In today’s fast-evolving oil and gas industry, accurate and reliable Electronic Flow Measurement (EFM) data is critical for custody transfer, regulatory compliance, and optimizing production. Yet accessing and managing that data, locked inside flow computers and RTUs can be a complex challenge.
In this blog, you’ll discover how Software Toolbox’s EFM Solutions simplify integration, ensure data reliability, and leverage open standards to seamlessly connect control systems, SCADA platforms, historians, accounting systems, and enterprise infrastructure, unlocking the full value of your flow measurement data.
The Challenges Facing Oil & Gas Flow Measurement
Oil and gas operators commonly face several hurdles when it comes to flow measurement data:
- Device and Protocol Complexity: Oil and gas operations often use flow computers, RTUs, and automation devices from multiple vendors, each with proprietary protocols. This creates integration headaches, requiring custom drivers or multiple middleware solutions to communicate effectively across devices and systems.
- Manual Data Handling and Error Risks: Many companies still rely on manual processes to collect, format, and transfer flow measurement data. These manual workflows are time-consuming, error-prone, and difficult to audit, putting compliance at risk and increasing operational costs.
- Regulatory Compliance Pressure: Industry standards and government regulations mandate accurate, complete, and auditable flow measurement data for custody transfer and environmental reporting. Meeting these demands requires data integrity, reliable timestamps, traceability, and secure file transfers, adding complexity to already challenging data workflows.
- Scalability and Cost Constraints: As oil and gas operations expand, new wells, pipelines, or processing facilities, the data infrastructure must grow accordingly. Without a scalable and flexible integration solution, adding new devices or expanding data exports can require expensive hardware upgrades, custom software development, and significant downtime.
- Data Silos and Lack of Visibility: Often, EFM data resides in isolated systems or proprietary formats that are not easily accessible to enterprise applications like accounting, ERP, or analytics platforms. This lack of unified visibility limits the ability to make timely operational decisions, optimize production, and quickly respond to anomalies.
Software Toolbox EFM Solutions for Oil and Gas Flow Measurement
The TOP Server® EFM Suite and the EFM Exporter for Emerson FB Automation Platform address these challenges head-on with open OPC standards-based connectivity and flexible architectures. These solutions enable reliable, real-time, and historical data access across distributed assets—no matter how complex your environment.
This is a preview of a demo that will show you how easy it is to setup EFM historical flow, event, and alarm history from Emerson FB Automation Platform devices and export it to CFX or Database formats using the Software Toolbox EFM Exporter for the Emerson FB Automation Platform. Click here to watch the full 13 minute demo »
TOP Server EFM Suite: Scalable OPC-Based Connectivity for Oil & Gas Flow Measurement
The TOP Server® EFM Suite offers a secure, efficient, and scalable OPC-based platform designed for oil and gas measurement applications. It combines various Oil & Gas communication drivers with the EFM Exporter Plug-In, supporting a wide array of protocols and flow measurement standards, enabling real-time polling and historical data retrieval.
Key drivers included with the suite support major flow computers and RTUs such as:
- ABB TotalFlow 6000 Series, X Series, RMC-100, G1, and G2 FCUs
- Emerson Fisher ROC, FloBoss, RegFlow devices
- Enron Modbus devices (extended Modbus for flow computers and RTUs)
- Omni Flow Computers
The supported export formats include:
- FLOWCAL CFX files V5 and V8 format for gas meters, with History Types 1 through 4
- FLOWCAL CFX files V7 and V8 format for liquid meters, with History Types 1 through 4
- FLOWCAL Transaction Queue, with History Types 1 through 4
- Quorum PGAS V8
- Text/CSV
- SQL and ODBC-Compliant Databases
Built on the trusted TOP Server platform, the EFM Suite also supports hundreds of other device types common throughout oil and gas facilities, from compressor and pump stations to gas processing plants, storage sites, LNG facilities, and terminals.
Because most of these sites also rely on PLCs and automation equipment, TOP Server ensures standardized and seamless communication across both flow-specific devices and control systems, allowing you to scale and adapt without the headaches of proprietary or siloed solutions.
EFM Exporter for Emerson FB Automation Platform: Simplified History Retrieval
For operators using Emerson FB Automation Platform devices that rely on the DNP3 protocol, the EFM Exporter provides rapid deployment of EFM history retrieval. Integrating with TOP Server or Kepware Server DNP3 OPC Servers, it collects real-time and historical EFM data such as meter configurations, periodic and transactional history, alarms, and events from Emerson FB-1000, 2000, and 3000 devices.
Its semi-automated setup detects meter and history configurations automatically, reducing setup time and human error. Exported data can output in FLOWCAL CFX V8 formats or to any ODBC-compliant SQL database (other ODBC-compliant databases can be made available upon request), with flexible scheduling options tailored to your operational needs.
The exporter integrates seamlessly with SCADA, HMI, and historian systems via open OPC DA and UA standards, with detailed logging to facilitate troubleshooting and ensure operational continuity.
World-Class Support from Software Toolbox for Oil and Gas EFM Solutions
Beyond technology, Software Toolbox prides itself on exceptional customer support, with 97% of clients rating their service as “awesome or excellent.” Our oil and gas experts understand your operational challenges and provide tailored guidance to help you integrate systems, increase data visibility, and maintain compliance.
From initial deployment through ongoing optimization, the Software Toolbox team is dedicated to keeping your flow measurement operations running smoothly.
Ready to Simplify Your Flow Measurement?
Discover how Software Toolbox’s EFM Solutions can streamline your data collection, simplify compliance, and boost operational efficiency.
Visit the Software Toolbox Oil & Gas EFM Solutions Brief page to learn more or request for a consultation to discuss your flow measurement needs with an expert.
