US Power Grids, Oil and Gas Industries, and Risk of Hacking
A report released in June, from the security firm Dragos, describes a worrisome development by a hacker group named, “Xenotime” and at least two dangerous oil and gas intrusions and ongoing reconnaissance on United States power grids.
Multiple ICS (Industrial Control Sectors) sectors now face the XENOTIME threat; this means individual verticals – such as oil and gas, manufacturing, or electric – cannot ignore threats to other ICS entities because they are not specifically targeted.
The Dragos researchers have termed this threat proliferation as the world’s most dangerous cyberthreat since an event in 2017 where Xenotime had caused a serious operational outage at a crucial site in the Middle East.
The fact that concerns cybersecurity experts the most is that this hacking attack was a malware that chose to target the facility safety processes (SIS – safety instrumentation system).
For example, when temperatures in a reactor increase to an unsafe level, an SIS will automatically start a cooling process or immediately close a valve to prevent a safety accident. The SIS safety stems are both hardware and software that combine to protect facilities from life threatening accidents.
At this point, no one is sure who is behind Xenotime. Russia has been connected to one of the critical infrastructure attacks in the Ukraine. That attack was viewed to be the first hacker related power grid outage.
This is a “Cause for Concern” post that was published by Dragos on June 14, 2019.
“While none of the electric utility targeting events has resulted in a known, successful intrusion into victim organizations to date, the persistent attempts, and expansion in scope is cause for definite concern. XENOTIME has successfully compromised several oil and gas environments which demonstrates its ability to do so in other verticals. Specifically, XENOTIME remains one of only four threats (along with ELECTRUM, Sandworm, and the entities responsible for Stuxnet) to execute a deliberate disruptive or destructive attack.
XENOTIME is the only known entity to specifically target safety instrumented systems (SIS) for disruptive or destructive purposes. Electric utility environments are significantly different from oil and gas operations in several aspects, but electric operations still have safety and protection equipment that could be targeted with similar tradecraft. XENOTIME expressing consistent, direct interest in electric utility operations is a cause for deep concern given this adversary’s willingness to compromise process safety – and thus integrity – to fulfill its mission.
XENOTIME’s expansion to another industry vertical is emblematic of an increasingly hostile industrial threat landscape. Most observed XENOTIME activity focuses on initial information gathering and access operations necessary for follow-on ICS intrusion operations. As seen in long-running state-sponsored intrusions into US, UK, and other electric infrastructure, entities are increasingly interested in the fundamentals of ICS operations and displaying all the hallmarks associated with information and access acquisition necessary to conduct future attacks. While Dragos sees no evidence at this time indicating that XENOTIME (or any other activity group, such as ELECTRUM or ALLANITE) is capable of executing a prolonged disruptive or destructive event on electric utility operations, observed activity strongly signals adversary interest in meeting the prerequisites for doing so.”
The Importance of Gas Composition and Calibration and their Effects on Flow Meter Accuracy
Thermal Flow Meter Calibration for Natural Gas Service
Errors associated with the calibration of flow meters for natural gas service can be costly but can also be mitigated using an advanced flow meter design that allows field-adjustment of the natural gas composition without loss of accuracy.
This outstanding case study, courtesy of Fox Thermal Instruments, discusses the importance of gas composition and calibration and their effects on flow meter accuracy.
For more information on natural gas flow measurement, contact Combustion Technology by calling 360-253-9600 in Vancouver, 503-287-2500 in Portland, or you can visit their website at https://combustion-tech.net.
The Honeywell Maxon CROSSFIRE® Line Burner
The Maxon CROSSFIRE® Burners are nozzle-mixing, modular line burners designed for a variety of fresh and recirculated air process heating applications. The burner is available in a variety of arrangements, including straight, grid and ladder sections. An external blower supplies combustion air.
Or review it in the embedded document below.
For more information about any Honeywell Maxon product, contact Combustion Technology, LLC by calling:
Vancouver: 360-253-9600
Portland: 503-287-2500
Or visit their website at https://combustion-tech.net.
Or review it in the embedded document below.
For more information about any Honeywell Maxon product, contact Combustion Technology, LLC by calling:
Vancouver: 360-253-9600
Portland: 503-287-2500
Or visit their website at https://combustion-tech.net.
Combustion Technology, LLC
Combustion Technology, LLC will expertly help you:
- Apply Process Heating Equipment & Combustion Components
- Engineer Systems
- Regulatory Safety Audits
- Troubleshoot Combustion Equipment
- Provide Upgrades & Repairs
- Provide Maintenance Agreements
- Combustion Efficiency Audits
- UL 508 Control Panels
800-327-1831
Flame Scanners Used in Industry
Flame detectors or scanners are regularly deployed in combustion applications as a means of confirming the presence of flame in a combustion chamber. The verification that fuel flowing into the utilization equipment is being properly burned and not accumulating unburned in the combustion chamber is the first line of safety in combustion.
Flame scanners use the characteristics of combustion and the electromagnetic emissions from burning fuel to detect flame and distinguish among flames from multiple burners. The instruments rely heavily upon operating principles utilizing visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light measurement and detection.
In single burner applications, simpler sensor and controller combinations can work suitably, but multiple flame applications are candidates for more complex detection devices and controls which can discriminate among multiple flames. Differences in individual flame characteristics, indicated through combustion products, can be utilized to distinguish between flames from different burners. Some photoelectric detectors can distinguish a signature flicker in flames of any type, invisible to the human eye.
Knowledge and understanding of the flame itself, its emissive attributes, and other characteristics are the key to proper flame detection. This may include the temperature of gases within the flame and its specific gas products. Other than temperature, electromagnetic radiation and ionized gas molecules in the flame are commonly used by flame scanners or detectors.
A variety of flame scanners are available for industrial and commercial use, each optimized for particular application sets. Essentially you have a scanner, which acts as a sensor. The signal from the scanner requires amplification and further processing to provide a reliable control signal. Hardware is available as discreet components, allowing a combination of scanner, amplifier, and control units to be combined into a system tailored for specific application requirements. Integrated systems are also available, with all appropriate detection and amplification circuitry built into a single compact unit.
Share your combustion process challenges with application specialists and combine your facility and process knowledge with their product application expertise to develop effective solutions.
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