Edge Computing and Electronic Flow

Measurement Modules for Ignition

 
Edge computing for use in the oil & gas industry Internet of Things IIoT applications is on the rise. Five
years ago, cloud computing was the focus of almost all predictions; however, automation suppliers are
now implementing modules that increase the importance and productivity of edge computing devices.
Cloud computing, which sends data to an off-site server for storage and analysis, is still important in
SCADA but edge computing allows data collection, analysis and storage to occur on or near the
physical plant floor device.
 
In 2017, Inductive Automation announced its partnership with Cirrus Link Solutions and has since
released MQTT modules for Inductive Automation’s Ignition product. These modules are designed to
decouple applications—such as HMI and SCADA—from plant-floor and remote field devices and send
the devices’ data to an MQTT server. The MQTT server is then connected to various applications, one of
course being a SCADA host such as Inductive Automations Ignition platform. This design reduces
network traffic issues and the negative impacts of too much direct data polling of the devices.
 
Ignition is a universal industrial application platform and uses fully integrated software modules, so
the product has unlimited extension capabilities. All modules are “hot-pluggable” so they can be
installed, removed, and upgraded without impacting operations and all work together seamlessly. The
Ignition Core modules can be used to create virtually any kind of industrial automation solution,
including SCADA, IIoT, MES and beyond.
 
Specifically, in the oil & gas industry, edge computing devices using Ignition modules play a significant
role. Electronic Flow Measurement (EFM) measures hydrocarbons to calculate production and revenue.
The EFM data collected is represented very differently within their proprietary protocols, which makes
the process of extracting electronic flow measurement data and sharing its true value throughout the
enterprise a challenge. 
 
Cirrus Link has developed a range of edge computing electronic flow measurement module products
for the Ignition platform. These modules extract this EFM data using native EFM device protocols and
then send the data using the open standard MQTT protocol, thereby solving the problem of collecting,
analyzing and storing diverse data sets. Less bandwidth is used, providing the availability of faster
SCADA data as well as standardizing the EFM data.
 
Each edge computing device can be set to support the data collected, be it alarms, events, configs,
minute history, periodic history and/or daily history records. Using Ignition allows end users to create
tables for event, alarm and history data and all data is time-stamped at the source for more accurate
leak detection & batch tracking.
 
Utilizing the Ignition platform and the EFM modules created by Cirrus Link Solutions in an edge
computing, MQTT server environment allows the oil & gas industry to experience real-time data
collection and analysis, which in turn allows for real-time response. For more information about the
EFM modules (EFM Emerson ROC Module, EFM Export Module, MQTT Recorder Module), visit the Cirrus
Link Solutions website or contact one of our edge computing experts.
 
#MQTT, #IIoT, #SCADA, #ElectronicFlowMeters