One voice

Working in harsh and remote areas is a common occurrence for oil and gas companies, and therefore effective communication technology is critical. As more operations move offshore it is even more crucial that messages, instructions and information are clearly understood and conveyed. Often old legacy systems and infrastructures can no longer meet the industry’s complex communication needs and therefore an industry infamous for its slow adoption of cutting-edge technology is now embracing new communication systems. New technologies mean that regardless of location contact can be made whether via voice, data or video. “Being out of the physical office no longer means being out of touch. The kind of experience you would get in an office can now be experienced in a remote location, platform or on a vessel,” says Danielle Edwards, Product Marketing Manager at NSSL.

Sharing data and information across multiple sites is essentially the lifeblood the oil and gas industry. Communication failure not only wastes time, money and resources but can also put the lives of staff in danger. “For oil and gas companies, reliable communications is not only a crucial part of everyday business operations,” argues Randy Neck, VP Marketing at CapRock, “but when those operations take them offshore, reliable communications is their lifeline.”

One example, which highlighted the need for coherent and reliable communication, was last year’s Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. Although preparations were made for it, nobody could have predicted the damage and confusion it would cause. Following Katrina some vessels drifted as much as 70 miles from their original locations. “If you have an event that arises out of nowhere like Katrina then it is crucial to be able to track vessels at any given time. Tracking is crucial, as is the ability to work around weather conditions,” highlights Edwards. Without adequate systems companies are likely to pay the price if an unexpected event occurs.

Voice and data have for a while been the frontrunners in communication media, but advancement in video has resulted in it growing in attraction. “Whilst data and voice have been the main applications, more and more we’re finding that video – for safety, security and operational use – is becoming more in demand,” says John Oliver, Marketing Manager for Broadband Technology at Alan Dick. “However, video is much more bandwidth hungry than data or voice.”

Making waves

Satellite and microwave technologies have traditionally been used for communicating with oilrigs, but the remoteness of facilities often means that microwave’s effectiveness is hampered. “Microwave links are used extensively but have limitations in terms of distance and are more prone to problems caused by water vapour,” highlights Oliver. “Not very good if your oil rigs are located in the sea. This is because microwaves operate in high frequency – typically 10GHz and above. The higher the frequency the shorter the distance microwaves can link.”

Satellite communication has been utilised by the industry for almost 30 years and remains one of the most effective means of staying in contact. “For years, companies in the oil and gas industry have turned to satellite to provide communications they can count on to the most remote locations anywhere in the world,” says Neck. “In fact, communication forms the critical link between their people in secluded locations and the support teams they rely on back at headquarters.”

Broadband satellite has ensured that this communication has advanced dramatically since the early days when data-flow was limited. Now not only is connection always on but is also widespread and in the future will have the capacity to support the next generation of digital application. However, the technology can be expensive. “The main benefit of satellite communication is that it’s available almost everywhere and is a reliable and mature technology,” says Oliver. “The downside is that it tends to be expensive and can be limited by the amount of traffic it can handle.”

VSAT, Inmarsat and Iridium

Currently VSAT (Very Small Aperture Terminal) is dominating the market. “Through the power of advanced IP-based communications, VSAT allows customers in remote offshore areas to use tools they have come to expect onshore such as e-mail, internet browsing, voice mail, video conferencing and real-time video inspection all with flat monthly pricing,” highlights Neck.

This form of communication generally uses the KU-band or C-band frequencies and although there is guaranteed bandwidth, the cost of buying the equipment and running the system is expensive. A further concern is that both KU- and C-band are susceptible to interference from rain and other weather. This is a problem in many areas such as the Gulf of Mexico, where only a KU band is available. As a region prone to extreme weather, such as last year’s terrific Katrina, this isn’t ideal.

Alternatives that are weatherproof include Inmarsat, which runs on an L-band frequency and isn’t affected by the weather. The problem with Immarsat is that it is very expensive to run. For this reason is often used as a back-up technology. “Inmarsat is generally seen as a back up, rather than a primary service, because it has traditionally charged per-minute or traffic sent, so it ends up being a very expensive option,” explains Edwards. “However, Inmarsat are trying to tackle the problem and bring costs in-line with a package-like fee on a monthly basis. Inmarsat also has the GMDSS component, which represents safety at sea.” Inmarsat satellites are geostationary so always remain in the same spot.

Another system, which has a sizeable presence, is Iridium, which utilises 72 constantly-moving satellites. Unlike Inmarsat satellites, where calls travel directly to the satellite and then back down to earth, calls managed by Iridium are handled by whatever satellite is in range. Because of the nature of satellites there are occasionally interferences with the technology. “Although the satellites are closer to earth the problem with these ‘lower orbiting’ satellites is that you get call fade,” says Edwards. “This happens when one satellite is just moving out of range and the other isn’t quite in range yet. The quality isn’t always consistent and sometimes data connections drop because one has moved out of range before the other is in place. This does not happen often but there is inconsistency in the voice connection simply because of the way the satellite moves.”

Keeping track of things

Regardless of location, when companies choose a communications service provider there is a number of criteria that need to be met. Availability is one of these. Ensuring that staff are within easy reach to solve and fix any problems is a necessity, although this is not always possible when locations are extremely remote. “Customers are looking for rapid response and want a provider who is always available, even if that means having an engineer on call to fly out at a moments notice,” argues Edwards. “Support and maintenance is absolutely crucial especially on rigs as time really is money. Customers are not bound to any country therefore they will buy from any provider.”

Many providers have taken measures to ensure they are within easy reach of clients – regardless of location. “As more and more operations travel offshore and move to remote regions around the world, the industry is requiring service providers to deliver consistent global after-sale service and support, to ensure predictable and reliable communication services are maintained anywhere,” argues Neck. “This has driven international service providers to extend their reach globally by establishing regional support centres in strategic regions worldwide that produce trained service specialists that can be quickly deployed to remote facilities as needed.”

“With regional service providers, offshore contractors would otherwise be required to switch to a different communications provider when they move from one region to the next,” continues Neck. “A provider with a global IP infrastructure and multiple international teleports can offer customers the ability to relocate sites from one region to the next and have their service automatically move with them.”

IP is set to make a huge impact on oil and gas communication in the future. Not only will IP make communication more efficient, but will benefit by being far more cost-effective. “The growing maturity of IP based technology means that most networks in the future will be Ethernet/IP based,” predicts Oliver. “Having an inter-rig transmission technology that’s also based on the same technology means faster, cheaper and more reliable systems.”

Regardless of difficult terrain, high-tech equipment now enables contact to be maintained between workers in every corner of the globe. Reliable, accessible communication provides reassurance that problems can be quickly solved, ideas can be effectively shared and time and resources can be utilised to the best degree. And as further advancements are made in technology, communicating can only become even easier.