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Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG

Weidmüller’s Adam Segalés speaks to O&G about how major oil companies in the MENA region are reaping the rewards of better connectivity.

O&G. What are the biggest connectivity challenges that oil and gas companies in the MENA region are currently facing?
Adam Segalés. Due to the increasing dimension of plants and the need for high efficiency and non-interrupted production, green field facilities are being built with technologies that allow higher information flow and reliability, such as Fieldbus Control Systems (FCS) – mainly with Fieldbus Foundation (FF). Also, integration of these new systems with existing traditional Distributed Control Systems (DCS) is necessary. The target is to provide high availability, reliability, maintainability and remote operation of the plants. To achieve this, redundancy of most systems is required. In the MENA region the harsh environment must be taken into account: high temperatures, sand presence, and salt ambient due to nearby seas.

O&G. How do Weidmuller’s products aim to address those challenges?
AS. Weidmüller’s products are designed following the highest standards to provide users with the needed reliability. Our long proven terminal blocks are a clear example of it. Also, our new Klippon TB range of Junction Boxes is second to none, due to new innovative features such as the Compression Control Silicone gaskets which provide also increased temperature range and chemical resistance, improved moisture/dust channel, optimisation of glanding area to allow greatest number of entries in same box size, or hinges with captive pins to prevent accidental removal of the lid. This allows removal without tools and maximum working space (door opens 170 degrees).

Other examples are the new Functional Electronics designs, like the ACT20X family of Intrinsic Safety Isolators that cover most applications with only six variants and use an innovative housing concept for cabinet space optimisation and easy handling. The main innovation is that the isolators are configured via the FDT/DTM software standard. Another of the operators’ concerns is related to safety of installations. Weidmüller develops also products to satisfy such needs like SIL3 relays.

Further developments target to solve the increasing price of copper cables, by using Fieldbus and wireless communication technologies.

Furthermore, our wide portfolio of Industrial Ethernet devices for data communication, strive to supply the means for safe information exchange within and without users’ facilities. Such wide product scope is complemented with our OEM and Customer Specific Solutions (CSS) departments, which provide application tailored products and solutions for all industries.

O&G. Why is strong and reliable components in data and connectivity solutions so crucial to the efficient running of oil and gas operations?
AS. Continuous and precise data flow is required to operate process plants in order to take appropriate real-time or delayed decisions, and to achieve maximum production profitability and safety for installations and people.

In oil and gas plants, where a malfunction in such environments could cause dangerous explosions and environmental disasters, electrical connections should not be of any concern to plant operators.

O&G. How do your products contribute to companies’ ability to operate in a sustainable way?
AS. Weidmüller not only complies strictly with the relevant environmental and social welfare standards, but also makes sure that the EU guidelines on health and safety in workplaces are followed at all production sites around the world.

Our products are manufactured complying with those international standards relative to the application (functionality) and to the environment (i.e. reduced gas emissions and use of hazardous substances, environmentally friendly packaging). Indeed, 90 percent of our materials can be recycled.

Saving energy at all levels of production is particularly important to us. Simply saving electricity and making better use of heat and cold in production will reduce our carbon emissions by 18,000 tons a year. The centre of our activities regarding environmental protection, which have a high priority for Weidmüller, is particularly the energy efficiency and the careful exposure with natural resources.

Weidmüller innovations are always a benefit for our customers – not only innovations in products and functionality, but also in the areas of production, services, logistics and sales. With our new Weidmüller corporate strategy we guarantee in the long term, that our product and performance spectrum is dedicated to add value to the products and thereby the business of our customers. We support our customers in their endeavour to operate their own business more successfully.

Adam Segalés is Global Market and Applications Manager for Weidmüller. His role is to implement the company’s strategy within the process market worldwide, defining the required approach, products and measures, and interfacing between the demand and supply departments. Leading companies using Weidmüller products include Saudi Aramco, Sabic, KOC, ADNOC, Honeywell, Schneider, ABB, Petronash, Invensys, Siemens, Yokogawa and many more.