SaskEnergy/TransGas Deploys Cellular SCADA Solution for Pipeline Monitoring

SaskEnergy is a Crown-owned natural gas utility operating in Saskatchewan, Canada.  The corporation serves more than 90% of Saskatchewan through its 343,000 customers. SaskEnergy and its transmission and storage subsidiary TransGas jointly manage 80,000 kilometers of distribution, gathering and transmission pipeline, with ties to supplier and delivery systems.

Challenges

TransGas has hundreds of metering, control and storage facilities located in highly remote locations, monitoring both gas quantity and quality with real-time measurement polling. The company has stringent specifications for the solutions it implements for primary and backup data transmission, including temperature, intrinsic safety classifications and power consumption.

“We use cellular communication to monitor areas where we can’t quickly or easily install telephone or dedicated data lines,” explained Alan Yurkowski, supervisor of SCADA Communications in TransGas’ Pipeline & Facility Automation group. “Some customers look at our system on an hourly basis to decide how much gas to buy based on daily measurement values.”

Solution

To achieve the redundancy and reliability required to provide accurate, real-time measurement data to its customers, TransGas has been implementing solutions based on Sierra Wireless AirLink™ cellular modems for a decade.

The rugged design of the Raven XT, its compact form factor and its Class I Div 2 certification for use in hazardous conditions were key variables in TransGas’ device selection. TransGas requires its measurement packages, mostly located outdoors, to operate at temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius. The company also has intrinsic safety (non-sparking and non-arcing) requirements, as well as low power requirements necessary for solar-powered metering systems common to combustible gas locations.

TransGas also requires strong remote management tools to simplify the provisioning, managing and troubleshooting of its remote equipment. AirLink Device Management tools, coupled with ALEOS™ embedded intelligence, enables TransGas to monitor and control its network of wireless gateways from one central location.

“Cellular data provides flexibility in the solutions we have available,” concluded Yurkowski. “The ability to do things quickly with high reliability is critical.”

The Sierra Wireless AirLink Raven XT running on advanced 3G networks have provided TransGas with the following benefits:

• Cost savings – Remote, two-way wireless communication reduces overall solution and operational costs
• Time savings – Easy setup and configuration for successful last minute deployment demands
• Rugged specifications – Class I Zone 2 certification for the harshest environmental conditions
• Enhanced customer service – Measurement data can be accessed more frequently to meet increasing demand for hourly measurements of gas quantity and quality