The oil and gas industry is experiencing a significant transformation as robotics technology continues to evolve and new applications are found.
According to a recent report by GlobalData, robots equipped with advanced technologies are yielding increasingly positive results, bringing about a continued transformation in the operations of oil and gas companies.
GlobalData’s latest thematic report, Robotics in Oil and Gas, highlights the role of major oil and gas companies such as ADNOC, BP, Eni, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Repsol, Rosneft, Shell, and TotalEnergies in the development and adoption of robotics to enhance safety and productivity in the field.
Ravindra Puranik, Oil and Gas Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Robots are proving invaluable to execute complex tasks at production facilities, thereby protecting workers from hazardous environments and reducing the likelihood of costly shutdowns.
“As a result, companies such as Equinor, TotalEnergies, and Shell are deploying them to work alongside humans on offshore sites.”
The integration of robotics in oil and gas operations is addressing several challenges faced by the industry.
Robots can handle more strenuous tasks and complex procedures more effectively than humans, providing greater reliability and efficiency while enhancing operational safety.
One notable application is the use of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for subsea pipeline inspections.
French oil major TotalEnergies, in collaboration with Oceaneering, recently conducted a pilot inspection of subsea pipelines in the North Sea using AUVs.
Another emerging use case for robotics is the cleaning of storage tanks.
Companies such as Saudi Aramco, Woodside, SK Innovation, and Indian Oil Corp are exploring the potential of robotic crawlers for this application.
Puranik concludes: “Advancements in technology have equipped robots to effectively replace field personnel on oil rigs.
“Additionally, there is an increase in collaboration between oil and gas companies and technology vendors, enabling the diversification of robotic use cases with the integration of AI, IoT, cloud, and edge computing.”
As the oil and gas industry continues to embrace robotics technology, it is expected to drive future growth in the sector while significantly reducing risks to human workers operating in remote and challenging environments.
