On many of the oil platforms operating along the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS) there is a quiet revolution underway. Old analogue-based video surveillance systems are being replaced with much more sophisticated Internet Protocol-based (IP) video management systems capable of doing far more than basic monitoring and surveillance.

These new systems are being deployed in larger numbers on oil platforms and in the sophisticated supply vessels which serve the oil rigs up there. It is not uncommon today to see up to 100 IP camera systems on an oil platform and the same number on some of the larger supply vessels plying their trade in the NCS.

Many of these cameras are being deployed to monitor activity and assess whether maintenance is needed on any drilling equipment. The arrival of the latest HD technology and multi-megapixel cameras over the last five years, combined with improved compression algorithms for real-time streaming of video images to central control rooms and smart mobile devices, has conspired to stimulate rapid adoption of IP video equipment and software in this market. Open standards-based Video Management Software is now being integrated into larger production control and maintenance monitoring systems on the rigs.

Take for example the use of fibre-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology now being deployed for in-well monitoring. This rapidly evolving technology is already being used by completion engineers for hydraulic fracture profiling, as well as by geo-physicists to acquire vertical seismic profile measurements. DAS technology could be linked with an open systems-based VMS to a central control room so that if there is any evidence of perforation breakdown or other process-limiting events, alarms could be delivered via the VMS to relevant smart mobile devices.

Case Study 1. Off-Shore Platform

Video management software sits at the core of oil rig builder Aker Solutions’ own MH DrillView maintenance planning and monitoring system.

Aker Solutions builds H-6e-type drilling semi-submersible oil rigs designed for drilling for oil in the harshest of conditions and in waters that reach depths of 3,000 metres. They offer a maximum drill string length of 10,000 metres.

Fig 1. The installations on an oil rig has to be as dependable and rugged as possible.

For over 30 years, Aker Solutions has been the market leader in the design of drilling equipment and facilities, recognised for its development of new technology for deep water drilling based on field-proven equipment. Aker’s MH DrillView system provides a highly user-friendly interface for the acquisition, logging, storage and distribution and display of drilling data, as well as setup and remote control of drilling equipment.

MH DrillView integrates the drilling systems into one common control and monitoring centre for greater efficiency, safety and ease of use. Real-time drilling data can be shared between the driller, rig offices, shore base and supply vessels. MH DrillView can be used to monitor mud system schematics, hydraulic power units and other drilling equipment during use. It helps operators troubleshoot and plan maintenance activity. As such it is the key control system for its rigs.

The safe operation of the H-6e’s automated drilling system requires effective monitoring in very demanding environments. Aker Solutions installs up to 90 PTZ dome cameras on each rig, placing them inside explosion-proof, ATEX-approved, housings. The MH Dome system is interfaced with Milestone XProtect Enterprise software, which was customised to meet Aker Solutions’ systems requirements. The software provides powerful video management and control functions and can easily be made accessible to remote users over the Internet, or a corporate intranet. The MH DrillView system has proved so successful that it has now been deployed to leading platform providers including Maersk, Seadrill and Aker Drilling.

Back at the surface, the new breed of network cameras are being built into SAE 316L-compliant, stainless steel, nitrogen-pressurised fully-sealed casings. In this way the stringent requirements for all oil platform-based equipment can be met without the need for investment in additional housings as these devices pass IP66, IP6K9K, NEMA 4X and MIL-STD-810G 509.5 standards out of the box. For citing of these powerful new cameras in hazardous areas there are also explosion-proof, ATEX II-compliant housings designed to fit around the HD quality PTZ (pan tilt zoom) high-resolution cameras.

Milestone VMS is now being deployed in large numbers to help these facilities to capture, record and manage the resulting images. And increasingly these VMS are forming the control hub for those monitoring production and safety across these sites. They can now form the heart of central communications and control hub because of the fact they are open systems-based. Open architecture, called Milestone Integration Platform, makes it possible for other control, monitoring and surveillance systems to be routed into the central point and run alongside time-synchronised video images for more intelligent post-event analysis.

So, for example, if a secure door is breached it will be possible to set up the IP video system to capture images at the highest possible frame rate and resolution every time this door is used by someone not presenting an appropriate access control reader. In this way intruders are much more likely to be identified faster and action taken earlier.

IP video provides an extra pair of eyes to help improve operational efficiency across many industrial facilities. For example the IP video systems on-board those oil rig supply vessels are used to monitor the loading and unloading of equipment and supplies at both ends of their journey. In this way they can ensure loading is done correctly and make more accurate assessments of when they will be able to leave the port and deliver goods to their destination.

As manufacturing plants gradually migrate onto a common network, often deploying industrial control systems (ICS) over Industrial Ethernet infrastructures, plant managers are seeing an opportunity to use IP video systems to monitor and record specific aspects of a manufacturing process. They are also using IP video to support preventative maintenance by monitoring devices that are likely to fail.

Specialist IP-based thermal imaging cameras can now be used to spot corrosion or the leaking of pipes for example. Other high-resolution cameras could be trained on specific machines, sensors, actuators, safety curtains and the like. It makes sense for IP video systems to automatically record any incidents in the manufacturing process where staff need to cross into hazardous zones to replenish raw material, reset systems or carry out routine maintenance.

IP video systems are also deployed for security reasons of course. Increasingly those running oil and gas platforms, refining and distribution facilities, power plants and other critical national infrastructure sites are acutely conscious of the need to minimise the risk of unauthorised personnel gaining access to their facilities with a view to sabotaging the site, taking it off-line, or even taking it over - as has been the case in Iraq in recent months.

Fig 2. Picture of solar farm.

Case Study 2. Solar Farms

Video management software provides video recording and management platform for securing solar farms for one of the UK’s largest photovoltaic systems operators – Wirsol Solar UK.

Wirsol, which has multiple solar farms throughout the UK, sought an affordable surveillance solution for four of its five-megawatt solar farms, each measuring 200,000 square metres. It was critical to prevent intruders breaching fences and stealing solar panels. The security challenge was significant because of the size of the sites and the fact that they are unmanned, unilluminated and situated in remote rural locations.

Wirsol worked with Milestone partner integrator WT Parker who designed a system capable of detecting intruders in real-time, virtually eliminating false alarms and sending genuine intruder alerts to a remote monitoring station – warning them of intruders via an on-site loudspeaker system.

All the sites employed Milestone XProtect Enterprise as their VMS recording and viewing application. This was fully integrated with video analytics software provided by Agent Vi. This software was embedded into high specification Axis thermal network cameras. The outstanding range and performance of these thermal cameras eliminated the need for additional lighting and cut the number of cameras needed per site considerably.

The video analytics software triggers an alarm as it detects a perimeter breach and sends this alarm direct to Milestone XProtect Smart Client that is viewed by a security guard at the remote monitoring station. The guard then makes an announcement via the loudspeaker system to warn off the intruder and, if necessary, instruct the local police to attend the site.

– We were pleasantly surprised to discover the benefits of IP surveillance over analogue CCTV systems. We have peace of mind with this sophisticated solutions that protects our considerable investment, said Stan Dominey, Project Manager at Wirsol Solar UK.

Clearly a well-developed and integrated surveillance system which monitors perimeters and detects and records evidence of threats early, interoperating with other perimeter detection systems, is the best way of preventing production loss as well as protecting both workers and assets

Summary

Upgrading to a centralised VMS like Milestone XProtect, is increasingly being seen as a smart choice by a range of managers of oil, gas and critical national infrastructure facilities. The fact that it operates over IP, is open-architected, and is geared for interoperating with other open standards-standards-based devices makes the move compelling; centralised control and monitoring becomes more sophisticated and all-encompassing as more devices are being networked as part of programmes to boost productivity and unlock efficiencies from plant floor to oil platform.

Thomas Lausten

Milestone Systems A/S,

sales@milestone.dk