Project cancellation, followed by the fall in crude oil prices from 2014-2016, meant multiple rounds of industry layoffs left oil companies with a reduced number of skilled workers. This increased companies’ dependence on automation in order to complete processes without delay.
Since then, automation has gradually become more and more prominent in oil and gas operations as companies begin to realise benefits such as increased accuracy, productivity and safety. Therefore, automation and other technologies are being adopted in many essential areas in the oil and gas sector.
ADVANCED ACTUATORS AUTOMATE VALVES
A valve is a device that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidised solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves have a critical application in the oil and gas industry as they are used to protect personnel, equipment and the environment from damage due to over pressure of piping systems.
A report by Markets and Markets outlines that the ‘control valve market’ is estimated to rise from US$8 billion in 2019 to US$11.3 billion by 2025, with an annual growth of 5.9 per cent. Actuators are expected to hold the largest share of the control valve market during the forecast period, owing to the growing demand from heavy industries such as the oil and gas sector.
Actuators are the mechanism or an element used to operate and control the opening and closing of a valve. They can be powered mechanically, electrically, pneumatically or hydraulically. The market research firm suggests that the forecast growth of the actuators market will likely be attributed to the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT) and automation tools for increasing efficiency of the valve control process. This would be due to either a rise in electric actuators or other advanced technology.
Equipped with an electric motor/gearbox combination, electric actuators have been specifically developed for valve automation, providing the torque required for operating the moving elements of gate or butterfly valves as well as ball and globe valves.
With many electric actuators, manual valve operation is still possible using a hand wheel. The actuator generally records travel and torque data from the valve, actuator controls process this data and are responsible for switching the actuator motor on and off.
Typically, actuator controls are integrated within the actuator and are equipped with a local control unit apart from the electrical interface to a distributed control system. Electric actuators are being favoured in some applications over hydraulic and pneumatic actuators due to their higher efficiency and greater levels of control. The amount of energy consumed in hydraulic and pneumatic actuators is also higher than that by electric actuators.
TECHNOLOGY IS CHANGING THE SECTOR
Many owner-operators are beginning to realise that automation has great potential to drive productivity, lower costs and provide safety gains for their operations by applying advanced technologies in various oil and gas assets. Automation can create concern for workers, namely about what the impact may be for their jobs. However, while automation may result in a reduction of some roles, it can also create new ones since new technologies must be strictly overseen and maintained by skilled people. Achieving automation’s full potential requires people and technology to work in conjunction. Companies and decisionmakers should remember this as they continually look to optimise their everyday processes.
Sources: Automation in Oil and Gas Industry, Frost & Sullivan; Control Valve Market by Material, Component (Actuators, Valve Body), Valve Size, Valve Type (Rotary and Linear), Industry (Oil & Gas, Water & Wastewater Treatment, Energy & Power, Chemicals), and Region – Global Forecast to 2025, Markets and Markets; Technology Outlook 2018, BP; Valve Actuation: The When, How and Why of Actuator Selection, Flowserve