It’s said that much of today’s world is about choice, and the organisations that find themselves in need of telemetry solutions across the sectors of oil and gas, chemicals, water and printing certainly require choice, if the resultant system is to cater for their most specialised requirements. There are always certain constants in the right telemetry system, such as the right level of flexibility, scalability and reliability, but there are also instances in which a renowned telemetry provider like Oriel Systems will be forced to call upon the deepest expertise of its technical team.

Thankfully, Oriel Systems is one of those companies with a strong reputation for installing precisely the right telemetry system, in close collaboration with the client. Experienced service and installation engineers across two UK locations are able to travel to the given site, whether in the UK or overseas, to carry out the installation, calibration and servicing of equipment. With every customer situation being different, these engineers are able to suggest all manner of solutions for integrating modern equipment with older, out of date legacy systems, drawing on their considerable experience with both old and new equipment.

Although this process best helps to minimise the need for expensive replacements, it does mean that determining the most suitable telemetry system depends in large part on detailed discussion with each and every customer. However, even before every requirement is known, Oriel Systems can still provide vital guidance, including on the appropriate outstation and software. The customer may also wish to take advantage of the company’s hosting service for their AWAX or Vendor Managed Inventory system, and a comprehensive support service can also be provided after installation, with Oriel Systems’ remote diagnostic facilities helping to minimise costs.

There are various further options beyond those for a telemetry system, however. They include a wide range of means of communication for an outstation, from GSM/GPRS/3G to Radio or standard telephone provider landline and broadband. There are also various signal inputs – digital or analogue – that Oriel Systems’ modular Intelligent Telemetry Outstations can be connected to, including guided microwave sensing equipment, hydrostatic pressure transducers and ultrasonic level sensors. Also possible to bring into the system are Counter Frequency Inputs, for such functions as measuring the number of strokes the pump has cycled, enabling an accurate figure to be given on how much product has been pumped enabling detailed information on product consumption to be obtained.

The customer of a new telemetry system may also request Control Outputs for the performing of such control functions as the remote opening and closing of valves or penstocks or the remote starting and stopping of pumps. It’s even possible for the customer to work alongside Oriel Systems’ engineers in the development of a Control Algorithm, so that intelligent pumping solutions can be provided based on all of the inputs that the system incorporates.

With a telemetry system potentially needing to cater for any of a vast range of industry needs, Oriel Systems has become more than well-attuned to catering for those needs.

There are many urgent priorities that an organisation in such a field as oil and gas, chemicals, printing or the water industry is likely to have when the time comes to invest in a telemetry system. It will likely be important to them to choose a system that is flexible, reliable and scalable, with the ability to connect to all manner of remote plant and equipment while being effective and economical right now.

As well as hardware, software is a major factor for many of these firms, with SCADA systems often in particular demand. However, it is important to make a distinction between such systems and other telemetry. The letters SCADA stand for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, and refer to a software package that is positioned on top of a real-time control system, so that a process external to the SCADA system can be controlled.

The average telemetry system’s strength is in enabling remote measurement and reporting information of interest. Strictly speaking, telemetry (or tele-metering) is the data collection and transmission of this data from remote sites, while SCADA systems are mostly hard-wired and therefore local. As a long-established and renowned high technology industrial services provider, Oriel Systems takes pride in its very own Awax SCADA software that combines the best functionalities of SCADA systems and wider telemetry.

This Awax SCADA software is as cost-effective and cutting-edge as the rest of Oriel Systems’ highly rated work in telemetry. Not only is it capable of connecting with all manner of remote units, but its connection to most PLC systems and various other types of hardware – including the remote units of other vendors – is also possible. This makes the upgrading of an existing system largely stress-free for customers that might have otherwise been forced to dispose of their legacy systems.

Oriel Systems is always exploring the full possibilities of SCADA systems from its south west England research, manufacturing and development facility. The most recent technological advances are continually incorporated into the Awax SCADA software, which also keeps adding to the list of devices to which it can be connected.

Internet integration has taken on a greater role in SCADA systems like those of Oriel Systems, as have web hosting and live video streaming from remote sites. But whatever the exact requirements of the customer, the company’s technical team remains happy to meet them, and capable of devising a wide range of intelligent telemetry hardware and software solutions.