Background
In the Oil & Gas industry, complex process control is needed at all stages, from exploration, extraction and transportation, to the refinement and the distribution of fossil fuels. Most of the time, these processes occur in harsh environments with the constant threat of dangerous substances in the air where combustion can occur when proper precautions aren’t looked after. Thus, an energy service company was looking for an explosion proof Panel PC solution that meets the tough oil & gas standards to act as a system controller and a human-machine interface for their new high-tech, automation-based land drilling rigs.
Challenge
Needed a Class 1, Division 2 and ATEX Zone 2 certified explosion proof Panel PC solution to be an operator workstation featuring high performance and wide operating temperature to monitor and control the process on the oil drilling rig.
Solution
Working with the energy service corporation, Winmate provided our 19-inch Class 1, Division 2 and ATEX Zone 2 Certified explosion proof Panel PC, the R19IHAT-66EX. This hazardous location computer features a 19” display that is big enough to display sufficient information, a streamlined enclosure for the ultimate heat dissipation, a high performance, yet low power consuming Intel Core i7-4650U processor, an optical bonded 1000nit high brightness panel and wide operating temperature (-40˚C to +70˚C).
Result
More than 100 units have been deployed to over 20 oil drilling sites in Canada, the United States and Australia over the past 12 months in the operator control system of the land drilling rigs. The energy service corporation enjoys the optimal combination of performance and efficiency that Winmate’s hazardous location Panel PC solution has brought.
Growing demand for unconventional oil & gas sources
As crude oil discovery from conventional resources has declined, the ever-increasing demand for oil has resulted in the need to discover new oil & gas sources from non-traditional sources. This increasing need for unconventional oil & gas sources has created significant demand for drilling rigs, especially portable rigs for land-based oil exploitation. These new land drilling rigs need to be smarter and high tech to locate potential oil sources more accurately and efficiently. An energy service company needed a Human Machine Interface solution to act as a system controller and interface for their new high-tech oil rig operator chairs for their land drilling rigs. The HMI would be used for live video monitoring of the drilling operations, monitoring the drill equipment status, and access to live and historical data. Their needs included an explosion proof Panel PC that included ATEX Zone 2 certification with a wide range operating temperature with high performance for their new automation-based drilling system.
ATEX certified computing needs that Winmate can provide
Working with the energy service corporation, Winmate provided our 19-inch Class 1, Division 2 and ATEX Zone 2 Certified explosion proof Panel PC, the R19IHAT-66EX. This hazardous location computerfeatures a 19” display that is big enough to display sufficient information, a streamlined enclosure for the ultimate heat dissipation, a high performance, yet low power consuming Intel Core i7-4650U processor, an optical bonded 1000nit high brightness panel and wide operating temperature (-40˚C to +70˚C).
The energy service corporation came to Winmate with their product requirements and after understanding the specific needs, Winmate offered the 19-inch R19IHAT-66EX explosion proof Panel PC with ATEX Zone 2 and Class 1, Division 2 certification for oil & gas hazardous location use. The 1000 nit 19” multi-touch monitor would be sufficiently large enough to display the necessary information to the operator in a clear concise way while the high-performance Intel Core i7-4650U processor would provide more than enough computing power to control the drilling process interface. As the energy service corporation operates in territories ranging from frozen tundra in the arctic north to the hot arid climate of central Australia, they required a wide operating temperature range for the hazardous location Panel PC so that it can remain operational no matter where the rig was located. With a built-in intelligent heater and a streamlined fanless design for heat dissipation, the R19IHAT-66EX was specifically designed to operate in -40˚C to 70˚C (-40°F to 158°F) temperatures with no issues, fulfilling the needs of the energy service company.
After an extensive 6 month testing period with the 19” ATEX Zone 2 certified explosion proof Panel PC to ensure the compatibility of the computer with their oil drilling rig systems with few issues, the energy service company officially started deploying the HMI Panel PC to their the oil drilling operator chairs all over the world. More than 100 units have been deployed to over 20 oil drilling sites in Canada, the United States and Australia over the past 12 months, increasing the overall operational efficiencies for the drilling operations.
