Water pumping at fracking plant.

An upstream service provider has implemented a Bedrock OSA Remote secure control node in a fracking water transfer application. The Bedrock control nodes replace traditional PLCs to synchronize and monitor water pumping across three to ten miles of remote desert terrain. The application has increased operational efficiency by over 50 percent and improved the ability to spot and prevent water loss through leakage. 

Containment Pond at fracking site A complete IIoT solution By automating water transfer, the FLOWPOINT/Flow-Sync application boosts operator productivity in at least the following ways: Real-time visibility into all operations to monitor multiple pumps remotely, giving each person control over a larger portion of the water transfer operations. Automatic leak detection, alarming and intervention, avoiding costs related to lost water, system downtime, clean-up costs, and potential fines. Reduced administrative costs in managing and reporting on water inventory and costs while also improving accuracy. Improved transfer design improves efficiency and reduces energy costs, which could be the highest cost variable for most transfer operations.

Fracking a well in the Permian Basin (TX USA) can require up to 42 million gallons of water.  Getting so much water from identified sources to a well often involves synchronized operation of multiple large diesel pumps spread out over the entire length of the transfer line. The pumps must be started and brought up to operating speed in series and then ramped down in series to a stop every few hours. The process is repeated around the clock with each stage of the fracking operation, which can run for several weeks.  

“Having sufficient water available and delivering it reliably to the frac location is a critical piece of the supply chain in completing a new well. Setting up the projected water supply typically takes between two and eight weeks. It involves scouting water sources, negotiating rights-of-way with landowners, installing temporary or permanent piping, storing it in large membrane-lined containment ponds or tanks, and pumping the water to the wellsite,” said Reed Taylor, founder and CEO of FLOWPOINT Water Solutions, a water management firm serving the Permian Basin.

For most of today’s transfer services, operating these pumps manually involves deploying field operators to monitor each pump, start or stop them as required, and spot and fix leaks. Seeking to improve water transport efficiencies, Taylor enlisted the services of automation integration firm Flow-Sync, a Texas-based automation supplier that provides specialty skid-based water transfer pump control solutions for water fracking applications.

The Flow-Sync application-integrates flow calculation software, the Bedrock cyber secure automation platform, cloud-based data storage and analytics, and a SCADA interface through which operators can interact with the system from anywhere via the internet. It deploys the Bedrock OSA Remote control nodes in the wiring cabinet of self-contained, portable skids. They are wired to the pumps so that the entire transfer operation can be monitored and controlled from any location. 

“We especially liked the fact that the cyber security is built-in. Our application is  sensitive to interruptions to the data communications within our automation system. Having a system designed to resist current and future security threats is one reason we've chosen the Bedrock OSA Remote over other options,” said Harry Browne, CEO  of Flow-Sync.

Enabling users to interact with the automation system is Ignition SCADA software from Inductive Automation. The Ignition server integrates with the Bedrock controls and the AWS cloud, where Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 servers host an SQL database. This IIoT architecture is fully scalable in terms of processor memory and disk storage. The OPC UA connection with the Bedrock OSA Remote extends the secure PLC architecture to remote locations via TCP/IP.

“Operators can see the big picture, which is significant when most of our work is in remote areas. If you are trying to start up multiple pumps at once or bring things up or down in series without exceeding pressures or overfilling pit levels, having access to real-time information to support your decision making is invaluable. Or maybe your tanks are getting low and you need to increase the speed of your pumps  to boost the supply, you can see exactly what you need to do and the impact of your adjustment. This is IIoT the way it’s meant to be,” said Browne.

• The complete project history may be downloaded here.

@BedrockAuto #Pauto 

Sales director for automation platform appointed.

Bedrock Automation has appointed Tony Mannion Director of Sales.  He will direct North American sales of Bedrock’s Open Secure Automation platforms including control, flow, RTU and power. Tony  brings 29 years of automation sales and marketing experience, including leadership roles at Wika Instruments, Emerson Process Automation, Danaher and Yokogawa. 

“With his experience in large project pursuits and local, national, and industry vertical sales strategies, Tony will bring the right skills for Bedrock to capitalize on the opportunities before us to deliver advanced solutions to industry. He demonstrates a keen understanding of the technical and commercial needs of our customers and a passion to align them to our OSA products. We are pleased to have him on the team,” said Bedrock founder, CEO and CTO Albert Rooyakkers. 

Tony Mannion has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from Rochester Institute of Technology. He will be based in Houston (TX USA).

@BedrockAuto @TizianiWhitmyre #PAuto  #USA

Digitalising oil and gas measurement and custody transfer.

Bedrock Automation has introduced full integration of flow computer functionality into the OSA platform. The new OSA ⁺Flow family embeds industry-leading Flow-Cal measurement applications into the high performance, security, and simplicity of the Bedrock Automation platform. Flow-Cal’s software has long been the industry’s choice for flow measurement and production-accounting data. Affirming Flow-Cal’s stature is the fact that the American Petroleum Institute (API) has selected them to develop, support, and distribute its standard flow measurement calculations.

“Flow computer users are at a critical juncture. The measurement and control technology they have been using are mostly at the end of life and many of the incumbent new offerings are built on technologies and ideas that are already out of date. We approach the application differently by integrating the world’s best measurement software directly into the Bedrock® OSA automation platform. The result is the most flexible, powerful, and easy-to-use solution. With one automation platform and a single zero-cost engineering environment, users can configure measurement and custody transfer applications, program all field I/O and control strategies, and deploy industrial connectivity protocols such as HART, Ethernet IP, and Modbus alongside OPC UA and MQTT. The cost savings and performance improvements are simply incredible,” said Bedrock Automation Founder, CEO, and CTO Albert Rooyakkers.

Shawn Bellamy, president of flow control panel builder G&C Optimization is incorporating OSA Remote ⁺Flow controllers into lease automatic custody transfer (LACT) solutions he is building for clients: “The LACT unit is the cash register for oil and gas exchange. It must accurately flag any change that could influence measurement. Even a half-degree difference in temperature could impact the transfer by hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Bedrock solution improves accuracy by bringing industry-leading measurement functionality into a high-performance control system, eliminating the need for a separate device. And it does this with end-to-end cyber security protection, unlike anything else in the industry. There is really nothing else like it.”

The OSA ⁺Flow software has been incorporated across all Bedrock controllers providing unlimited scalability for PLC, RTU or DCS flow control requirements at custody transfer stations, separators, and other oil and gas production facilities. These solutions include full support of multi-drop serial, Ethernet, and HART for Coriolis, ultrasonic, and smart transmitters.

The Bedrock OSA +Flow Family
The OSA +Flow family consists of two products: the OSA ⁺Flow platform and OSA Remote +Flow. The OSA +Flow is installed in the standard Bedrock OSA pin-less backplane with unlimited scalability for PLC, RTU or DCS flow control at custody transfer stations, separators, and other oil and gas facilities. The OSA Remote ⁺Flow is designed for applications requiring only 10 or 20 hard I/O, such as most custody transfer stations. Flow computing functionality of both the platform and remote version includes the following:

• Highest-performance flow computation with integrated process control and built-in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) cyber security capabilities
• 64 GB secure Flash memory, 512 MB Program memory and multicore ARM Cortextm processors
• Embedded industry-leading Flow-Cal measurement algorithms
• American Petroleum Institute (API) Chapter 21.1 (natural gas) and Chapter 21.2 (liquids) compliant calculation library
• Free configuration and maintenance software based on Inductive Automation and Bedrock IDE IEC 61131-3 software tools, with unlimited seats and tags, embedded simulation, and online training
• Software-defined, analog and discrete input/output and per channel selectable serial, Ethernet, and HART communications for field devices
• Embedded OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) and Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT)
• Industry-leading -40o to +80o C (176o F) temperature operating range
• Extreme galvanic isolation for EFT and EMP
• Sealed all-metal construction to prevent physical damage and ingress of dust and moisture
• Eliminate cyber security costs for measurement and custody transfer

Industry-leading cyber security is intrinsic to the OSA ⁺Flow Controllers and comes at no extra cost. Securing a system without intrinsic security — which is the case with all other flow computers — requires add-on firewalls, intrusion detection, and other devices which are costly to implement and operate, and of questionable value. All Bedrock technology integrates the same types of authentication and encryption technology used by the military, aerospace, and eCommerce applications.

The Bedrock OSA ⁺Flow and the OSA Remote ⁺Flow solutions will ship to first customers in the Spring of 2020.

Partnership advances secure automation.

Bedrock Automation has established a partnership agreement with Wood, a globally recognised integration provider. Under the agreement, Wood’s automation and control group will deliver Bedrock Open Secure Automation (OSA®) to its clients in energy and industrial markets. Wood has active membership in The Open Process Automation™ Forum, which is focused on the development of a standards-based, open, secure, interoperable process control architecture.

“This partnership centers on combining our diverse capabilities and innovative solutions in automation with Bedrock’s OSA® technology to bring open and secure systems to our clients, advancing our position as a world leading automation provider and bringing greater cyber protection to our client’s projects,” said Jeff Shannon, Senior Manager of Strategy and Development in Wood’s automation and control group.

Wood’s automation and control group is a system-independent integrator comprised of over 1,400 automation professionals, with access to more than 5,000 technical experts that provide full engineering, consulting, procurement and construction services to customers around the world. Wood’s core automation experience spans the full spectrum — from small integration projects to main automation contractor programs for large, multi-EPC projects, including a diverse portfolio of vertical markets. The company’s expertise extends across the full spectrum of hardware, including instrumentation, programmable logic controllers (PLC), distributed control systems (DCS), logic solvers and higher-level applications.

“We are delighted with this new partnership, which is another significant step forward in delivering Open Secure Automation to everyone. Bedrock’s focus will be to work with Wood in applying the vast knowledge and expertise of both companies to deliver secure and open control systems technology,” said Robert Bergman, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, Bedrock Automation.

The Bedrock® OSA® control system is known for its patented Black FabricTM Cybershield architecture, which provides an intrinsic cryptographic and physically secure platform to protect control components against unauthorized access. Unlike other conventional industrial control systems, it was designed from the semiconductor components up to be secure, simple, powerful and scalable. The system is also capable of extending security up to the network and down to the instruments to create a holistic solution.

@BedrockAuto #PAuto 

Secure automation for cloud-based well head monitoring and control.

Temblor Petroleum is implementing Bedrock® Open Secure Automation (OSA®) for a unique cloud-based well head control and data-sharing application. The application enables Temblor to monitor and operate well heads remotely, providing secure real-time production data while minimizing the requirements for onsite operators.

“We really wanted to optimize technology to impact our operations, field surveillance and have real-time data. This system has allowed us to achieve that from any location, office or field with access to the internet,” said Temblor President Mike Thorsen.

Bedrock Open Secure Automation provides the control infrastructure that is now automating operation of two well heads but will also scale to operate more wells in the future. It controls tank levels, pumps, compressors, separators, duct valves and other devices, and is cyber hardened by the Bedrock Cybershield security designed into to its electronics.

In addition to Bedrock OSA technology, the project involves communications technology and system design services from Bakersfield, California-based Tyrion Integration. Tyrion is providing the cloud connectivity that enables sharing of the data collected from the Bedrock controls across Tyrion’s Nucleus communication gateway. This enables operators to monitor trending, alarming and analysis in the cloud. It receives operating data from a Bedrock OPC UA server via Ethernet and communicates it to a cloud-based infrastructure via cellular and message queuing telemetry transport (MQTT).

“We browse field operating data through OPC UA and then expose it to the cloud. The Bedrock secure IEC 61131-compliant IDE enables us to take advantage of the advanced encryption and authentication options of OPC UA. We use the Bedrock IDE to set data tags to control access with encryption and authentication handshakes so seamlessly that users don’t even realize that they are engaging in such deep cyber security protection,” said Mark Goehring, owner of Tyrion Integration.

Goerhing estimates that implementing the system using Bedrock Open Secure Automation saved 50% over any alternative approach, while also setting Temblor up for continued life cycle cost savings, operational effectiveness, and improved service to clients.

• Read the case study: Simple, Scalable and Secure, Well-Head Monitoring and Control (pdf)

 @BedrockAuto #PAuto 

SCADA Security Platform for OPC UA.

Bedrock Automation has published a concise, easy-to-deploy interface specification that enables users and application developers to take advantage of the security capabilities of OPC UA communications software. By following the simple procedures outlined in the Bedrock SCADA Security Platform Specification, developers can upgrade any OPC UA compliant client into a highly secure OPC UA channel, across which users can exchange data between plant floor operations and SCADA applications. Three leading SCADA software developers, Inductive Automation, ICONICS and TATSOFT, are committing and releasing support to the Bedrock interface specification.

Bedrock Automation has launched an automation revolution by inventing a universal cyber secure industrial control system from the ground up. All metal, no I/O pins, embedded security, open architec-ture…everything you need to solve all of your automation problems. White Paper

“OPC UA provides unique cyber security advantages enabling open communications across numerous industrial devices and applications and providing the end-users options for integrating authentication keys protecting those communications. The most secure OPC level is to authenticate those keys against a known root of trust, which Bedrock supplies via a certificate authority (CA), validated against cryptographic keys built into its controller,” said Thomas J. Burke, OPC Foundation President and Executive Director, adding “Bedrock Automation is a clear leader in supporting the OPC UA standards, and provides information integration and communication that the end users have been demanding."

Bedrock designs and sources its own secure semiconductor components with encryption and authentication technologies embedded at the “birth” of their modules, assembled and tested by Bedrock in their cyber secure supply chain. The unique design then draws on the power and flexibility of public key infrastructure (PKI) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) standards similar to those used to secure ecommerce transactions and military and aerospace electronics. Bedrock Automation then uses those securely embedded keys as the basis for digital certificates that manage access and communication between SCADA applications and control systems. Bedrock Cybershield 3.0 firmware is the first control system to offer an embedded PKI for SCADA applications.

Ease of integration
A software developer building an open communications environment with OPC UA might deploy a Bedrock OSA system as a PLC to control a process based on input from field devices. To secure communications between their SCADA applications and the control system the developer will utilize the Bedrock Cloud SaaS to generate a SCADA certificate. After verifying the identity of the requester, the Bedrock CA issues that certificate which authorizes the SCADA to access encrypted data on the PLC. The Bedrock interface specification – only 30 pages – provides everything a developer needs to secure the communications.

“Such a simple specification demonstrates that Open and Secure SCADA can be deployed today, and that an applications interface does not have to be thousands or even hundreds of pages. We are pleased to be working with innovative SCADA software providers such as Inductive Automation, ICONICS and TATSOFT, to help them and their customers take advantage of the secure communications capabilities of OPC UA and the intrinsic security of the Bedrock platform,” said Albert Rooyakkers, founder and CEO of Bedrock Automation.

Inductive Automation, based in, Folsom, Calif., has already implemented several installations around Bedrock controllers. “Using Bedrock Automation as our Certificate Authority means we can now deliver our customers yet another layer of assurance that they can achieve the business and productivity benefits of our open SCADA solutions, with minimal risk of cyber intrusion,” said Don Pearson, Chief Strategy Officer at Inductive Automation.

ICONICS, based in Foxboro, Mass., is also taking advantage of the Bedrock CA. “Security is a top priority for most automation customers today,” said Russ Agrusa, President and CEO of ICONICS. “ICONICS has partnered with Bedrock Automation to provide an end-to-end connected solution for IoT and Industry 4.0 that ensures safe, secure information exchange between PLCs and a variety of enterprise information systems.”

TATSOFT, based in Houston, Tex., the first application development platform built entirely for the Microsoft .NET framework, is planning to offer Bedrock secured SCADA solutions to its customers. “We are constantly looking for innovative ways to add value for our clients and customers, and by giving users a cyber secure option to interact with PLC functionality, we are definitely doing that. We could not do this with any other control platform, because none has authentication certificates embedded in their firmware as Bedrock does,” said TATSOFT Sr. VP Sales and Marketing, Dave Hellyer.

Enhanced capability to implement Bedrock and secure OPC UA for SCADA applications is available with the Bedrock Cybershield 3.0 upgrade, which will be announced at the ARC Forum on February 12, 2018. Cybershield 3.0 will be standard in all Bedrock systems and available to Cybershield 2.0 users as a free upgrade in Q2 2018. Developers wishing to review the OPC UA Interface specification should contact Bedrock Automation.

 @BedrockAuto #PAuto 

ICS Cyber Security study.

An informative white paper on the cyber security vulnerabilities and defense of industrial control systems has been released by Bedrock Automation. The 20-page document, Securing Industrial Control Systems - Best Practices, covers the threat landscape and presents a holistic approach to defending it, including assessing risk, physical security, network security, workstation and server security, as well as the fundamentals of OSA. It is the forth in a series of white papers available from the company as  An Automation Revolution.

“As we discuss cyber security with users of automation, we find that many are aware of the threat potential but are not sure if they are doing enough to protect themselves. We saw the need for a technical paper that explains both the mindset and motives of an attacker, as well as the tools and technologies of defense. This paper defines the issues in a practical, holistic way while providing recommendations on how to begin and sustain best practices for cyber defense,” said company founder and CEO, Albert Rooyakkers.

The first half of the paper covers conventional cyber security practices that apply to all industrial control systems. It provides an assessment of the threats, including drive-by attacks, advanced persistent threats (APTs), espionage, process attacks, and ransomware. It also looks at assessing the related risks, with an introduction to Process Hazards Analysis (PHA) and Hazards and Operability (HAZOP) methodologies used to identify malfunctions that might harm people, the process, or the environment.

To assist with risk assessment, the paper provides an overview of conventional protection practices. This includes network segmentation, firewalls, and DMZs; managing workstations, servers, end-users, and applications; and implementing active defense measures, including security event monitoring and management.

The second part of the paper is devoted to more recent techniques, based on the application of intrinsic cyber security advances that have been applied in military, aerospace, and ecommerce, and are now being used to protect industrial control systems. These create a hardware end-point root of trust that combines advanced cryptography, digital signing techniques, an industrial certificate authority, and public key infrastructure (PKIs) built into the control system to create an infrastructure for user defense.

The paper also presents the features of the Bedrock Open Secure Automation platform, which embraces the best practices discussed and details the process by which they can be applied to legacy and new systems.

@BedrockAuto #Pauto #Cybersecurity