2023 CASE STUDY
Monitoring Oil Field Tanks with
LoRaWAN
®
to Improve
Efficiencies and Reduce Costs
SITUATION
Chevron's San Joaquin Valley business unit (SJVBU) in
California, USA, produces more than 140,000 barrels
of oil ~ 18,000 wells across 260 square km.
As part of its commitment to safety, operational
efficiency and the environment, Chevron rolled out
radio frequency (RF) monitoring devices, including
new LoRaWAN® Smart Lids, to help manage
thousands of 950-litre tanks that support well health,
prevent corrosion, and add treatments to the wells
and flowlines to optimize production.
Until then, oil tanks were checked using manual
dipsticks. The stranded assets were determined to be
cost prohibitive to connect and automate.
SOLUTION
Chevron rolled out LoRaWAN® Smart Lids to
take automatic tank level readings, and transmit
data through a private LoRaWAN® network,
using nodes with 10-year batteries that can
transmit over 10 miles. LoRaWAN® devices are
connected to MultiTech Conduit® gateways,
each gateway supporting thousands of end
points. MultiTech LENS® allows easy and
efficient deployment and management of the
network. It provides centralized management
for LoRaWAN® end devices, and configuration
and control of MultiTech gateways.
RESULTS
LoRaWAN® meets Chevron high standards for
security, which is paramount for this critical
infrastructure. LoRaWAN® offers long-range
communication across a noisy oil field to low-
power end points powered on batteries for
years: a single MultiTech Conduit® gateway can
connect thousands of end points. This allowed
Chevron to cover the entire Joaquin Valley using
a minimal number of MultiTech gateways.
Using LoRaWAN® is more cost-effective than
cellular alone.
MultiTech LENS® is a toolset for secure,
distributed, scalable LoRaWAN® enterprise
networks, designed to enable easy and efficient
deployment and management of private
LoRaWAN® networks at scale.
Chevron achieved a significant return on
investment (ROI) within the first year and
reduced drive time, while optimizing the supply
chain and using easily deployable technology.
Chevron was able to operate its oil tanks more
safely, reliably and efficiently; reduce costs;
recover more resources; and better manage
risk.
COMPANY CONTACT INFO
MultiTech, Minnesota - USA
https://www.multitech.com/
sales@multitech.com
Smart
Industry
North
America
Gateway
Provider