News

A couple weeks ago we talked about the extreme growth in the U.S. oil and gas industry due to the fracking revolution that unearthed a plethora of natural gas and shale oil across North America and how it gave rise to some little known players in the industry falling under the midstream sector umbrella. The increase gave way to constrained infrastructure problems (how do we transport all this fracked energy??) which has forced refiners to think outside the box…in other words, the barge is back! 

Today let's look at another key player in the midstream sector of the oil and gas industry, manufacturers of fuel additives. They are operating in an era of striking changes and tighter margins, one in which environmental legislation to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy is having a great impact.

Shale gas refers to natural gas that is trapped within shale formations. Shales are fine-grained sedimentary rocks that can be rich sources of petroleum and natural gas. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, over the past decade, the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing has allowed access to large volumes of shale gas that were previously uneconomical to produce. The production of natural gas from shale formations has rejuvenated the natural gas industry in the United States.

As we discussed last week, there are some key factors to creating an effective HMI experience, including layout, navigation, and design elements, like color and text. But one area that should be closely examined is the graphics, especially when doing a redesign of your operator interface.

When designing the software for our newest accessory, the multi channel operator interface, John, the Manager of our Engineering Department took a few best practices into consideration:

To continue our discussion on the benefits of having an accessory in place to digitally communicate with your LFL system let's welcome a guest blogger, Debra Hall, our Director of Sales:     

In today's world communication is always at the touch of a button. It's important that the same can be said for the safety system in your facility. One of the great new features of our newest accessory, the multi-channel operator interface, is the enhancement in digital communication.

We are excited to introduce the newest member of the Control Instruments family of products... our Multi Channel Operator Interface. Not only does this accessory feature the latest in digital communication but it will also help to keep your analyzer platforms up-to-date.

Some additional functions include: 

For the past month we’ve been talking all about upgrading an LFL System. We’ve touched upon the life expectancy of an older system, using the most up-to-date advancements in both software and hardware platforms, operating under the safest conditions possible and even addressed common problems that plague an older system in harsh industrial environments. 

Due to the nature of high temperature processes, those operating above 200°C, some older model LFL Systems have a life expectancy of 10-15 years. In critical applications like these, it is essential to ensure that the LFL System is up to date and fully operational, if not, it might be time for an upgrade.

There are 2 common areas of the LFL System that are often affected by the inherent demands of running a process at high temperatures: