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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BHGE opened its largest Customer Solutions Center globally for its inspection technologies business. -
Advanced AUVs with early-stage technologies for live streaming, ultrasonic testing, and 3D laser scanning are set to enter inspection trials on North Sea facilities. The aim is to reduce facilities inspection costs by 50%.
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An 18-month project will develop and trial a mobile robot for autonomous operational inspection of Total facilities.
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The digitalization of oil and gas facilities is becoming a new technical arena. Effective solutions can be used to convert data into information and knowledge, which can then be used to improve maintenance operations.
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Intel and Cyberhawk released a case study outlining the successful inspection of a gas terminal near the coast of Scotland using commercially available drone technology.
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Operators need to take steps to protect their facilities from drone security breaches by outsiders. The costs an attacker incurs in developing tools to break into and control infrastructure is low compared to the costs an operator incurs in defending against those tools.
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AUVs aren’t limited to inspections and pipeline surveys. Deployment of a flotilla of AUVs to work on a project, and the communication among them, may someday lead to a subsea Internet of Things.
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A closer look at recent unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) regulations and sensor technologies shows the areas in which they could have a major impact on oil and gas projects in the future.
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Current methods for external inspection of floating assets on station use divers or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), but these methods incur high safety, people-on-board (POB), and cost penalties. New methods to eliminate diving are being developed.
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Visualization technology has played a key role in reducing operational expenditure (OPEX) and improving collaboration, thus maximizing uptime across the industry throughout the asset life cycle.
