A Wireless Sensor System Keeps Tabs on Transient Equipment

As operating costs and oil lease equipment costs increase year-after-year, the need to take control of spending becomes paramount. A new device on the market helps companies keep tabs of shipping parcels, thus holding people accountable for damaged or loss equipment, by providing a sensor system and app developed by product development firm Cambridge Consultants

DropTag, a wireless monitoring technology, allows the ability to monitor the condition of assets during transportation and operation for the oil and gas industry.

“Existing parcel condition monitoring systems tend to be quite basic, mechanical sensors – or very expensive data loggers. DropTag is different – it’s a simple, low-cost sensor platform with connectivity via Bluetooth Low Energy to a smartphone. We’ve developed a simple app which shows what’s happened to a parcel in transit – for example, if the box has been mistreated, the app immediately indicates this. We’ve also created a plot mode within the app for more detailed analysis,” said Tom Lawrie-Fussey, business development manager at Cambridge Consultants, to Rigzone at the 2014 Offshore Technology Conference in Houston.

The consulting firm is taking the technology of this device one step further by implementing the sensor platform to further log critical event data by providing real-time information. The device can be remotely interrogated at any stage of the delivery process while allowing the capability to be and automatically checked at each stage of its journey, allowing an early proactive response to any incident.

"This device holds people accountable for their actions, especially when it entails million dollar equipment that needs to be repaired in a timely fashion," said Dr. Frances Metcalfe, associate director of oil and gas at Cambridge Consultants.



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