Software Architecture
Our modular suite of closed-loop solutions improves operational security and ensures seamless system interconnectivity.
A platform built in layers
01.
Platform
CruxOCM’s Industrial Automation Hub platform is the stable foundation of our layered architecture, ensuring consistent lifecycle support for control applications.
02.
Automation
Our core automation solutions are engineered to maximize operational safety and efficiency across crude oil, NGL, and refined product pipelines.
03.
Optimization
Seamless Integration,
Amplified Expertise
Designed to simplify legacy system integration and amplify operator expertise through human-in-the-loop control.
Human-in-the-loop System
Hybrid Solution
Flexible Deployment
Frequently Asked Questions
What is industrial control room automation in pipeline operations?
Industrial control room automation uses software to execute real-time decisions in pipeline systems — reducing manual intervention by up to 85% while improving safety and operational consistency.
Unlike recommendation systems that suggest actions for operators to carry out manually, industrial control room automation actively performs control actions on behalf of operators.
CruxOCM delivers industrial control room automation through closed-loop pipeline control, real-time optimization, and human-in-the-loop oversight. The system sits on top of existing SCADA and DCS infrastructure, enhancing operator capabilities without replacing existing workflows.
What is pipeline automation and how does it work?
Pipeline automation is software that takes over the real-time control of a pipeline system — executing the setpoint adjustments, valve changes, and pump actuations that operators would otherwise perform manually. CruxOCM’s pipeBOT™ pipeline automation system does this in a closed loop, making high-fidelity adjustments every 5 to 15 seconds based on real-time hydraulic conditions, upcoming batch lineups, and system constraints. Unlike advisory tools that recommend actions, pipeBOT™ executes them — continuously, across all shifts, with consistent precision.
The result is measurably tighter operations: operators using pipeBOT™ have reported up to 10% throughput expansion potential on constrained lines, 9–10% reductions in transmission energy costs, and a 26% reduction in pressure variations — translating to millions in recovered revenue and extended asset life.
What is pipeline optimization software?
Pipeline optimization software calculates the best operating targets for a pipeline system — identifying the ideal pressure profiles, flow rates, pump configurations, and power settings to maximize throughput, reduce energy costs, or stabilize operations within safe limits. It does not control the pipeline directly; instead, it feeds real-time targets to the automation layer for execution.
CruxOCM offers three dedicated pipeline optimization solutions: maxOPT™ targets maximum throughput and asset utilization (2–7% increase), leanOPT™ calculates the minimum safe hydraulic profile to reduce power costs by 1–3% while maintaining throughput, and powerOPT™ optimizes real-time energy consumption across pipeline systems, ensuring contracted volume is met with minimum power cost (up to 10% reduction). All three work through pipeBOT™, which executes the recommended targets in closed loop.
How does oil pipeline automation integrate with SCADA systems?
CruxOCM’s oil pipeline automation solutions integrate with SCADA systems using industry-standard protocols such as OPC, functioning as an automation layer on top of existing infrastructure — not a replacement.
This enables real-time data exchange between CruxOCM and existing control systems, automated execution of control decisions, and optimization layered on top of SCADA without requiring changes to field equipment or existing logic.
What does a typical CruxOCM system architecture look like?
CruxOCM follows a modular, layered architecture designed to sit on top of existing pipeline infrastructure. The Platform Layer — the Industrial Automation Hub (IAH™) — provides the stable foundation. The Automation Layer runs real-time control applications such as pipeBOT™ for pipeline automation and gatherBOT™ for gathering system optimization. The Optimization Layer adds solutions like maxOPT™, leanOPT™, and powerOPT™ to fine-tune performance against specific business objectives.
This structure enables scalable deployment and continuous performance improvement across the midstream energy value chain.
What communication protocols does CruxOCM support?
CruxOCM supports industry-standard communication protocols including OPC, database connections, and other client-specific integrations as required. This ensures flexible and secure connectivity with SCADA, DCS, and data historian systems.
The communication integration is designed for maximum flexibility between existing SCADA or DCS systems, using enterprise-grade client-server communication software as part of installation.
Will CruxOCM overload my SCADA or DCS system?
No. CruxOCM is designed to work within existing infrastructure, and to date, all deployments have achieved a stable balance with clients’ SCADA and DCS systems. Polling rates are configurable, though the system does require sufficient data frequency to perform effective closed-loop control — during deployment, CruxOCM works with your team to establish polling rates that maintain both system stability and automation performance.
Can CruxOCM handle complex systems and operator "mental models"?
Yes — CruxOCM is built on the physics of the pipeline system itself, incorporating hydraulic models, system constraints, and real-time operating conditions. During deployment, CruxOCM works with your operations team to ensure control room best practices are contextualized and incorporated into the solution — so the system reflects how your pipelines actually need to be run, not just how they look on paper.
For midstream operators managing NGL pipeline automation or multi-product pipeline networks, this means the software encodes both the physics and the operational expertise that drive safe, efficient performance — and delivers it with a consistency that manual operations cannot match.
How does CruxOCM handle station isolations, permissives, or equipment
lockouts during automated operations?
lockouts during automated operations?
CruxOCM is designed to adapt in real time when field conditions change. If a pump is locked out or a permissive is lost, the system can automatically reconfigure around that constraint and continue optimizing the remaining available equipment. For more critical outages — such as a full station outage — the system may disengage and return control to the operator, though on some pipelines the system can continue to operate through these conditions. The default response (automatic workaround or controlled disengagement) is configured during deployment based on the severity of the condition.
Similarly, if the system encounters a sticky valve or unresponsive equipment, it can retry a configurable number of times before automatically disengaging and alerting the operator through the messages page. The level of automation — from a single flow path to full end-to-end operations — is always defined collaboratively during deployment.
What types of control actions does CruxOCM perform? Is it setpoints
only, or does it start and stop pumps?
only, or does it start and stop pumps?
CruxOCM is a complete closed-loop solution that goes beyond setpoint adjustments. It performs valve adjustments, pump starts and stops, and discrete control actions — not just continuous variable adjustments. This is a key differentiator from traditional APC (advanced process control) systems, which excel at continuous and transient control but struggle with the discrete control events (pump actuations, unit swaps) that are common in pipeline operations.
CruxOCM combines both continuous and discrete control in a single platform, enabling it to handle everything from steady-state optimization to complex operations like pump sequencing and flowrate changes.
How does CruxOCM enable predictive pipeline operations?
CruxOCM enables predictive pipeline operations through physics-based models and advanced algorithms that continuously evaluate real-time and historical data to anticipate changes in pipeline conditions. When upcoming conditions are known — such as batch lineups, scheduled pump changes, or product gravity shifts — the system proactively adjusts control parameters ahead of time rather than reacting after the fact.
maxOPT™ uses predictive models to push throughput toward hydraulic limits safely, while pipeBOT™ anticipates transient conditions and adjusts before they impact operations. This predictive approach reduces process variability and supports more consistent, reliable pipeline performance.
How does CruxOCM fit within the midstream energy value chain?
CruxOCM occupies a critical position in the midstream energy value chain by automating and optimizing the gathering and transportation of crude oil, NGLs, and refined products — the link between upstream production and downstream refining. By reducing pipeline process variability and maximizing throughput on existing assets, CruxOCM helps midstream operators unlock revenue that would otherwise be lost to inefficiency and manual control limitations.
The platform’s modular architecture means operators can deploy individual solutions — such as pipeBOT™ for automation or maxOPT™ for throughput optimization — and add additional modules over time as their needs evolve, without requiring a full system replacement.
