West Texas Gas owns and operates more than 5,000 miles of natural gas distribution mainlines, which serve thousands of customers within the states of Texas and Oklahoma. Their services include natural gas distribution, natural gas transmission, gas gathering and processing, and natural gas liquids transmission. The company was formed in 1976 and is one of the leading providers of natural gas public utility in the state of Texas. Via a remote connection to the gas plant facility, plant operators monitor vital system components (e.g., compressors) via a SCADA system located in their home offices.
The Problem
It became clear that the SCADA system was not an infallible means of monitoring field stations; the systems would sometimes lose connection with the host computer. This caused delays in personnel response to alarms and increased the risk of severe warnings not being received before corrective actions could be implemented. As a precaution, the alarm points had to be visually monitored and staff would be required to call the appropriate personnel if an alarm came through. Regulations were established for timely reporting.
The management at West Texas Gas quickly determined that a secondary alarm support system needed to be installed. They were seeking something that would be able to monitor variable tags from the OPC server as well as monitor custom tags that were built into the existing SV32 SCADA system to observe and report flare volumes.
The Solution
The search for a solution was a short one. WIN-911 alarm notification Software was already being used by other facilities within the company, including their environmental department, and came highly recommended. WIN-911 acts as a backup to the visual SCADA alarms by providing a secondary notification system that alerts personnel in the field if there is a problem. The system monitors the alarm points automatically via the OPC server and notifies on-call personnel by email on a 24/7 basis.
Benefits of Working with WIN-911
With WIN-911 alarm notification software installed, West Texas Gas 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. The company specifically cites the incredibly helpful and thorough support provided by WIN-911’s team of technicians as a contributing factor to the success of WIN-911 alarm notification software’s integration into plant operations. WIN-911 tech support is always available to troubleshoot issues and to help ensure proper system
