Advice on how to reach Oil & Gas industry

R

Thread Starter

Rafluska

Hi,

I'm 32 years old with a master degreed in artificial intelligence and experienced developer in c,c++,java, pl/sql, javascript, HTML and some NI-Labview with hobbistic knowledge of electrotechnics; but no ladder or any iec-61131 standard languages yet, neither VBA or .NET because I belong to linux, but I'm not an hardliner or fundamentalist of this operating system. Now I would like to reach Oil & Gas sector more than everything else.

I started to search the web for understand something about PLC world and I noticed immediately that there is a variety of solutions that would require some years to get experienced with. Summarizing, correct me if I’m wrong, It results to me that Oil & Gas industry belong to process industries and his PLC activity is mainly related with HMI, SCADA, DCS and ESD including the following firms: ABB, Emerson, GE, HIMA, Rockwell and a bit of Siemens s7-400.

I understood that PC development is quite different from PLC development and I require a deep knowledge of electrotechnics with some time dedicated to practice (work for free during weekend for some electrician) to get sufficient experience before being allocated to this type of work and then to offshore commissioning.

Said this I would like to know this:

- if there is a feasible path that could drive me to work on an oil/gas plant and in which specific devices or control systems I should concentrate my study/practice (systems/devices list would be appreciated) starting from my actual knowledge. I'm not in the condition to spend thousands of euro/dollars but I can spend something like 500 euro for the most requested device/system and all my off-work time, weekend included, to get more knowledge where I have lacks and to play with a PLC/starter kit or some device emulator.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation,

Rafluska
 
D
Hi Rafluska,

Your background in AI and high-level languages (HLL) doesn't handicap you. If anything you're overqualified.

From a computer science (CS) perspective, ladder diagrams (LD) are a simple predicate logic, syntactically similar to rule-based expert systems, except that the evaluation order is strictly top-to-bottom. Instruction list (IL) is like a reduced instruction set assembler. Function blocks are much like designing with discrete-logic devices (except they forgot the clock line, until IEC 61499). Structured text (ST) is the most HLL-like, although still primitive in its expressiveness.

The biggest conceptual hurdle to overcome is understanding that control programming is event-driven—the event loop runs until you stop it. This is much like robotics programming, if you've done that. As to electrotechnics, the concepts least familiar to CS types are that a) actuators take time, b) sensors are often noisy, and c) things fail. You must adjust your architectural perspective to accommodate these physical world constraints.

In entering the field, I found Shinskey's <i>Process Control Systems</i> helpful. He describes control theory in a fairly approachable way. Although I haven't taken them, MIT OpenCourseware and other online resources provide classes in theoretical control, for free. To experiment with real equipment, you can buy a cheap PLC (~$250, others here can suggest what kind), or use one of the PLC emulators on SourceForge.

Don't be discouraged. This is not a very complex field, as things go. The equipment is, by modern computer standards, somewhat primitive. You can make a contribution just in applying good software engineering and design practice, skills the control field largely lacks. In my opinion, advanced control in the future will use more general purpose computers, properly ruggedized. For example, several of the programmable automation controllers (PACs) now run Linux.

Hope this rambling reply helps.

--Dan
 
Thank you for your feedback Dan it helps for sure, especially the connection between assembler with (IL) and the correlation between (LD) with predicate logic. A theoretical connection is really useful for me at this stage.
You say:
- “Your background in AI and high-level languages (HLL) doesn't handicap you. If anything you're overqualified. ”
I say:
-ok that I could be overqualified, but I miss a huge part that could connect my being overqualified to real world.

About theory of controls it could be feasible, I already saw something similar in back-propagation neural networks and as you said rule-based expert systems remember it.
Also about electrotechnics I think I could get confidence with the right enforce.

But how can I make a contribution just in applying good software engineering and design practice if I don’t know the business as usual from hardware and software side?

What I’m looking for now is understand the minimum requirement skills that could make me in 6 months an interesting candidate for automation in Oil & Gas sector. As far as I understood company have their preferences on PLC, so they commission a system with their preferred firm device. I would like to target my study on :

- the most used PLC in Oil & Gas sector
and
- on the more often automated process.
For example Rockwell Allen-Bradley touchs the previous points? If no which one does?

In this way I could focus on feasible path, other than the precious information you gave me in previous post.
If my 6 month hypothesis is unfeasible please advise me.

Thank you,
Raffa
 
I think your best bet is a company in the Oil Exploration market - Forum, NOV, Halliburton, Schlumberger, Canrig, etc.

In particular, focus on MWD - Logging while drilling. These guys focus on coding and interpreting large amounts for data from the drill string.

The OTC show is in two weeks in Houston - bring that resume - 60,000 people are attending from all over the world.
 
N
Hey,

if you want to get started in the oil & Gas industry go to GEcareers.com and they have tons of entry level jobs that would suit your purpose and they love to train individuals.
 
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