Published: July 30, 2024 |

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As advancing technology allows more and more oilfield equipment to transmit data to operators, the wide-open spaces hosting oilfield activity is making those transmissions harder.

Companies like Digi International are stepping up to help improve communications.

In the Permian Basin, Joseph Mladek, regional sales manager, told the Reporter-Telegram by telephone the vast Permian Basin oilfields offer challenges traditional cellular providers find difficult to meet.

Digi provides industrial Internet of Things solutions, some of which use public and private cellular towers. Digi devices provide connectivity and remote access to customer equipment.

There are two options: The plug-and-play box so that, rather than sending a technician with a laptop to collect data, the box can send that data over cellular networks. It also improves safety by keeping workers off the road, he added.

The second option is embedded modules that embed cellular connectivity into the customer’s equipment.

“Now we’re seeing simple sensors, tank monitoring sensors. And there is high demand for sensors monitoring for methane and explosive gases, demand Digi’s equipment can meet,” said Mladek.

“Data cables can have length limitations, and there are rugged environments where cables could be cut or erode. Wired connectivity is also very costly,” added Mladek.

Wireless connectivity, either via long-range radio frequency modules or cellular modems enables data communication to remote areas. These solutions are far less costly and much easier to service than wired connections. Digi offers these embedded radios, as well as cellular gateways and routers designed for industrial operations in remote areas and harsh conditions.

Customers can help determine how Digi configures the particular systems. Some want data sent to a central dashboard while others want to keep transmissions more local. Other customers want a more autonomous, intelligent system that runs algorithms and can distinguish between the need to activate alarms or send alerts. Digi offers wireless design services as well as professional services to help industrial outfits identify, procure and deploy secure, resilient networking systems tailored to their particular needs.

Oilfield customers have been very helpful in helping Digi develop innovative solutions, he said, citing systems that accommodate artificial intelligence, machine learning, the Internet of Things, cellular communications, which he said makes the industry profitable.

The systems are affordable, especially when looking at the imbedded modular solution, Mladek said. Digi handles a lot of the software, eliminating the need for customers to have a large engineering staff. And the devices are pre-certified by regulators and cellular carriers in a number of countries. And the devices also ship with data plans included.

Digi began working in wireless communications about 20 years ago, Mladek said.

Source: Midland Report Telegram

Digi International is a leading global provider of IoT connectivity products, services, and solutions. It helps companies create next-generation connected products and deploy and manage critical communications infrastructures in demanding environments with high levels of security and reliability. Founded in 1985, Digi has helped customers connect more than 100 million things and counting.

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