RTLS: The New Engine for Petroleum & Chemical Transformation
The Petroleum & Chemical industry is in a critical period of digital transformation, facing not only the pressure of capacity expansion but also the urgent need to strengthen safety management and operational efficiency. As a core force in the global Petroleum & Chemical industry, China’s relevant product sales accounted for 43.0% of the global market in 2023, and its massive industrial scale has created an especially urgent demand for precise management technologies.
Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) have emerged as a core technology driving industry transformation. Their precise tracking capability covers personnel and assets within Petroleum & Chemical plants, capturing real-time location information and synchronizing it to the management hub.
Tsingoal’s LocalSense RTLS is built on Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology. Leveraging the characteristics of nanosecond-level narrow pulse transmission, it boasts high capacity, high data rate (over 1Gbps), low power consumption, strong anti-multipath interference, and high security, making it suitable for high-risk and complex Petroleum & Chemical environments.
This system achieves centimeter-level positioning, enabling precise detection of personnel dynamics in high-risk areas such as reactors and storage tank zones. It triggers boundary-crossing alerts through dynamic geofencing. After a Petroleum & Chemical enterprise implemented this system, the rate of unauthorized entry into dangerous areas decreased by 60%, and the missed inspection rate dropped by 85%, significantly enhancing safety assurance capabilities.
Deep Dive into RTLS Application Value
Signal Challenges and Solutions in Complex Environments
Dense metal pipelines, thick concrete walls, and multi-level layouts in Petroleum & Chemical plants cause strong reflection and attenuation interference to signal transmission, easily creating positioning blind spots.
UWB technology exhibits excellent penetration capability due to its nanosecond-level narrow pulse characteristics—signal attenuation is less than 10dB when passing through 30cm-thick concrete. It can effectively cover multi-level workshops and achieve positioning accuracy within 30cm, solving the signal challenges in complex environments.
Clarifying Tracking Objectives and Accuracy Requirements
Clarifying tracking objectives is the prerequisite for maximizing RTLS value, as different scenarios have significantly different requirements for accuracy and latency.
Safety alerts require an accuracy of 0.1-0.3 meters and millisecond-level latency to ensure immediate warnings when boundaries of dangerous areas are crossed; while equipment tracking can have a relaxed accuracy requirement within 1 meter to balance needs and costs.
Coverage Scope Determines Deployment Strategy
Coverage scope determines the base station deployment strategy, which must adapt to the “indoor-outdoor integration” feature of Petroleum & Chemical plants: waterproof and anti-interference base stations are selected for outdoor pipeline areas, deployed over long distances to achieve wide coverage; while base station deployment in indoor enclosed workshops is adjusted according to on-site conditions to ensure no signal blind spots.
The Emergence of Indoor-Outdoor Integrated Solutions
A single positioning technology cannot adapt to all scenarios in Petroleum & Chemical plants. Tsingoal’s indoor-outdoor integrated solution achieves seamless positioning services through multi-technology collaboration.
Analysis of Integrated Technology Principles
The solution integrates satellite, UWB, and Bluetooth technologies, combined with an intelligent switching algorithm, to automatically select the optimal positioning method according to the environment.
GPS positioning serves as the core for large outdoor areas (such as open storage tank zones and long-distance pipeline routes) to achieve wide-area coverage; for outdoor areas requiring higher positioning accuracy, such as loading/unloading zones and valve control stations, wireless Beacons are deployed for supplementary positioning to further improve the accuracy of location data; when personnel or assets enter indoor areas where satellite signals weaken, the system automatically and seamlessly switches to UWB (centimeter-level) or Bluetooth (1-3 meter-level) positioning modes.
Relevant Product and Function Display
The solution features in-depth collaboration between hardware and software. Hardware includes multi-mode positioning cards (supporting satellite/UWB/Bluetooth switching) and explosion-proof safety helmets with built-in positioning chips; the software platform integrates core functions such as real-time tracking, geofencing, and trajectory playback.
Outstanding Advantages in Practical Application
This solution demonstrates significant advantages in Petroleum & Chemical scenarios: centimeter-level accuracy meets high-precision requirements such as equipment installation; seamless switching ensures continuous tracking of personnel across different areas; and real-time data transmission improves emergency response efficiency. After an enterprise implemented this solution, equipment failure rate decreased by 30%, production efficiency increased by 25%, and overall operating costs dropped by 15%.
RTLS Leads the New Journey of Industry 4.0
RTLS serves as a core support for Petroleum & Chemical facilities to move towards Industry 4.0. Through precise positioning, it strengthens safety barriers, optimizes operational processes, and achieves dual improvements in both safety and efficiency.
After a large Petroleum & Chemical enterprise adopted the solution, the safety accident rate decreased significantly, and the equipment failure location time was reduced from hours to minutes, greatly minimizing downtime losses.
With its LocalSense RTLS and integrated solutions, Tsingoal has become a benchmark for Industry 4.0 positioning services. In the future, it will continue to innovate technologically, helping the Petroleum & Chemical industry and multiple other sectors achieve intelligent transformation and leading the way in the global industrial revolution.
