Inspection/maintenance
Shell has demonstrated drone-in-a-box operations from its Mars floating production unit, becoming the first operator in the region to secure FAA approval for self-approved offshore beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flights. JPT Senior Technology Editor Jennifer Pallanich visited Shell Technology Center Houston to see the system in action and learn how autonomous dro…
This paper uses the structural-integrity-management framework to evaluate the current structural integrity of chosen platforms, highlighting their potential and limitations for carbon capture, use, and storage purposes based on in-service assessments.
From AI-enabled walking rigs to subsea drones and autonomous inspection robots, robotics is rapidly moving from pilot projects to field deployment. The technology promises not only greater efficiency but also a fundamental shift in how the industry approaches safety and asset management.
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The need to optimize tank turnaround schedules is as great as it has ever been within the midstream sector, but traditional human-based tank inspections often cut into uptime while introducing safety risks. New robotic applications aim to alleviate these issues. -
As we move to digitize our visual inspections with a variety of image-capture devices, fully understanding the strengths and limitations of the approach is important to move truly from a qualitative to a quantitative assessment with confidence.
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Subsea inspection/repair/maintenance services have traditionally relied on vessel-based, ROV, or diver operations. In the longer term, identifying significant incremental savings in these operations is not sustainable and an innovative approach deploying digital technologies is being investigated.
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This paper focuses on compressor systems associated with major production deferments. An advanced machine-learning approach is presented for determining anomalous behavior to predict a potential trip and probable root cause with sufficient warning to allow for intervention.
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ROVs dominate the world of subsea inspections, maintenance, and repair, but as operators work in a post-downturn economy, autonomous systems have become more in demand. Autonomous inspections are possible today, but how can they help with light and heavy intervention?
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Remote condition monitoring of offshore platform equipment tracks performance data, watching for deviations from baseline benchmarks. Unexpected variances can be investigated and serviced by technicians dispatched to target the root causes—an approach called condition-based maintenance.
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Machine learning and artificial intelligence technology offer offshore operators the chance to automate high-cost, error-prone tasks to avoid the effects of inconsistency and errors in analysis, improving efficiencies and safety.
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As operators look for cost-efficient ways to address the challenges in facility maintenance and deepwater exploration, autonomous underwater vehicles are being developed for complex data gathering and advanced tasks.
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Wearable computers are turning heads in the oil and gas industry and appear to be on a trajectory for widespread adoption.
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Ground sensors on assets over a broad area have limited returns on investment if the asset life cycle is less than 10 years, and obsolescence of the technology if it exceeds 10 years. Complementing sensors with aerial remote sensing at scale may help to mitigate these issues.
