Use Case: Managing downstream facilities located in the Middle East or any other desert climate regions in the world.
To deliver sustainable growth and profitability in a digitally disrupted world, organisations need to evolve and embrace the latest advancements in technology.
ZynQ 360’s visualisation services help to integrate different solutions into organisations’ strategies, operating models, processes and technologies. So, let’s explore one of the many challenges facing an industry as broad as the Oil and Gas industry.
As we know, these facilities are built in extreme and inhospitable environments where temperatures are frequently high, reaching 50°C or more, rainfall is low, and the terrain is unstable as it is largely composed of sand, which can constantly shift in the hot, dry wind. These assets are also often built in remote areas with no previous infrastructure – in most cases situated far from the cities and ports.
Unique Challenges
Inaccessability
Most parts of the deserts are inaccessible due to the extreme environmental conditions and poor infrastructure. Often, air has to be used to transport people and materials which is very costly. Additionally, pipelines have to be built to transport oil, gas and electricity from these remote areas.
Extreme temperatures – temperatures in desert regions can exceed 50°C in the summer months. It is hard for teams to carry out any work outdoors during these months as it is simply too hot. This can seriously affect the planning and execution of different maintenance projects.
Water supply – the supply of water to most desert regions is precious and limited. With approximately only 120-240 mm of rain falling per year, water must be used sensibly and sustainably.
Opportunities brought by Digital Transformation
Maximise Precision and Efficiency
ZynQ software is a solution that through collaboration and visualisation, allows all stakeholders to make informed operational decisions that impact positively on the business during the entire lifecycle of the asset.
It provides all users with an accurate view of the facility and it can integrate with different systems and can deliver real-time data.
With sometimes hundreds of personnel working on a project at its peak, language barriers, different levels of expertise and having different contractors involved can become challenging to manage. So having access to the visualisation to clarify, help during planning and execution of projects or to help new personnel to familiarise themselves with the site, makes a huge difference in performance and delivery of any project.
Enhance Health and Safety
Powerful visualisation tools help teams during development and implementation of HSE management systems and risk management process, to implement site-specific HSE plans and programs for contractors and to have in place operational readiness for a seamless handover of HSE procedures and systems upon project completion.
Increase Operational Efficiency
Avoiding unscheduled downtime, increasing safety standards, and reducing costs frequently comes down to improved maintenance practices to prevent any incidents that can put personnel at risk.
The key to improving operational excellence in this area can be understood as a move away from inflexible maintenance schedules and towards a system that, along with full visualisation, helps during planning, feedback, analysis, and eventually integrating different systems that can deliver a real-time remote, or even automated response.
These methods can help identify such issues as corrosion, wear-and-tear and larger systems malfunctions before they become a threat. But it also requires quick action, identification of the best engineering solution(s) to the problem and an enhanced collaboration which can be enabled by the ZynQ platform.
Reduce Costly Unplanned Disruptions
Downstream operators find themselves covering the costs resulting from repairs and production losses, often for equipment failures and maintenance issues that could have been avoided. The cost of a large-scale incident could run to millions of dollars.
Build Business Resilience
The downstream sector, like other areas of the energy industry, can improve operational efficiency through the optimisation of processes.
It is becoming necessary for companies to find ways to integrate operations across different downstream segments, aligning refinery, gas processing, and petrochemical businesses. This means looking at human resources, engineering and technologies, logistics and transport – as well as external factors, such as regulatory frameworks, environmental risks, and health and safety measures.
To achieve the integration and optimisation of the different operations, operators use innovative technologies such as ZynQ which proactively contribute to a culture of Operational Excellence by making users safer through reducing risk, more efficient through better planning and familiarisation, and by helping companies achieve objectives, innovate faster, and crucially, in reducing operational costs.
Conclusion
Digital Transformation is part of an ongoing journey towards continuous process improvement involving people, processes, and asset collaboration through digital technology. Not all at once, but individually procedures and resources are digitally combined to ultimately bridge the gap between operational teams and the use of technology.
Want to learn more about how ZynQ 360 can help you optimise your remote operations?
To find out more about ZynQ 360, visit our website here.
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