Robotics in the oil and gas industry
Adapt to survive
Demand for robotics has grown enormously in the oil and gas industry as companies seek to take advantage of new technology in the complex business of energy exploration and production. Automation in oil and gas has been increasing steadily since the 1990s, initially motivated by the desire to increase safety and, after the 2014 oil price crash, by the need to improve efficiency and tackle rising costs.
In this article we take a look at some of the applications for robotics in the energy industry.
Improved safety
Concern for the safety of employees has driven much robotics development in the energy industry. Oil and gas companies are involved in the production of toxic substances in hazardous locations such as subsea wellheads or underground pipelines. Companies are deeply invested in preventing accidents in these particularly dangerous circumstances and using robots to take on some of this dangerous work will improve their safety records.
Remote inspection
Inspection is one of the most important robotics applications. Regular inspection ensures that machinery and infrastructure are operating correctly and are in good condition but can be difficult to achieve because of dangerous conditions. New technology means that robots can be safely deployed in conditions too hazardous for humans and operated remotely. Crawlers can investigate deep within pipelines, drones can carry out aerial inspections at sea and underwater robots can send images back from pipes too deep for humans to visit safely.
OMS robotics
Real-time data
Oil and gas industry robots carry visual and thermal cameras, lasers and sensors that are able to see and record information in places humans could not reach and send back data to operators in real time. Data gathered can be used for such things as creating 3D maps of pipelines, which allows operators to identify, treat and prevent potential problems. The most advanced robots have AI technology that allows them to learn and improve.
Tackling efficiency
Increasing automation can help energy companies improve efficiency by keeping production moving, scheduling repairs, detecting leaks, inspecting machinery and infrastructure, managing pipelines and carrying out repairs. Operators may be able to reduce their workforce, or free their employees from mundane, repetitive tasks to take on more skilled assignments.
Challenges
That increased use of robotics has improved safety and efficiency in the energy industry is certain. But like any new technology, increased automation does bring its own challenges. Robots are still very expensive and as yet have not reduced operating costs directly. Automation can cause employment issues – reassigning tasks from humans to robots will probably result in job losses and may produce a skills gap as employees find their expertise no longer matches oil and gas companies’ needs.
The future
Robotics technology is constantly improving. Robots become smaller, more intelligent, more reliable, more manoeuvrable and capable of carrying out more tasks. As their use increases costs should come down and new business models will start to operate. Following the success of cloud computing and software-as-a-service (SaaS) some robotics companies are even looking into providing robotics-as-a-service (RaaS), thus helping energy businesses to share the costs of robots.
Fully automated platform
In April 2018 the platform Oseberg H came online on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, launched by Equinor (formerly Statoil). It is the world’s first fully automated oil platform and is widely considered the future of the industry, unmanned and needing only one or two maintenance visits per year. Although it is too early to know how successful the project will be, the energy industry will be watching Oseberg H with interest.
OMS robotics
OMS produces a range of state-of-the-art robotic pipe crawlers and operator services. To find out more about our services click here.
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Posted 05.12.19
[5 minute read]