The K-BOS system will increase the capability of drilling units. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Drilling contractor Northern Ocean Ltd has entered into a letter of intent (LOI) with well control technology company, Kinetic Pressure Control for the outfitting of NOL’s sixth generation semi-submersibles, the Deepsea Mira and the Deepsea Bollsta with the Kinetic Blowout Stopper (K-BOS)

The K-BOS system will ensure the elimination of unshearable and unsealable situations, and secure the well in less than a second. 

Arne Jacobsen, CEO of NOL, said, “This is a strategic step for NOL to further enhance the capability of our fleet. The option to offer the K-BOS system to our clients will increase the capability and attractiveness of our drilling units to our discerning clients operating in ultra-deepwater and harsh environments. We look forward to working with Kinetic’s excellent team to integrate the K-BOS equipment with the existing well control equipment on both our units.”

Steven Angstmann, CEO of Kinetic, said, “Northern Ocean’s commitment to develop K-BOS solutions for the Deepsea Mira and Deepsea Bollsta highlights the value that this technology brings to our clients. We believe the operators of these units will benefit from K-BOS’s ability to secure the well in all circumstances. K-BOS allows these class leading rigs to set a new standard for lowering the risk of a major spill to as low as reasonably practicable. We look forward to working with the great team at NOL on these projects.”

The collaboration will become a game changer for both partners. (Image source: Rockwell)

Rockwell Automation has signed an agreement with Taurob (Dietsmann Group) to provide a holistic robotic solution that would enable industrial organisations to move towards autonomous operations in their facilities

Taurob designs and manufactures ground robots for inspection, maintenance and data collection to optimise and enhance efficiency on a variety of industrial sites.

Kalypso, Rockwell’s digital services business, and Taurob will work together to provide clients with an end-to-end robotic automation solution that will herald the next phase in industrial automation and transformation. This partnership will amplify Rockwell's position as a leader in robot automation and digital twin solutions and Taurob’s position as a leader in ground robots for industrial inspection.

“In working towards the goal of autonomous operations, many industrial companies have considered the design of facilities, connectivity, digital solutions, and artificial intelligence, but manual inspection of facilities is still commonplace,” said Matt Graves, Kalypso digital principal, process industries. “As a next phase in industrial automation, companies are now looking at how to automate fleets of inspection robots using digital twin and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies. This partnership will be a huge step in helping our clients meet their efficiency, net zero, and safety goals."

Taurob's robots can perform missions under harsh environmental conditions to gather video, audio and sensor data, detect gas leaks and manipulate valves while adhering to the strictest industry safety standards and supporting customers’ net-zero initiatives.
Autonomous operations have long been an aspiration across industrial process sectors such as oil and gas, mining, and chemicals due to the hazardous working environments. In fact, Taurob’s robots are ATEX certified, a strict and compulsory certification that allows them to work especially in the oil and gas industry. They also offer high resistance to hot environments and up to four hours of mission runtime, among other advantages.

Kalypso and Taurob will provide a holistic solution from the physical robot and sensors, through to the robot supervision software, for mission data analysis using AI/ML and systems integration. This will allow organizations to move towards autonomous operations with the business value of a solution for inspection and maintenance that increases personnel safety, reduces OPEX and improves production throughput.

“Our partnership with Rockwell will become a game changer with respect to scaling our unique ATEX-certified robots around the world,” said Taurob’s co-founder and managing director, Matthias Biegl. “Our respective expertise complements one another to offer an integrated solution, in addition to which we will be able to streamline sales and marketing efforts to optimize and enhance efficiency for our clients on a variety of industrial sites.”

The oil and gas industry has emerged as a significant adopter of the technology. (Image source: GlobalData)

Data and analytics company GlobalData has released a thematic report, Robotics in Oil and Gas, which 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 on the field

With the applications of robotics continuously evolving, the oil and gas industry has emerged as a significant adopter of the technology to improve safety and efficiency of operations. According to the GlobalData report, robots equipped with advanced technologies are yielding increasingly positive results, bringing a continued transformation in the operations of oil and gas companies.

Ravindra Puranik, oil and gas analyst at GlobalData, said, “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. For instance, robotic automation can manage remote operations, such as those conducted on Equinor's Oseberg H platform in the North Sea. Their ability to perform repetitive and mundane tasks with minimal errors is saving time and internal resources for companies. Furthermore, it allows them to deploy field technicians on more critical issues.”

Oil and gas operations are labor-intensive and involve numerous repetitive tasks, many of which occur in hazardous environments and face various obstacles. Robotics presents an excellent solution to many challenges within the industry, as they can handle more strenuous tasks and complex procedures more effectively than humans.

Puranik said, “Robots provide greater reliability and efficiency in completing assigned tasks while also enhancing operational safety. The integration of terrestrial, aerial, and underwater robots is already playing a crucial role in several high-stakes oil and gas projects throughout the value chain. French oil major TotalEnergies, in collaboration with Oceaneering, recently conducted a pilot inspection of subsea pipelines in the North Sea using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).”
Robots can access hard-to-reach areas, carry out tasks beyond human capabilities, and operate continuously without needing breaks. Hence, they are being utilized as effective solutions for conducting inspections in difficult or hazardous environments, thereby avoiding preventing human exposure to such sites. Recently, cleaning of storage tanks is emerging as another prominent use case for robotics with companies, such as Saudi Aramco, Woodside, SK Innovation, and Indian Oil Corp, exploring the potential of robotic crawlers in this application.“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. These developments are anticipated to drive future growth in robotics within the oil and gas sector, reducing risks to human workers who operate alongside heavy machinery in often remote and challenging environments,” said Puranik.

The wireless steam trap monitoring device. (Image source: Yokogawa)

Yokogawa Electric Corporation has launched a new ATEX-compliant wireless steam trap monitoring device for steam trap status monitoring in steam piping equipment

Developed with thermal utility engineering firm Armstrong International, the new product is part of its Sushi Sensor range in the OpreX Asset Management and Integrity family.

Steam traps are installed on steam distribution pipes, heat exchangers, humidifiers, sterilisers, tracers, and other equipment to remove condensate and ensure efficient heat transfer. Losses from failures in steam traps can reach tens of thousands to millions of US dollars annually. Currently, in most instances, workers are responsible for inspecting and monitoring steam traps wherever they have been installed. While the installation of an automatic monitoring system is an effective way to reduce this inspection workload, the cost of installing such systems has been cost prohibitive. In addition, there is the need to monitor not only the status of steam traps, but also a wide range of related equipment.

By facilitating the timely detection of failures in steam traps, the new product can significantly reduce energy loss. When used in combination with the other wireless pressure sensors, wireless temperature sensors, and wireless vibration sensors in the Sushi Sensor lineup, this device enables the monitoring of a wide range of equipment. Features include:

1. Automatic detection of steam trap status

This device utilises a high-quality temperature sensor and an acoustic sensor to detect the status of steam traps. It can be used in environments with a maximum steam temperature of 440°C.

2. Lower wireless network construction costs

The use of long-range wireless LoRaWAN communication gives this device the ability to communicate at distances of up to around 1km, enabling the monitoring of equipment over a wide area. These monitoring devices can thus be easily installed wherever steam traps are located, and can be connected to a single gateway, thereby holding down network construction costs.

3. Better consistency in inspection quality and less time spent on on-site inspections

The use of Yokogawa’s on-premise GA10 data logging software or other similar cloud-based software will enable the centralised monitoring of steam traps and other equipment wherever they are installed around a plant. Not only will this make for greater consistency in inspection quality, it will mean that on-site inspections do not need to be carried out as frequently.

Hiroshi Tanoguchi, a Yokogawa Electric vice president and executive officer, and head of the Yokogawa Products Headquarters, said, “With this release, we have enriched the Sushi Sensor family of solutions and made it possible to construct networks efficiently and at a lower cost. In the future, we intend to provide this as an energy monitoring solution. Based on steam trap status, this will enable the calculation of projected energy losses in monetary terms and facilitate the creation of maintenance plans, with the priority on high-risk equipment. Through the provision of such highly convenient solutions, Yokogawa is helping its customers reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases and hit their ESG management targets.”

This new product is available in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Saudi Arabia. It will be later released in the USA, Europe and India in compliance with IECEx, FM, and other explosion-protected standards.