More and more, the intelligence and logic necessary to manage and optimize wells and field equipment are being pushed ever closer to the reservoir and wellhead. The sensors and controllers today have become much more powerful and capable due to the evolution of the microprocessor and other electronic technologies.  Because of this, the devices used in the production of oil and gas have become much “smarter.”  The devices themselves have the ability to act autonomously, or within a system, managing themselves and updating information as required to a system.

At the same time, with the rapid evolution of technology, real-time systems have become much more sophisticated with self-diagnostics, high speed connectivity, and more open architectures.  Coupled with smart devices, real-time systems are providing valuable data beyond the traditional monitoring and alarms of SCADA.