IIOT Oil & Gas

Several major power companies have launched a software assurance database that will serve as a software bill of materials (SBOM) repository for the power industry. Part of a long-sought solution to address a critical supply chain cybersecurity risk, the collaborative effort announced on Feb. 8 seeks to help vendors identify and remediate vulnerabilities in software […]

Digitalization is furnishing nearly every facet of the power industry with new insights that promise value for generating assets, including refining efficiencies and shaving down operating costs. But though myriad solutions have been introduced, adoption by some power sub-sectors has been cautious, mainly because the advantages of the industrial internet of things (IIOT) are not […]

Behind the digital tools that make the industrial internet of things (IIOT) in the power generation and chemical process industries are people. The 2021 Connected Plant Conference in Austin, Texas recognized the achievements of several individuals and companies who are fast risers in the field. Through insight and experience, these “Game Changer” champions have contributed […]

In December 2020, the U.S. Department of Energy announced a new subcommittee focused on the nation’s electric grid. The Grid Resilience for National Security subcommittee was a response to increasing threats to the country’s expansive electric grid that reliably delivers electricity to power the digital age. Today, those threats are even more relevant than ever […]

The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), a wholesale and retail natural gas and power industry forum comprising 300 corporate members, will initially focus its standards development to support cybersecurity and blockchain out of 11 digital technologies it identified that are quickly transforming the energy space.  The board’s April 2019–formed Digital Committee, which comprises 16 […]

With COVID-19 causing restricted access to facilities, Ecolab used mixed reality to safely install a PURATE™ chlorine dioxide generator at a leading midstream company’s facility. Mixed reality enabled Ecolab engineers to remotely “see” inside the plant and guide a single on-site field representative through installation, testing and implementation. With PURATE, this midstream company safely reduced […]

What is a “Smart City”? According to one definition, it’s an urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data, with insights gained from that data used to manage assets, resources, and services efficiently. Clint Vince, chair of Dentons’ U.S. Energy Practice and co-chair of Dentons’ Global Energy Sector, was […]

The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the power sector has so far been immense, resulting in supply chain disruptions, labor constraints, construction delays, restrictions on business activities, and, crucially, financial challenges. But according to Dr. Colin Parris, senior vice president and chief technology officer (CTO) at GE Digital, the sector’s response has been adaptive, and digitalization […]

NORWALK, Conn. – In response to the need for greater worker protection during the COVID-19 pandemic, Triax Technologies, Inc., a leading provider of Internet of Things (IoT) worksite technology, today announced a new IoT system, Proximity TraceTM. The new solution provides proximity distancing alerts and contact tracing through a wearable device for workers across many […]

One of the more memorable experiences from my years with GE’s renewable energy business was managing through a growth spurt in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. From 2009–2012, U.S. installed wind capacity more than doubled, from 25 GW to 60 GW. The 14 GW installed in 2012 remain a single-year record. It is no […]

Each year, the Connected Plant Conference, presented by POWER and Chemical Engineering, recognizes people who are in the front line of implementing digital technologies in the power and chemical process industries. This year, we congratulate the following winners of the “Game Changer” awards, who will be honored at the Connected Plant Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, […]

A primitive but unique ransomware variant that emerged in mid-December can forcibly stop a number of processes, including multiple items related to industrial control system (ICS) operations, industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos warned in a detailed report on Feb. 3. The ransomware known as “EKANS” (or “Snake,” which is “EKANS” spelled backwards) is “relatively straightforward” as […]

In the year 2020, the energy sector will continue to undergo major changes. From doubling-down on alternative energy sources—as the world places more importance on sustainability—to the large number of workers retiring in droves, there will be substantial shifts in the way energy companies, including power generators and oil and gas producers, prioritize in the […]

In a recent conversation with POWER, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne discussed why GE made key changes to the lucrative business, streamlining it to focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation.  GE has been at the forefront of the innovation in the energy sector since Thomas Edison formulated the essential requirements […]

The pace at which new digitalization technologies are being adopted in the power sector is dizzying, but news from major players in the sector—among them, AES, Invenergy, Google, and IBM—this week suggests it will only accelerate.  For more insight into power plant digitalization, including the latest in digital monitoring, diagnostic, analytics, Industrial Internet of Things […]

GE will retain its lucrative digital business—not spin it off, as had been planned—but it will sharpen the division’s focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne told customers in an Oct. 31 letter. “I want to affirm that GE Digital is staying in GE,” Byrne wrote. […]

Oilfield service providers are increasingly moving beyond oil and gas development work, and into renewable energy projects, according to a study conducted by Rystad Energy, an independent research and business intelligence company that provides data, tools, analytics, and consultancy services to the global energy industry. In findings released on Oct. 29, Rystad said that oil […]

XENOTIME, a cyberthreat activity group thought responsible for TRISIS/TRITON malware attacks on safety instrumented systems (SIS) at an oil and gas Middle Eastern facility in 2017, has been probing power company networks in the U.S. and elsewhere, new intelligence from industrial control systems (ICS) security firm Dragos shows.  “In February 2019, Dragos identified a change in […]

Electricity demand spiked considerably in South Australia this past January as residents tried to stay cool in the middle of a record heat wave that brought temperatures up to 46.6°C (or about 115°F). To ensure a stable power supply would be available, the South Australian government fired up two power plants (276 MW) that the […]

Cybersecurity firm FireEye has uncovered and is responding to a new intrusion at an unnamed critical infrastructure facility that it suggests in an April 10 blog post was perpetrated by the group behind the TRITON attack, which prompted a process shutdown at a Middle Eastern facility in 2017. But while details of the new attack are sparse, […]

Reality capture uses laser scanning hardware to record the as-built conditions of any environment in a series of scans. These scans, once stitched together, create a holistic picture of structures, equipment

Game-changing companies from around the world recognized for their leadership in transformative technologies New York, March 25, 2019 – Ten innovative companies that are revolutionizing the energy, transport, and industrial sectors have been named as the 2019 New Energy Pioneers by BloombergNEF (BNEF). The winners are pursuing new opportunities in areas as diverse as EV […]

Real-time data analysis from 29 gas turbines across multiple locations will increase availability, reduce forced outages and enable proactive, prescriptive maintenance Digitalization to improve availability, efficiency, productivity and flexibility Siemens will install state-of-the-art Remote Diagnostic Services (RDS) for GAIL (India) Limited covering 29 gas turbines operating across the Hazira-Vijaipur-Jagdishpur (HVJ) pipeline and the Vijaipur C2/C3 […]

Detecting machine problems has never been so easy. New portable sensor and intuitive mobile app from SKF puts simplified inspection, machine health data collection and expert analysis within everyone’s reach. Lansdale, Pa. — March 4, 2019 — SKF Pulse™ combines an easy-to-use handheld sensor with a new mobile app, allowing users to quickly monitor rotating […]

Petro-SIM Integrator for the PI System enables automatic synchronization between two market leading platforms for smarter decisions across the enterprise WALTON ON THAMES, United Kingdom, Feb. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — KBC (a Yokogawa Company) and OSIsoft LLC, a leader in operational intelligence, today announced the Petro-SIM Integrator for the PI System. Petro-SIM 7 is also being […]

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 04, 2019 — Ondas Holdings Inc., through its subsidiary, Ondas Networks Inc., a developer of private licensed wireless data networks for mission-critical industrial markets, today announced the launch of Ondas Labs, a partnership program and innovation lab for advanced edge computing and connectivity in mission-critical applications. Ondas Labs will provide an innovation hub and […]

New Secure Media Exchange release goes beyond malware detection to identify next wave of USB attack types, keeping human authentication part of security  HOUSTON, Feb. 4, 2019 — Honeywell (NYSE: HON) today announced the latest release of Secure Media Exchange (SMX), a cybersecurity solution to protect industrial operators against new and emerging Universal Serial Bus (USB) […]

Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5480 controller combines Logix control and Windows-based computing in one platform MILWAUKEE, February 4, 2019 — Industrial workers can strengthen their grasp of production and make more informed operating decisions with the new Allen-Bradley CompactLogix 5480 controller by Rockwell Automation. The controller marries a Logix control engine and the Microsoft Windows 10 IoT […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) want to explore how federal and state authorities could incentivize cybersecurity and physical security in the power and natural gas sectors. The agencies issued a notice on Feb. 4 announcing they would jointly hold a technical conference on Thursday, March 28, 2019, from […]