1.
Oil Rig Safety is Non-Negotiable
2.
How to Improve Oil Rig Inspection Processes with Emerging Technologies
2.1.
Deploy UAVs for Structural Integrity Assessments
2.2.
Use AUVs for Underwater Pipeline and Flow System Inspections
2.3.
Condition Monitoring Systems for Preventive Maintenance
2.4.
AI-Assisted Drilling Operations
3.
Conclusion
Oil rigs are susceptible to nature’s might. Almost 169 offshore platforms in the US had to temporarily shut down this year due to Hurricane Francine, disrupting crude oil and natural gas production. Fortunately, most rigs resumed operations after timely maintenance and repairs.
Regular oil rig servicing is a must to minimize both one-off and ongoing environmental impacts on the equipment and ensure long asset service life. Yet, it’s anything but an easy task, especially if you’re mostly using conventional methods.
Learn how emerging technologies help streamline oil rig maintenance and inspection processes, with case studies from industry leaders.
Oil rigs are critical to the economy, providing energy to power our homes, transportation, and factories. For instance, 14.5% of U.S. crude oil relies on drilling from the Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, unplanned downtimes can have a crippling effect on the local economies and operator’s profitability.
Offshore oil and gas companies lose $49 million annually to unplanned downtime, with the lowest-performing companies losing up to $88 million, according to GE Oil & Gas.
The criticality of oil rig maintenance, however, goes well beyond monetary losses. Delayed corrective maintenance can cause major incidents — from oil spills and gas emissions to industrial fires and explosions. In the worst-case scenario, the workers could suffer an injury or die.
BP’s case serves as a wake-up call. An explosion on the company’s Deepwater Horizon rig led to the fatal 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. It also killed 11 and caused 4.2 million barrels of oil spills, continuously leaking for over 87 days. Back then, BP faced the largest environmental fine in history, with a settlement of $18.7 billion.
Regular oil rig maintenance helps reduce the chances of critical equipment degradation. Early detection of mechanical malfunctions, structural degradation, and electrical issues helps prevent lasting damage. Ongoing condition monitoring also reduces servicing costs and prolongs asset lifespan. A well-maintained oil rig is less susceptible to harsh environmental conditions, more conducive to personnel safety, and less likely to cause negative environmental impacts — the exact things regulators expect.
The US BSEE, a government agency, yearly deploys 120+ inspectors at more than 1750 facilities to perform 20K nationally-required inspections. It also requires monthly or quarterly inspection reports from the regions it oversees. EUOAG conducts similar oversight of the EU-registered operators.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specified yearly inspections of lifting slings, chain slings, and fire extinguishers at oil rigs. Monthly inspections include examinations of emergency response systems, electrical equipment, fall protection, stairways, walkways, lines, slings, hoses, and places with potential chemical hazards.
To comply, an effective oil rig inspection program typically covers:
Each of the sub-sections has a laundry list of mandatory actions, distributed among on-site teams and external inspection agencies. And some of these can be effectively streamlined with emerging technologies.
Oil rig maintenance requires both specialized human expertise (e.g., competent NDT professionals) and effective resource coordination. Most teams need to maximize the usage of available planned downtime slots.
At the same time, all inspection and maintenance procedures must adhere to strict safety measures because of some inherent risks. For example, during underwater structural inspections or rope-climbing missions.
New technologies like industrial inspection drones and underwater vehicles, IoT-powered condition-monitoring systems, and AI assistants help make oil rig inspector processes faster, safer, and cheaper.
High humidity, salty waves, and wind may sound like an ideal holiday for some. But for oil rig operators, those are the omens of material degradation, corrosion, rust, and cracking. Constant exposure to storms and hurricanes exacerbates damages.
Non-destructive testing (NDT) methods, like ultrasonic testing, radiographic testing, and eddy current testing, can help inspection crews identify early signs of degradation before they become a cause for newsworthy incidents.
NDT can reliably show signs of:
Compact, maneuverable, and packed with stabilization sensors, drones like Voliro T can perform contact-based inspections at height. Our specialized UT probe can collect up to 100 thickness readings per hour, providing reliable information about asset degradation. The high-temp UT version also allows testing assets in the 0-260 °C / 32-500 °F range like heated flare stacks or piping.
Our advanced navigation technology, powered by two six-packs of LiDAR sensors, makes the drone safe to fly even in GPS-denied environments. So you don’t have to worry about losing the gear due to a spotty signal. It also means you can also fly indoor missions. For example, collect thickness measurements inside a storage tank.
Beyond that specialized oil and gas drones also help with gas leak detection and ongoing emission level monitoring. Models with top photogrammetry gear also streamline 3D scanning and modeling of rig structures and have become a common staple in asset management programs.
The job of ‘underwater inspector’ or ‘welder’ is one of the world’s most dangerous. With poor visibility and reduced ability to control movements, one expert shared it’s like “walking on a moon.” Potential hazards include injuries from rotating equipment, electrical shocks, decompression sickness, and nitrogen-caused bends.
Autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) are progressively replacing humans in the most dangerous operations. Built to withstand great depth (current record – 3400 m deep) and equipment with robotic manipulators, AUVs can perform a range of inspection tasks at oil rigs.
For instance, Shell routinely uses AUVs in shallow-water operations in the North Sea and in deep-water in the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil. The system is designed for a range of tasks: from valve operations and equipment coupling to inspections and even repairs (incl. welding). Thanks to improved computer vision capabilities, the UAV can also track detached anchors and earth movements, supplying the teams with rare deepsea data.
German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) developed a two-arm AUV for underwater missions. It can carry sonar sensors and laser scanners for terrain mapping. Because of its unique design and AI-directed piloting, the drone is highly maneuverable and can access complex structures or small elements autonomously or with remote control. With two integrated arms and an embedded gripping mechanism, AUV can be used for underwater repairs.
Condition monitoring enables continuous data collection from all connected machinery (using native capabilities or IoT gateways) and its subsequent aggregation with other data sources to gain 360-degree visibility into the assets’ performance.
At oil rigs, condition monitoring often includes:
In addition to reducing downtime and prolonging asset service life, condition monitoring helps monitor compliance and align schedules.
Occidental Petroleum uses its condition monitoring system to minimize unplanned incidents. The company aggregates asset performance data in the cloud and later feeds it into AI models, previously trained on historical records. The model predicts defects and, based on their validity, learns to make better assumptions in the future. In addition, Occidental Petroleum uses drones with AI-supported camera technology to detect corrosion both topside and subsea.
Having a steady stream of data enables faster issue detection and root cause investigation, and it’s also a stepping stone towards launching predictive maintenance programs. Or even the creation of digital twins — virtual, 3D replicas of real assets, based on real-time data.
Royal Dutch Shell spent several years building an impressive condition monitoring system for tracking over 10,000 pieces of equipment globally. Its predictive maintenance component is installed on 10K most critical assets, gathering over 20 billion rows of data weekly. The system can detect leaks and accidental emissions, plus predict equipment failures on upstream, manufacturing, and gas assets.
Geological terrain, seismic activities, and fluid properties can make or break your next drilling operation. There are many challenges to this process, from problematic rock formations to unstable boreholes to reduced reservoir permeability.
Recently, AI algorithms have entered the game to make drilling operations more predictable. Through high-precision data analysis, AI models can identify drilling hazards, suggest optimal equipment and calibration parameters per use case, and even suggest corrective actions to operators.
Vår Energi, for instance, used eDrilling’s automated monitoring software to develop a new well in the North Sea. The AI system compared modeled SPP values with the real-time ones, alerting on significant differences. Thanks to advance alerting, Vår Energi avoided a borehole collapse, cutting accumulation, and a stuck pipe incident. Not to mention any equipment damage that might have triggered emergency maintenance.
Meanwhile, Equinor uses fiber optic cables modified into microphones and temperature sensors to gather large amounts of data from reservoirs. AI algorithms then analyze seismic activity in reservoirs and suggest the best well paths. The experts still make the final call, but the system has transformed well-planning from a several months long and difficult manual process to one that can be safely done in a matter of days. Thanks to advanced scenario modeling, Equinor can better plan operating schedules and optimize equipment use, reducing the risks of damage.
Oil rig maintenance requires massive coordinational efforts and agility in response. Your carefully laid plans may need to change last moment due to unstable weather. New technologies like UAVs, AUVs, IoT, and AI algorithms provide teams with more reliable data and greater operational foresight.
Industrial inspection drones like Voliro also give your team speeds. You can inspect larger assets during a shorter opportunity window without any compromises in data quality. Thanks to stackable NDT tools, Voliro’s drone can be used to detect visible corrosion, erosion, protective coating thinning, corrosion under insulation, and electric issues with lightning protection systems. Finally, all maintenance, recertification, and spare parts delivery are covered by us as part of the Voliro subscription.
