Why Downstream Operations are the Heart of Petroleum
According to McKinsey, oil refineries can process nearly 100 million barrels of crude oil globally daily. Thus, given the presence and scalability of oil-derived products, downstream operations—industries responsible for transforming crude oil into fuels—may be the heart of the petroleum value chain. In comparison, the heart’s role doesn’t limit itself to pumping blood just as a petrochemical plant does to refining oil. Both are crucial to filtering impurities and fueling energy for the whole organism. Downstream: The heart of the Petroleum Value Chain Deepening the analogy, the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body, sends it to the [...]
ROGe featured paper: Digitizing Corrosion Management and Fabric Maintenance
Vidya will present two technical articles regarding our deeptech solutions at ROGe 2024. The second presentation, which takes place on September 23rd, will discuss the Digital Fabric Maintenance application. The article showcases the application’s tracked and proven impact on the oil and gas industry. Get to know our article better in this blogpost: ''A case study of an alternative approach to digitize the management of external corrosion and fabric maintenance workflow of an offshore installation'' Corrosion poses a significant and inherent threat to the Oil and Gas industry, leading to equipment failure and production losses. For this purpose, [...]
Awarded paper: A Digital Approach for Safety Control and Process Intervention
Classified by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as one of the riskiest industries, oil and gas operations face numerous challenges, including equipment failures, accidents, and safety hazards. Certainly, this sector is subjected to safety threats due to the complex processes and hazardous environments in which it operates. For this reason, high-complexity facilities such as oil and gas need to target safety and risk assessments as fundamental pieces of operational management. In this context, Vidya presented two technical articles regarding our deeptech solutions at ROGe 2024. The first presentation, which took place on September 23rd, discusses the Digital Process Safety application. [...]
Making the most of POB on offshore assets
Offshore industrial operations are risky environments for on-site workers. This group of people, referred to as People on Board (POB), is responsible for inspecting, executing maintenance, and ensuring operational safety in the facility. However, oil and gas facilities may present risks that result in incidents such as explosions, dropped objects, oil leaks, and others. Besides that, unplanned events happen, requiring workers to have an immediate response to mitigate the occurrence. The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers reported a 36% increase in offshore fatalities from 2020 to 2021. In this context, oil industries have to deal with limitations [...]
Computer Vision 101: How can AI see things?
A world where computers can understand the environment around them simply by looking. This isn't science fiction anymore. It’s the new frontier of artificial intelligence called Computer Vision. It can perceive its surroundings and interpret visual information to identify objects, colors, shapes, and areas. This technology consists of a model that learns information from multidimensional data, such as images or videos, enabling machines to develop a visual perception like humans. Today, Computer Vision systems can analyze vast amounts of visual data with incredible accuracy. But how exactly was Computer Vision developed? How does it work? And what are the [...]
How to optimize Industrial Safety and Risk Management
The International Association of Oil and Gas Producers reported a 36% increase in offshore fatalities from 2020 to 2021. This concerning rise underscores the inherent safety challenges of the industry. Certainly, this sector is subjected to safety threats due to the complex processes and hazardous environments in which it operates. For this reason, high-complexity facilities such as oil and gas need to target safety and risk assessments as fundamental pieces of operational management. But what are the main concerns of the oil and gas industry regarding risk management? Concerns regarding risk management in the O&G Industry [...]
The Future Lies in the Past: Embracing Brown Fields for Tomorrow’s Energy
A 2011 study by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates reported that approximately two-thirds of global daily average oil production comes from brown fields and that the percentage is increasing over time. Indeed, it’s evident that mature fields have become a fundamental piece of the petroleum exploration sector, but what exactly are mature fields? According to Parshall (2012), brown fields, also known as legacy fields, are defined by years of production and aging infrastructure. Indeed, for a field to be considered brown, it had to produce more than 50% of its established proved plus probable resource estimates or have produced for [...]
Exploring the Depths: Understanding Offshore Oil Drilling
Until 1894, we didn’t know extracting crude oil from subsea environments was possible. This changed when the lure of offshore production enticed Henry L. Williams and his associates to build a pier 90 meters out into the Pacific — and assemble a standard cable-tool rig on it. Since then, oil extraction has evolved in unprecedented ways. In recent years, new technologies have emerged as powerful tools for addressing the inherent challenges of exploring previously unreachable resources. Indeed, subsea drilling still represents a complex operation that requires advanced techniques and skilled teams to achieve optimal efficiency and safety. And, despite the [...]
AI-driven Hull Inspections: Streamlining Safety and Efficiency
Vessels are crucial parts of different industrial operations. Considering this, the ship's main body: the hull, must be regularly inspected to ensure high asset integrity, safety, and efficiency standards. Hull damages such as cracks can lead to oil leaks, which can implicate direct emergency costs that surpass USD 50,000,000 according to Brazil's National Petroleum Agency, which is 100x more expensive than the investment to repair the defects on time (before the accident) not including compensations, fines, and asset depreciation. In this regard, hull inspections are a maintenance procedure that helps energy companies and bulk cargo transporters maintain high safety, compliance, [...]
Why system integration is a must
Intro As industries get more digitalized, the need for establishing an integrated digital environment increases. In this sense, the extensive amount of data that large operations generate requires interconnectedness in order to properly monitor every part of an asset’s infrastructure. In this post, we’ll take a look at why this integration is a must, the advantages it provides, and how it can improve the overall efficiency and productivity of businesses, especially heavy asset industries. The rise of digital tools and the need for integration The process of digitalization is reshaping how industries face their routines. From manufacturing to [...]