The UK-based International Oil & Gas Producers association (IOGP) has issued a Recommended Practice report* on the ‘selection of system and security architectures for remote control, engineering, maintenance, and monitoring’. The report was prepared by the IOGP’s instrumentation and automation standards subcommittee’s remote operating center task force. The 44-page document provides common definitions and guidelines on system architectures and security controls for remote functions such as remote operation, remote monitoring, remote engineering and remote maintenance of industrial control and automation systems, basic process control systems, safety instrumented systems and monitoring-only systems.
Remote operations limit the number of personnel on a hazardous production site and can facilitate access to vendor or operator subject matter experts. However, remote operations bring risks, such as cyber security, communications and compliance. The roles and responsibilities of remote and local operations are set out. The IOGP recommended practice offers high-level guidance on remote functions implemented at oil and gas facilities and a suite of system architectures for process control systems, safety instrumented systems and other engineering packages. The report is pitched at design considerations for pre-FEED (front end engineering design) efforts.
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