The Possibility of Wireless Sensor Networks for Industrial Pipe Rack Safety Monitoring

Previously Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) was not the preferred choice for offshore monitoring in the oil and gas sector for many reasons such as reliability and security concern. Today, much has changed. Advances in reliability, security, and affordability within the constraints of frequency allocation now enable organizations to take full advantage of WSN for challenging industrial environments. In this paper, we propose an industrial pipe rack safety monitoring system based on WSN, which uses the ISA100.11a standard for industrial field instruments. We designed and implemented the system, which consists of field nodes, field network gateways, and a control server, and evaluated its operation at large-scale petrochemical plants. The data obtained from WSN-based safety sensors show that the proposed system can continuously monitor and evaluate the structural stability of the pipe rack, and provide risk management guidelines based on real-world measurements.