Gas Transmission Demands Fast, Reliable Alarm Response
Founded in 1976, West Texas Gas owns and operates more than 5,000 miles of natural gas distribution mainlines, serving thousands of customers in Texas and Oklahoma. Services include gas distribution, transmission, gathering and processing, and liquids transmission. Through a remote connection to the gas plant facility, plant operators monitor vital system components like compressors via a SCADA system located at the home offices.
SCADA alarms not always getting through to the right people fast enough
Monitoring field stations for alarms through the SCADA was not foolproof; the systems would sometimes lose connection with the host computer. This caused delays in technician response to equipment alarms and increased the risk of severe warnings not being received before action could be taken. As a precaution, WTG implemented a scheme that required staff to visually monitor alarm points and call the appropriate technician when alarms occured. To help ensure compliance and timely reporting, new regulations were established.
Wanted: Backup alarm notification that monitors variable and custom tags
West Texas Gas quickly came to the conclusion that they needed a secondary alarm notification system. Ideally, it would monitor variable tags from the OPC server as well as custom tags that were built into the existing SV32 SCADA system to observe and report flare volumes.
Email Alerts Ensure Field Technicians See Equipment Alarms Right Away
WIN-911’s track record at WTG provided a convenient solution
The search for a solution was a short one. WIN-911’s software was already being used by other facilities within the company — including their environmental department — and came highly recommended. Consequently, the team was able to move ahead quickly with implementation.
WIN-911 was configured to monitor gas plant and pipeline equipment alarm points automatically via the OPC server and notify on-call personnel by email on a 24/7 basis. As a result, WIN-911 acts as a backup to the visual SCADA alarms by providing a secondary notification system that alerts field techs if there is a problem.
With WIN-911 installed, WTG can operate efficiently, knowing their personnel will stay informed and able to react to alarm conditions faster and more reliably than before. Staying ahead of environmental reporting has increased the company’s profits and cut down on extra paperwork due to late filings. Management is now better equipped to assess problems in the field, and specifically cited the support by WIN-911’s team as a contributing factor to the success of the project integration. “WIN-911 tech support was always available to troubleshoot issues and to help ensure proper system setup during and after installation,” said a WTG spokesperson.
RESULTS:
- Faster field response to problems
- Better environmental compliance
- Fast, easy integration with existing SCADA
- Lower long-term maintenance costs
