Petróleos Mexicanos Works with Emerson to Implement Remote Monitoring

​Client Profile: Petróleos Mexicanos, trademarked and better known as Pemex, is the Mexican state-owned petroleum company, created in 1938 by nationalization or expropriation of all private, foreign, and domestic companies at that time.

Business Need: The main challenge faced by Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) was the efficient operation of the declining oil wells on offshore platforms, which were built decades ago in an area prone to seasonal hurricanes. It was looking to extend the life of its Cantarell oil field, which was located in Campeche Bay in the Gulf of Mexico. The Cantarell field is a large oil field and until 2003 was contributing 60 percent of Mexico's crude oil production. However, there was a production decline and the output consisted of about 30 percent of Mexico's crude oil output. The company's operations consist of about 200 production wells on about 50 platforms, with limited or no power availability. The platforms also lacked a communications infrastructure to transmit the data back to the onshore operations facility. Most of the platforms lacked the communications infrastructure to transmit the data back to the onshore operations facility. PEMEX used to send the employees by boat on a daily basis to platforms located almost 80 kilometers from the shore to gather the data manually. This proved to be expensive and due to the weather conditions, it delayed important decision-making and created safety risks for workers.

Solution Implementation: PEMEX was looking for a creative and economical remote monitoring solution that would assist in the existing production cycle of the Cantarell field. They wanted a solution that would collaborate the data on field performance and production processes in a timely, accurate, and methodical manner. The company also expected this data to be integrated for all the offshore platforms to help enable better management of the field and increase work safety, while enhancing environmental protection. To achieve this, PEMEX engineers worked with Emerson Mexico local engineers and designed a remote monitoring system. This system was developed for the offshore platforms to help increase the life of the field, without changing the existing infrastructure and any additional implementation costs. PEMEX selected Emerson Smart Wireless technology for this solution. With this solution, the company was able to achieve better visibility of its production processes and field performance by adding monitoring points throughout its offshore facilities at a fraction of the cost of wired instrumentation. The better-powered smart wireless sensors and instrumentation could immediately obtain information on pressure, temperature, and valve position. This helped in providing the operators with real-time information, which was essential in making critical decisions.

Benefits: The solution helped the company monitor emergency shutdown valves and rigs in all weather conditions. This allowed PEMEX to protect the integrity of its platforms and manage the field more efficiently. The integrated and comprehensive data also helped in making better decisions.

Source Case Study

Keywords: Petróleos Mexicanos, Emerson, ARC Advisory Group, Remote Monitoring