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Wireless Sensor Network in Niger Delta Oil and Gas Field Monitoring: The Security Challenges and Countermeasures

The IEEE 802.15.4 specification has enabled low-power, low-cost and smart wireless sensor networks (WSNs) capable of robust and reliable multi-hop communications. By January 2005, an International Oil and Gas Company (IOC), Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), became the first multinational Oil and Gas Company operating in the Nigeria Niger Delta region to switch from wired to wireless sensor technology eliminating the need for cables thereby allowing data collection in remote, swampy areas and enabling new applications. However, there are concerns related to the use of these smart wireless sensor networks such as reliability, standardization, energy consumption and general operational, data and physical security issues especially in the monitoring of mission-critical oil and gas installations and infrastructure such as pipelines, oil wells, oil rigs and flow stations in a region characterized by rampant vandalisation and sabotage of oil pipelines and other oil installations by militants and oil thieves. High cases of vandalisation of oil and gas pipelines and other oil installations were identified even when there is evidence of wireless sensor deployment. This paper introduced practical deployment architectures and mechanisms that can secure oil facilities and the wireless sensors from being physically attacked so that they can successfully monitor and report incidences of pipeline and equipment vandalisation easily and on time while at the same time maintain data security of the WSN.