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Offshore Oil and Gas: Autonomous Operations Mean Lower Emissions

By Welington Cintra - ABB México
Local Division Manager

STORY INLINE POST

By Welington Cintra | Local Division Manager - Mon, 03/27/2023 - 09:00

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The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris began the wave of more ambitious efforts to contain climate change, as representatives from 193 countries pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 45% by 2030, and in full by midcentury. Moreover, thousands of companies agreed to reductions in their GHGs, including some of the world's largest oil and gas companies, which have agreed to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. 

A key sector is offshore platforms, which extract offshore oil and gas, because  more than 600 are located worldwide. Such facilities are energy intensive due to powering activities such as engines that move the platform at sea, pumps that extract fluid from the seabed, as well as running heating, cooling, and habitability systems for their crew. 

ABB research found that over 15 years of life, operating an oil rig can reach 173.6 megatons of carbon dioxide, the best-known GHG. This is equivalent to the emissions required to manufacture 7.985 million packages of cement. 

Automating the operations of an oil rig not only reduces the number of personnel working offshore, in potentially risky conditions, it also decreases greenhouse gas emissions. The ABB Energy Transition Equation  for Offshore Oil and Gas report reveals automation allows a maritime platform to reduce its GHG emissions by up to 320,000 tons per year while reducing its operating costs by 30 to 50%. 

Since the 1980s, technology has made it possible to automate the activities of an oil rig. In countries like the United Arab Emirates around half of the most remote oil platforms are managed remotely, while in the North Sea, this proportion is 25% and in the Gulf of Mexico 10%. 

Some key processes of the operation of an offshore platform are already automatable, improving its efficiency and reducing the risk to personnel. 

Well Drilling 

ABB's testing of the Ormen Lange field in the North Sea reduced a well's drilling time by up to 20 hours. Thanks to the automation of the drills, it is possible that the same process takes between two and six hours, reducing the energy consumption in the equipment involved. 

Process Control 

Since 2021, an extraction platform has been operating in an automated manner in the Norwegian Krafla, Fulla, and North of Alvheim deposit after ABB applied its Adaptive ExecutionTM methodology to drive optimization. The process design was done through a virtual simulation (digital twin technology) that allows for review of the effects of equipment adjustments without risks, while remote operation of the platform, including two drilling rigs from a control center located in the town of Bergen, removed the need for human intervention. 

Power Transmission 

Traditionally, offshore platforms produce energy through the combustion of oil and gas extracted from the facility itself. Submarine cable technology connects platforms to onshore generation networks that can generate electricity from more sustainable sources. 

Technical Improvements

Adjustments to an offshore platform are processes that are subject to delays and installation problems because equipment from various suppliers requires performance and compatibility tests up to the installation time on site. Integrated installation systems with pre-tested modules reduce delivery times and reduce technical downtime for on-site testing. 

According to studies made regarding platform operations off the coast of the United Kingdom, the integration of automation into production processes and monitoring reduces the turnaround downtime for maintenance work — called TAR in the industry — by up to 20%. 

Measurement of Operational Variables 

A critical operation on oil rigs is the measurement of variables such as flow, pressure and temperature. In maritime operations, measuring equipment can be subjected to high pressures, low temperatures and salinity concentrations, while access for installation and repair can be complicated. The use of high-performance meters capable of working uninterrupted in harsh conditions allows for continuous operations. 

In summary 

The average carbon savings on floating and fixed platforms adopting automation solutions are up to 27%, according to the ABB Energy Transition Equations. This equates to: 

– Removing up to 160, 000 cars off the road. 

– Powering up to 210,000 homes. 

– Reducing the amount of CO2 responsible for 5 billion kilograms of glacier mass lost each year. 

Digitalization presents additional advantages, such as the reduction in the speed of restarting activities after a one-day power failure up to about three hours, as well as a reduction in maintenance costs of up to 50% – moving from a reactive maintenance paradigm to a predictive one. 

The commitments established by nations in the Paris Agreement seem distant but involve radical transformations in industries like oil and gas.  The digitization, electrification, and automation of oil rig operations will be increasingly important trends to ensure compliance with environmental commitments. It also improves the operational performance of an industry facing what will be perhaps the most important transformation in its history. 

Photo by:   Welington Cintra

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