Virtual reality revolutionizes training and operations in the oil and gas industry.
That’s what GlobalData said in a release sent to Rigzone recently, which highlighted a recently published strategic intelligence report from the company on virtual reality in oil and gas. The report “presents an overview of the adoption of virtual reality in the oil and gas industry”, the release pointed out.
“Virtual reality primarily has applications around training across the oil and gas value chain, i.e., from rigs and pipelines to refineries,” GlobalData said in the release.
“Leading oil and gas companies such as Shell, BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil, have adopted VR to train as well as aid regular workflows in operations,” the company added.
“It offers a cost-effective means to acclimatize the workforce to various environments through immersive training programs. It also offers safe environment for the workforce to understand the workflows by participating in virtual walk-throughs, without being in proximity of heavy industrial equipment,” it went on to state.
The applications of virtual reality technology in the oil and gas industry include generating training modules for the workforce and visualizing the asset under consideration for planning and decision making, GlobalData noted in the release. It added that virtual reality “plays a key role in the digital twin set up, helping companies recreate scenarios through detailed simulations”.
In the release, Ravindra Puranik, an oil and gas analyst at GlobalData, said, “virtual reality enhances the operational safety through immersive training programs”.
“It can help develop safety procedures at production facilities to address smaller accidents as well as for emergency response,” Puranik added.
“Industry technicians work in hazardous environments, such as offshore rigs or at a densely packed equipment maze in a refinery,” the GlobalData analyst continued.
“Virtual reality can be used to relay important information and instructions to the technician onsite, without the need to fly out experts to that location or carrying detailed instruction manuals for referencing,” Puranik went on to state.
Puranik also highlighted in the release that “various aspects of a production platform can be modeled through virtual reality simulations to enhance the understanding of personnel for on-field tasks”.
“They can simulate the processes using virtual reality before implementing on the operational floor. It thus reduces the scope for human errors during critical operations,” Puranik said.
“Besides, designers and engineers can better visualize the layout under development using virtual reality technology. This can potentially help to improve designs, and carefully plan its execution to optimize the project costs,” the GlobalData analyst continued.
Rigzone has contacted Shell, BP, Chevron, and ExxonMobil for comment on GlobalData’s release. At the time of writing, none of the companies have responded to Rigzone’s request yet.
A chart showing the “biggest themes driving growth in the oil and gas industry in 2024”, which was included in a GlobalData release sent to Rigzone back in March, listed “metaverse” under a category of “technology themes”.
Shell, BP, Chevron, Exxon
On its website, Shell notes that it is “constantly exploring innovative technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality to unlock business value” for its operations and training programs.
“These technologies have the potential to enhance safety, reduce our carbon footprint, and improve efficiency across the entire lifecycle of a project, from initial planning through construction to operation,” the company adds.
Shell states on its site that it has been using virtual reality for training and simulation-based learning for years.
“Virtual reality allows users to experience virtual worlds and interact with them as if they were in that space,” the company says on the site.
“Shell uses virtual reality training modules for various purposes, such as taking engineers on virtual geological field trips and training to respond to extreme events like major leaks or explosions,” it adds.
“Virtual reality also allows transparent views equipment, such as pumps and compressors, including their inner workings,” it continues.
In a statement posted on its site in September 2020, BP highlighted that “virtual reality isn’t just for video games” and said the company “is embracing simulation technology as a more efficient and effective tool to train employees in everything from drilling techniques to diversity and inclusion”.
A statement posted on Chevron’s website in February last year noted that the company “is creating virtual replicas of some of its facilities to diagnose and predict real-world situations”.
“Called digital twins, these computer-based digital doppelgängers help us assess equipment in real time – whether it’s onsite, in a city or in another country,” it added.
In that statement, Keith Johnston, Chevron’s manager of digital engineering, said, “the speed of change in our industry requires us to think differently, act differently and support each other differently to have more impactful results in meeting the world’s energy needs”.
ExxonMobil states on its website that, for more than 140 years, it “has harnessed new technologies to better provide energy for the world”.
“That effort continues with a growing focus on digital technology,” it adds.
“We’re using high-performance computing, advanced data analytics, and increased connectivity to transform how we work at every level of our operations and enhance the way we interact with customers,” it continues.
Quelle:
Foto: ‚Virtual reality primarily has applications around training across the oil and gas value chain,‘ GlobalData said.
