Bedrock Automation Announces Integrated Flow Measurement Systems for Oil and Gas Operations
The new OSA + Flow platform from Bedrock provides scalability for PLC, DCS or RTU flow control for a number of places including oil and gas facilities.
Bedrock Automation, the maker of the Bedrock Open Secure Automation (OSA) platform, has introduced a new software family — Bedrock OSA +Flow — that will integrate flow computer functionality into the company's OSA platform.
What Is OSA +Flow and Remote +Flow?
+Flow integrates flow measure software from industry-leading Flow-Cal into Bedrock's existing OSA platform. The software family — which provides automated PLC, RTU or DCS flow control unlimited in scalability — is designed to replace current flow control technology in the oil and gas industry, most of which is approaching its end of life.
The software's calculation library is compliant with API MPMS 21.1 and 21.2, meaning it will be ready out of the box to perform API-compliant flow calculations on both liquids and natural gas.
The software family includes both OSA +Flow and OSA Remote +Flow — a more compact version of the technology, designed for smaller-scale applications needing just 10 or 20 input/output channels.
All +Flow Control & Communications modules come equipped with 512 MB of program memory, 64 GB of secure flash memory and the 32-bit, dual-core Cortex processor from Arm.
Because it's integrated with Bedrock's OSA, the +Flow software suite also includes embedded cybersecurity software, which will help system managers prevent unwanted system access.
Bedrock Automation controller that uses this software. Image used courtesy of Bedrock Automation.
What Benefits Will OSA +Flow Provide Engineers?
The most significant benefit for engineers will be in how +Flow folds flow computer functionality into a complete systems automation platform. Bedrock Automation designed +Flow to reduce the overall amount of software that oil and gas operations need for system automation. They have accomplished this by integrating flow computing into the total automation solution, eliminating the need for a separate flow computer. More advantages are explored below:
- Operating range: The system features a high operating range of negative 40 to 80 degrees Celsius, meaning it will stay functional even under harsh temperatures, particularly in industrial environments.
- Communication protocols: The software contains embedded machine-to-machine communication protocols Unified Architecture (OPC UA) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT). Engineers can integrate Bedrock systems into other programs and devices that offer support for the same communication protocols.
- Maintenance and configuration: The platform has it's own bundled, IEC 61131-3–compliant configuration and maintenance tools, which will allow field engineers to develop and test their system with unlimited seats and tags.
- Cybersecurity protections: Engineers will also benefit from the intrinsic security features that Bedrock has built into its OSA platform. These components could potentially provide better security than bolted-on solutions.
Explore the Potential Advantages of Bedrock's New +Flow Software
Bedrock's new flow-control software, integrated into their OSA platform, will help system managers in the oil and gas industry automate flow control in their operations. The software family provides several benefits — including Bedrock's built-in security and an API-compliant flow calculation library — and is available now from its manufacturer.
Both members of the software family, +Flow and +Flow Remote, are already available for purchase via Bedrock's website.
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