FGRIO Provides Freedom From Wire In Data Transfers

In the oil and natural gas production and distribution markets, for example, data must be frequently transferred between instruments in the field and to and from base stations. FreeWave's main products, such as the FGRIO system, are frequency-hopping spread spectrum wireless transceivers that can be used for reading and transmitting data from instruments at a work site. The FGRIO system provides outstanding performance and versatility in wireless transmission of process-control signals. FGRIO offers transparent acquisition, transport and reconstruction of analog, digital and power signals.

The wireless transceiver eliminates the use of wire for transferring data from, for example, oil heads to the base station. Traditionally, the data collected in the oil field is transmitted via underground wire. The FGRIO system eliminates wire completely in the data transmission, thus eliminating trench digging and wire degradation, and increasing safety.

Cost savings of wireless vs. buried cable are significant in the drilling market. The average cost to dig a trench is about $1,800 and can run even higher in the Midwest, where trench digging usually requires going through solid rock, according to FreeWave.

As an example, a natural gas well site can explain best what the FGRIO system can offer customers. Drilling sites often include a gas well, with several tanks nearby. Gauges on the tanks monitor their levels and activity. Rather than requiring an employee to drive from tank to tank to read the gauges for the temperature and pressure, the FGRIO transmits the data from the well head to the instruments.

The magic of the radio system is how it handles interference. The FGRIO is often used in locations with other devices competing for airtime. The system runs at 900MHz, which means it runs in the 902 to 928 radio spectrum band. There are 121 bands within that spectrum, and the radio hops from band to band up to 100 times per second, helping it to maintain an open channel at all times.

Occasionally, the FGRIO will run into another device operating on the same band, but the device allows for three retries and transmissions. Plus, the host is designed to learn the environment it works in and will tune itself as necessary.

Solution providers that partner with FreeWave can offer the frequency-hopping spread spectrum radiant system to well owners to cut down on the amount of hours technicians spend in the field driving around in a truck from tank to tank, well site to well site. The large number of drilling sites that are not automated or not completely automated leaves a huge opportunity for solution providers to come in and retrofit them.

CRN Test Center engineers expect the bulk of interest in the FreeWave FGRIO system in the energy market to come from new drilling sites.

In addition to FreeWave's main product line of 900MHz frequency-hopping spread spectrum radiant systems, the company also sells systems in the 2.4GHz frequency and a variety of other frequencies in the United States. However, those products are only available for use by the military or for export purposes.

FreeWave sells the transceivers, not the actual instruments the transceivers go into. The receivers are agnostic. The company acts as an OEM for instrument manufacturers, similar to the way companies that sell flat-panels buy the shell and technology from larger OEM flat-panel makers.

Manufacturers such as ABB, RAE Systems and Thermo Electron are a few of the companies that incorporate FreeWave's transceivers into their instruments.

FreeWave is channel-focused and clearly committed to its partners. It supports partners both in the United States and abroad and provides 24-hour-a-day tech support, a trade-in program, installation assistance, wiring schematics, network design materials and other resources.

PRODUCT SNAPSHOT
> Name: FGRIO
> Price: $975
> Distributors/Integrators: Direct from vendor
> Company: FreeWave Technologies
Boulder, Colo.
(303) 444-3862
www.freewave.com