monitoring and safety applications, we believe that the unique features of the Hawk network mean it is ideally suited to providing an advanced technology solution to enhance production and meet the needs of oil and gas industry operators.”
