Industrial Radio Cuts through Noise of Digital Oilfield

Digi’s Punch2 Technology also uses a RAKE receiver architecture to coherently recover multipath signals. Multipath occurs when a radio signal travels along different paths.

“A receiver deploying this architecture aligns the phase of the multipath components such that they constructively combine,” said Digi. “This helps the receiver not only accommodate severe multipath distortion, but also enhances receiver performance.”

The radio supports data-rate changes from 9.38 kilobits (Kbps) to 3.18 Kbps. A lower data rate can be used in interference if interference is significant or the signal to be received is weak.

“This significantly improves the ability of the Digi XLR PRO to maintain communication in harsh RF environments,” Digi noted.

Rise of Digital Oilfield, Remote Operations Boosts Use of Wireless

The rise of digital oilfield technology – in which oil and gas companies continue to implement more intelligent technology at production sites and pipelines – and the oil and gas industry’s expansion into remote parts of the United States and Canada means that the number of wireless systems at oil and gas sites has grown and will keep growing, McNally said.

In the case of oil and gas operations, the “noise” comes from a number of different sources. These include other 900 MHz radios connected to SCADA systems and built into connecting digital oilfield monitoring sensors – including measurements and readings of temperature, pressure, toxic gas, level sensors for tanks, and artificial lift systems – as well as other systems found at drilling and well sites. Because the XLR PRO uses a different modulation and spread spectrum scheme than other 900 MHz products on the market, the interference caused to and by the XLR PRO should be minimized. Radio equipment outside of the 900 MHz band, such as 2.4 Gigahertz, should not be affected by the XLR PRO.