handover stage, however, working in a consistent,
standardised cloud environment would all but
eliminate such issues.
What is the industry doing?
Despite the advantages, the industry has been slow to
embrace cloud. There are two main reasons for this:
n
Risk aversion: the process industries are highly
regulated and competitive, with a natural aversion to
risk. The tendency is to ‘wait and see’ how a new
technology plays out in another industry before
adopting it.
n
The gap between technology and knowledge: for a
long period, there was a shortage of cloud providers
with comprehensive knowledge of the process
industry requirements. After continuous development
and pilot projects with the key players in the industry,
cloud solution providers have breached the gap and
know not just their technology, but recognise its
specific applications in the process industries.
Success in the cloud
Intergraph’s SmartPlant® Cloud is an example of a cloud
solution for a business issue. It is more than just another
cloud offering, it is a business enabler that brings globally
dispersed resources together. The solution has been
adopted by owner operators and EPC contractors, as well
as by service providers, such as project management
consultants. Major players such as Eni Process S.p.A., Fluor
Corporation and Shell have successfully executed
projects in the cloud, proving that not only can it be
carried out, but that there are significant advantages in
terms of efficiency and access to information. These
companies are now using SmartPlant Cloud to get the
best from their data and use it efficiently, without
significant investments in information technology (IT).
Under the current market conditions, this is what is
required to reduce costs and compress schedules while
improving safety.
Burns and McDonnell, an American engineering design
firm, has also implemented SmartPlant Cloud. The company
noted two key benefits to this technology. The first is the
application expertise, both in terms of the backend database
administration and in the Intergraph application itself, which
aided greatly in setup and maintenance. The second is the
speed of onboarding. Intergraph worked closely with Burns
and McDonnell's internal experts to address any issues,
which meant a complex product could move into
production more efficiently.
Conclusion
As global energy demands increase and the oil price
continues to fluctuate, it is becoming increasingly clear
that a major focus must be placed on the minimisation of
overheads, while an even sharper focus on productivity
and costs is needed to achieve this. Implementing cloud
technology today will be best placed to embrace these
challenges.
References
1. TechValidate. TVID: 19F-FA4-8B6, BE6-0AE-404, 600-87E-B0C.
BROWN FINTUBE
®
ADVANCED
TANK HEATER
TECHNOLOGY
Heat MORE for
LESS with our
compact designs!
· Reduced Capital and Operational Costs
· Better heat distribution
· Less fluid displacement
· Decreased coking
Our product can offer:
For related trademark
information, visit:
Available from stock
· Sulfur
· Asphalt
Ideal for:
· Caustic
· Lube oils & more!
TF
HL
MTH
Less Effective
Conventional
Method
Horizontal
BROWN FINTUBE
®
Tank Heater Configuration
