Telecommunication technologies are pillars of any industry’s effective operation. The importance of these technologies is greater when the industry has an operation that spans a large distance. This is the case of oil and natural gas distribution systems whose pipelines cover extensive distances carrying the product. These long distances pose many challenges to the operation, especially monitoring the physical status of such an extended system and transferring information from the distant source to a facility which can analyze and make use of the data. The monitoring of pipe over such an expansive area requires many data collection points, and thus produces a large amount of data. Transferring this large amount data across states to a facility before it is too old to be of use is a challenge that can only be taken on with the use of a network. The telecom technologies involved in making networks carry more data farther are the most important for effectively promoting the safe and efficient operation of pipeline systems.
Risks embedded in distributed systems are impossible to eliminate. The inherent vulnerability of an extensive system such as exposed, above-ground pipelines coupled with the constant threat of terrorist attacks creates a major challenge. In the event of a successful attack, or simply a broken pipe, the facility needs to be alerted of the incident in order to halt the flow and prevent damages. Utilizing data relayed through the network from sensors positioned along the pipe, the facility can analyze the situation and quickly implement a solution. This example illustrates the need for real time data; a company cannot afford the damages of a large capacity oil pipe pumping oil onto the ground for even five minutes. The network provides a solution, carrying the data from sensors to the facility and allowing remote control of the pipe pumps to shut down the flow through the affected area as quickly as possible.
Stopping the flow through a specific pipe introduces another challenge: circumventing the obstruction to eliminate down time and lost efficiency. The easiest method is to reroute the
product along a different path within the pipeline. In order to do this, a lot of information is needed, such as the pressure within the pipes, and it is needed in real time to prevent another pipe failure. Again this must be collected and transported through a network to be useable in analyzing the situation. Even under normal operating circumstances, collected information is useful, pointing to bottlenecks, which can be removed, further increasing the efficiency of the system.
The most important strength of a network in these example situations is the ability to move more data farther distances in less time. The technologies involved in this transfer include high throughput wireless connections, specialized protocols for data transfer and secure connections to facilitate remote operation. These technologies reside in layers 1, 2, and 4 of the OSI communication model, it is here where technology must be developed to sustain safe and efficient operations of distributed systems trough the future. At one forefront of importance in sustaining operation into the future is extending security and routing functions into layer 2 of the model. This is exemplified in the Encryption Over Ethernet technologies. In this emerging technology, responsibility for encryption is passed from layers 4 and 3 to layer 2 . This removes the network overhead imposed by packet level security, thus providing for more efficient and secure data transfer. Because this technology resides on layer 2, the need to configure clients is removed and the security required is built in, this is perfect for high capacity source to point data transmission as found in our situation. Encryption Over Ethernet coupled with the development of other pertinent telecommunications technologies are key to providing sustained safe and efficient operation of these distributed systems for years to come.