THINGS TO KNOW WHEN OPERATING A PANEL COMPUTER IN OIL AND GAS ENVIRONMENT The purpose of this document is to inform the users of our Panel Computer on precautions to be taken when the product is used in oil and gas environment. The information contained herein is based on analyses of data over a period of years and should not be considered exhaustive in nature as Panel Computers can experience other failures not documented here. On the other hand, this document is not a substitute for scheduled maintenance, which should always be a common practice for any equipment used in an industrial environment. The following components should be given due consideration: 1. Hard disk drives 2. Power supply 3. Touch/keypad screen overlay Hard Disk Drive Of all the components used in Panel Computer, the hard disk drives are the most sensitive to shocks and vibrations. In fact, hard disk manufacturers indicate an outgoing defect rate of 1% for most hard disk drives. They recognize that these drives are subjected to a certain amount of shock and vibration during transportation. What this means is that for every one hundred hard disk drives received by a manufacturer of Panel Computer products, one hard disk is expected to fail prematurely. Data shows that more than half of all malfunctions of Panel Computers are the result of these two problems: shock and vibration. The impact of shocks and vibrations is most severe when the hard disk drive is operating, which can result in the read/write head damaging the disk surface. Since the read/write head operates only a few micrometers above the disk surface, even a slight shock can cause the head to contact the disk surface and damage its outermost magnetic layer. Therefore, the following precautions should be taken when using hard drives: 1 Never install a PC in equipment which will vibrate or be moved while in operation. 2 Ensure that machinery equipped with a PC that uses a hard disk drive is not subjected to excessive vibration. (Always refer to the hard disk drive’s manufacturer’s manual) 3 When you have to transport machinery containing a PC, make sure it is removed from its installation panel or enclosure prior to transporting it. Pack the PC in special protective packaging and ship separately from the machinery. Re-install the PC only after the machinery has been secured in place from movement. 750 North Maple Road • Saline, Michigan 48176-1292 • Ph: 734-429-4971 • Fx: 734-429-1010 • www.xycom.com 4 Caution should be taken when opening and closing enclosures in which a PC has been mounted on the door. Doors with hinges are where you have the highest resonance and in such cases, vibration is highest at this point and can be transferred directly onto the HD. This is especially dangerous when the PC is in operation. 5 Be careful when handling a hard disk drive. Even a subtle shock during handling, such as knocking the over the disk, can cause the HD to fail. 6 Avoid sudden temperature or air pressure changes which could lead to condensation build-up and could cause the drives’ read-head to adhere to the disk resulting in failure. DO YOU WANT RELIABILITY? Since hard disk drives will ultimately fail, they should be replaced periodically with new drives every two to three years if operational 24 hours a day. Inspecting your drives regularly will allow you to detect potential hard disk problems, thus giving you the opportunity to address the problem proactively. Remember that nothing lasts forever, even under normal usage. Therefore, replacing your hard disk drives periodically will help you to prevent costly breakdowns and expensive downtime. YOUR HARD DISK DRIVE ALTERNATIVE OPTION! A solid state disk (SSD) is electrically, mechanically and software compatible with a conventional (magnetic) hard disk drive. The difference is that SSD provides greater resilience to physical vibration, shocks and extreme temperature fluctuations. Data can be accessed randomly and does not rely on a read & write interface head synchronizing with a rotating disk. This provides a more robust solution to harsh environments, such as the oil and gas industry operations. Power supply Power supplies are made of electronic components, which when subjected to higher ambient temperatures, can shorten the operational life of the components from which it was made. When building enclosures for PC, it is important to take proper airflow into consideration. Most Panel Computers chassis’s are ventilated to allow the exchange of heat from the inside and cool air from the outside. Sealed enclosures should be equipped with fans when possible or other cooling mechanisms to prolong the life of electrical components. There is also a risk from sudden temperature changes, which can create condensation inside the PC. Exposing electrical components to condensation coupled with high temperature variations can cause the components to fail prematurely. Use the manufacturer’s 2 guide to stay within the relative humidity specified for the product and other environmental conditions. ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATION Error! Reference source not found. * Example of environmental specifications for the 3612T, 3612KPM(T), 3615T and 3615KPM(T). Environmental Specifications Characteristic Specification Temperature Operating 0° to 50° C (32° to 122° F) Non-operating -20° to 60°C (-4° to 140°F) Humidity Operating 20% to 80% RH, non-condensing Non-operating 20% to 80% RH, non-condensing Altitude* Operating Sea level to 10,000 feet (3,048 m) Non-operating Sea level to 40,000 feet (12,192 m) Vibration (5 to 2000 Hz) Operating** 0.006” (0.15mm) peak to peak displacement 1.0g maximum acceleration Non-operating 0.015” (0.38mm) peak to peak displacement 2.5g maximum acceleration Shock Operating** 15g peak acceleration, 11 msec duration, ½ sine Non-operating wave 30g peak acceleration, 11 msec duration, ½ sine wave * Consistent with internal component specifications ** These values are with solid-state hard drives and not rotating media drives. *Always refer to your product manual for specific model environmental specification. 3 Touch/Keypad screen overlay Most of the touchscreen or keypad overlays used in Panel Computers are made of Autoflex. This material is based upon bi-axially-orientated polyester film and therefore has much enhanced solvent resistance, strength, durability and toughness compared to other commonly used membrane facia and nameplate substrate, such as polycarbonate and vinyl. In common with all polyester-based films, Autoflex is not suitable for use in conditions of long term exposure to direct sunlight. In the oil and gas environment where there is a possibility for units containing touchscreen/keypad overlays made of Autoflex being mounted in an open field, the units should be protected from direct sunlight with a housing that would keep it in the shade. When a touchscreen/keypad front panel is connected with tails made out of printed silver traces, ensure to prevent condensation that could lead to moisture which could affect the silver traces. Most tails contain a protective layer of Mylar over the silver traces. Avoid damaging the Mylar or exposing the silver traces or you could experience the phenomenon of silver migration. This phenomenon occurs when the silver traces are exposed to moisture in the presence of electrical potential. The resulting effect is that the sliver traces start to dissolve and propagate sideways, therefore creating a short with the adjacent traces. When this occurs, the touchscreen/ keypad is certain to malfunction. 4 1. AUTOFLEX EB Solvent Resistance Autoflex withstands exposure of more than 24 hours duration under DIN 42 115 Part 2 to the following chemicals without visible change. Ethanol Acetaldehyde Flourochlorohydrocarbo Cyclohexanol Aliphatic ns Isopropanol hydrocarbons Perchloroethylene Glycerine Petrol 1.1.1. Trichloroethane Methanol Toluene Trichloroethylene Xylene Ethylacetate Benzene Diethyl ether Acetone Formic Acid<50% Sodium Methyl ethyl ketone Acetic acid<50% hypochlorite<20% Dioxan Phosphoric acid<30% Hydrogen peroxide<25% Hydrochloric acid Potassium carbonate <10% Washing powders Nitric acid <10% Fabric conditioner Sulphuric acid<10% Ammonia<2% Cutting oil Caustic soda<2% Diesel oil Alkalicarbonate Linseed oil Bichromate Paraffin oil Potassium Blown castor oil Ferrocyanide/Ferricyanide Silicone oil Turpentine substitute Autoflex withstands DIN 42 115 Part 2 exposure of <1 hour duration to glacial acetic acid without visible change. Autoflex is NOT resistant to the following chemicals: Concentrated mineral acids Benzyl alcohol Concentrated caustic solution Methylene chloride High pressure steam at over 212◦F (100◦C) 5 2. RESISTANCE TO HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS Autoflex EB withstands 24 hours exposure to the following reagents at 122◦F(50◦C) without visible staining: Top Job Mustard Ariel Ajax Jet Dry Grape Juice Persil Vim Gumption Milk Wisk Domestos Fantastic Lenor Vortex Formula 409 Downey Windex Very slight discoloration was noted under critical viewing conditions with the following materials: Tomato Juice Tomato Ketchup Lemon Juice 3. OUTDOOR USE In common with all polyester based films Autoflex is not suitable for use in conditions of long term exposure to direct sunlight. (See Autotex UV) 6 4 AUTOFLEX v POLYCARBONATE Chemical resistance (exposure to DIN 42 115 Part 2) Reagent Autoflex Polycarbonate 1 Hour 24 Hours 1 Hour 24 Hours Methyl ethyl ketone √ √ X X Cyclohexanone √ √ X X Acetone √ √ X X Ethanol √ √ √ √ 1.1.1. Trichloroethane √ √ X X (Genklene) Perchloroethylene (Perklone) √ √ X X Trichloroethylene √ √ X X Methylene Chloride X X X X Diethyl ether √ √ X X Toluene √ √ X X Xylene √ √ X X Petrol √ √ √ √ Diesel oil √ √ √ √ Dimethylformamide √ √ X X Nitric acid<10% √ √ √ √ Sodium hydroxide<10% √ √ √ √ Turpentine √ √ √ √ Ethyl acetate √ √ X X 7 .