Customer Solutions

Adding Distributed Intelligence with NI LabVIEW

Author(s):

Ging Kee Lem, Crown Energy Technologies

Industry:

Oil and Gas/ Refining/ Chemicals

Product:

Compact FieldPoint, LabVIEW Real-Time, Programmable Automation Controllers (PACs)

The Challenge:

Increasing efficiency and productivity for operators of Crown-built oilfield service equipment by advancing the technology of data acquisition and control systems.

The Solution:

Standardizing hardware and software platforms and improving operations using LabVIEW Real-Time and Compact FieldPoint.

Crown Energy uses LabVIEW Real-Time and Compact FieldPoint to improve its fleet of oilfield service vehicles.

At Crown, we manufacture oilfield service equipment that performs in different regions around the world. Our units handle tasks including workover, drilling, cementing, coil tubing, stimulation, and nitrogen services. We recently began using NI LabVIEW Real-Time and cFP-2120 controllers on some of our equipment (with plans to eventually include our entire product line) as part of our mandate to deliver innovative products.

We currently use numerous PLCs and special function controllers, which means we maintain multiple control platforms. As a result, our engineers have to be skilled in multiple programming environments and our clients face greater challenges in equipment maintenance and training.

By standardizing on a single hardware platform, Compact FieldPoint, and a single software package, LabVIEW, we expect to save time and money during design and maintenance. Our initial deployment has shown that Compact FieldPoint has the durability needed to meet the demands of challenging environments and the power to successfully control the complex processes on the equipment in both stand-alone and distributed control modes. We have greatly enhanced our user interface options and have therefore reduced operator training time. This efficiency was accomplished by using many Compact FieldPoint features, including Ethernet connectivity, and communication among multiple LabVIEW deployments on Compact FieldPoint systems and PCs.

For more information, contact:

Ging Kee Lem

Manager, Electrical

Crown Energy Technologies, Inc.

Tel: (403) 215-5300

Fax: (403) 279-8362

glem@crown-energy.com