Today, more and more oil and gas fields are being developed to satisfy continuously rising demands for the raw materials they provide.
For this reason, Kontron is investing in the market for explosion-proof industrial PCs and monitors for use on oil platforms and in production facilities. Three solutions with different designs have been brought to the market in rapid succession.
Working on an oil platform is a strenuous and dangerous job: strenuous because the workers have to work long shifts and perform hard manual work on deck and dangerous because they are dealing with highly flammable oil and natural gas.
Therefore, the personnel on oil platforms always try to use equipment that reduces the danger of explosion to a minimum – so, for example, they use only computers that are suitable for an environment with this hazard.
The computers used are so-called explosion-proof PCs, which are designed to ensure no sparks or electric charges can escape to the surroundings. Kontron manufacture explosion-proof IPCs for ocean platforms and production facilities for the oil and natural gas industry. This includes variants of IPCs, insertable panel PCs, and displays for embedded systems used for sea and land-based recovery as well as for borehole mapping. They can also be used for the instrumentation of drilling rig levels and measurement of flushing properties.
One of the products that Kontron offers for this type of application is the Triton Z2 workstation. It is a powerful yet low-cost system with ATEX Zone 2/C1 D2 certification. It has a saltwater and dust protection rating of IP56 and provides high processor performance, danger zone protection capabilities, and numerous other rugged features for optimum, reliable operation in extreme conditions.
To provide outstanding computing power, the Kontron Z2 utilises the Intel Pentium M processor from the Intel Centrino technology range. In addition, the 15-in display has good readability in direct sunlight and is equipped with an enhanced infrared touch screen technology and intelligent faulty operation detection. Kontron is the only manufacturer that decouples the touch screen and the LCD. The system has a modular design with easy-to-maintain components, thus shortening repair times so the system can be up and running again more quickly.
The second system, the Triton PM, is designed for insertion into other systems and offers high processor performance, danger zone protection capabilities, and saltwater resistance as well as other features that equip it for use in extreme application environments.
The option of employing the display in housings or consoles with maximum safety certification is available. The Triton PM is likewise equipped with an Intel Pentium M processor (1.6 GHz), has a diagonal screen size of 15 inches, and likewise offers good readability, even in direct sunlight. It also has Nema 4 protection against external mechanical influences (falling dirt, blowing dust, water, and ice), protection against extreme vibrations, glass-on-glass resistive technology (for greater touch accuracy, improved optics, and maximum longevity), and a rugged aluminum housing. If the Triton PM is used in housings and consoles with C1D2/Zone 2 certification, system integrators can develop solutions for extreme conditions.
The Triton D1 is the first explosion-proof computer display in the industry that is certified according to Class 1 Zone1/ATEX Zone 1 and according to the European EMC directive EN61326 and hence provides maximum protection in danger zones.
Above all, this means increased computing reliability including saltwater protection for service providers in the oil and gas industry. In addition, the Triton D1 is certified both according to Class 1, Zone 1, Ex d IIB T4 and Class 1, Zone 1, Ex d IIB T4 (USA and Canada) and according to ATEX II 2 G, EEx d IIB T4 (EU).
For more information, visit www.kontron.com
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