The gas exporter has deployed the Ovinto Sat smart asset monitoring system to ensure the safety of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as it travels in cryogenic tank containers to customers around the globe. Ovinto Sat is enabled by the Globalstar worldwide satellite fleet and includes multifunction sensors built around Globalstar’s STX3 chipset, the smallest and lowest power-consuming satellite IoT chipset on the market.
The exporter’s containers are principally used to export argon, nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide worldwide. Customers represent a diverse range of organisations and sectors. These include energy and gas providers, industrial companies, the leisure sector, hotels, medical businesses, and beverage makers.
Hydrogen and LNG demand rising in pursuit for clean energy
LNG is a rapidly growing business area for the company, particularly in the US and Mexico. It is believed that the LNG market will see significant growth in the coming years as demand surges for sources of energy alternative to traditional fossil fuels.
Particularly to fuel vehicles, hydrogen demand is on the rise. “As the world turns to cleaner sources of energy, hydrogen is a big part of the solution to solve the global energy crisis,” explains the assets manager at the gas exporting company.
Many of the initiatives aimed at promoting using hydrogen for vehicles are backed by governments as part of their commitments to reduce carbon emissions.
Ovinto Sat advantages
The gas exporter owns 600 tank containers, each fitted with an Ovinto Sat sensor device, as is every new container purchased.
The company began to deploy Ovinto Sat four years ago. Earlier solutions the company tried were only able to provide positioning information. Only Ovinto Sat sensors could measure internal temperature and pressure. Ovinto Sat’s configurability was also a huge factor in the exporter’s procurement decision. The company also found Ovinto Sat’s operational dashboard to be highly functional and user-friendly.
Alternative systems trialled could not provide uninterrupted tracking due to reliance on GSM technology. Others were too complex for speedy implementation, or their operational user interface was unintuitive. The robustness, low power consumption, and long battery life of Ovinto Sat units were further valued features.
“We were confident that Ovinto Sat units were rugged enough to withstand the long journeys on road, rail and sea that our containers take,” the assets manager said.
Satellite IoT enables uninterrupted key data flow
It’s critical to be able to continually monitor the pressure inside these containers to ensure the safe travel and delivery of these highly dangerous liquefied gases. Tank containers get stacked during transport and storage. The sensor devices are affixed to the outside of the container, each safe inside its own rugged domed casing, to keep a continuous line of sight with the satellites. The devices maintain uninterrupted visibility of the satellite network In Low Earth Orbit, so data on the environmental characteristics of the container flow uninterrupted as they traverse the globe.
“The Globalstar satellite system remains the best solution on the planet on account of its coverage, minimal latency, low power and, as a result, its affordability,” said Frederick Ronse, managing director of Ovinto.
Ovinto Sat – Highest ATEX certification and low power consumption
Critically important for the conveyance of hazardous materials, Ovinto Sat complies with the highest possible ATEX standard certification for explosion prevention. At the heart of Ovinto Sat is Globalstar’s low-power STX3, the smallest and lowest power-consuming chipset on the market. Because it’s powered by long-life batteries, Ovinto Sat allows customers to monitor materials in unpowered environments, including rail tank cars and containers.
“We are continually amazed by the myriad of ways in which Satellite IoT enabled solutions based on Globalstar are used to improve people’s lives, businesses and the environment,” commented Mark O’Connell, General Manager for Globalstar EMEA & APAC. “And we’re tremendously proud that, together with our valued partner Ovinto, we’re enabling the safe delivery of cleaner energy solutions to ever more customers.”