Innovating the Industrial Measurement and Control Network of an Oil Refinery

Industrial networks represent an important business for automation systems manufacturers that offer proprietary solutions and claim for the payment of license fees. However, automation can be achieved even by exploiting standard protocols in order to avoid or limit the use of proprietary solutions. The considered case study, related to the innovation of an oil refinery, illustrates a viable approach. In particular, it shows that, thanks to a suitable upgrade of its measurement and control hardware pursued with standard solutions, the industrial network of an oil refinery can be provided with improved performance and more flexible connectivity as well as be proficiently integrated with the commercial network of the considered enterprise.