The whole oil and gas industrial system starts from wellhead, which may be divided into on-shore and off-shore, and ends with the refine system. Between wellhead and refine factory is the distributed system such as pump station and pipeline. Operating environments of oil and gas industry are full of explode-able materials which may cause tremendous damages, no matter at which part of production processes.

Automated oil tank monitoring system, for example, is one of the most important elements in oil wellhead process. This system combines with data transferring, video recording, and voice, which requires huge bandwidth, real-time reaction, and reliable durability. A well-functioned monitor and control system is able to manage remotely, reducing the needs of human visits for maintenance. Oil fields are wildly distributed around the world. Since the oil field may be located in the desert, under the sea, or in the polar zone, the Industrial network must cover wide operating temperature to work properly in these harsh environments. The -E models of Lantech products can be used in extreme environments with an operating temperature range of -40°C to 75°C.

Oil and gas are transmitted via pipelines and pump stations. In order to ensure high and uniform flow of oil, pump stations are needed at regular intervals and pipelines must be under control. For example, to keep the pressure in the pipeline at 50 bar pressure, managers must monitor the status continuously. The reliable Ethernet network allows manager monitor the pressure and flow constantly, making it possible to detect and locate leaks of the pipeline. The entire station data is collected from the individual pump stations, via the extensive Ethernet networks, to a central control room. When there’s a malfunction, the operators must be able to identify the exact location of potential leaks quickly and assess unexpected reduction in performance.

As to oil refining process, the last step of oil production, it requires a stable, reliable, and powerful Ethernet network to cover the non-stop and heavy-loading refining process. It is consist of several complicated and a large variety of equipments/devices and need to be deployed by distributed control system (DCS). DCS systems allow the entire system of controllers to be connected by networks for communication and monitoring. Lantech products can construct an efficient Ethernet network to support DCS systems.

Lantech products are featured with Pro-Ring system to avoid network failure, which may cause huge disasters. It covers X-Ring, Central Ring, Dual Ring, Couple Ring and Dual Homing, providing the shortest recovery time for power and utilities. X-Ring is a self-recovery ring protocol operating in less than 10ms for up to 250 switches. Dual Ring and Couple Ring ensure network recovery protection between two X-Ring groups while Dual homing is to back up the X-Ring groups when connect to upper layer or the core switch.

Since oil and gas are flammable and easily to explode, network devices must have different standards to meet with this kind of hazardous condition. The Lantech products have passed UL Class I Division II for Group A, B, C and D hazardous location, which is a safety certification especially suitable for oil and gas industries. With UL Class I Division II approval, the Lantech products can be implemented in hazardous or explosive condition without accelerating the damage.

For oil and gas applications, a powerful and reliably-working Ethernet network is the basis of the entire control and monitoring functions. It enables future expansion through modern technology, providing flexibilities without large costs. Lantech products ensure long term reliability in critical Ethernet network of oil and gas applications.