Why Oil & Gas and Energy Companies are Increasing the Adoption of Inspection Robotics

Rising Pressure to Improve Safety and Reduce Human Exposure

Oil & gas activities have become more complicated because of the older pipelines, offshore rigs, refineries, and storage tanks that must be continuously monitored. Manual inspection methods put employees at risk from confined spaces, toxic substances, high temperatures, and offshore conditions. It is one of the main reasons why energy firms have been quick to embrace inspection robots in their activities.

Contemporary inspection robots can perform tests on flare stacks, undersea pipelines, pressure vessels, and tank interiors without the need for shutdowns or human involvement. Recent industry research has shown that robotic inspections can lower the risk of human exposure by 60% to 90% while decreasing manual inspection tasks by almost 20%. Inspections are also becoming up to 30% faster than traditional ones.

(Source: Softserve)

Aging Infrastructure is Driving Automated Inspection Demand

A considerable amount of the world’s oil and gas infrastructure is already over 30 years old, thus becoming prone to corrosion, cracks, leaks, and structural fatigue. For instance, the total length of pipelines alone around the globe is estimated in millions of kilometers, which makes it costly and inefficient to use manual inspection methods. Pipeline ruptures caused by corrosion still represent a significant number of accidents across the world.

Robotics systems integrated with thermal cameras, LiDAR, ultrasonic inspections, HD cameras, and artificial intelligence-driven sensors have proven their effectiveness in identifying defects in infrastructure that could potentially cause accidents in the future. Modern robotic technology for pipe inspection can navigate inside a pressurized pipeline carrying natural gas at 6 MPa pressure and produce HD video recordings of the process at 30 fps.

(Sources: MDPI, ScienceDirect)

Methane Leak Detection Has Become a Critical Priority

Regulatory requirements are yet another key driver of increased use. The increasing amount of attention on methane emissions from oil and gas facilities is due to the fact that methane has a substantially higher global warming potential compared to CO₂ within a relatively short timeframe. According to recent reports from inspections carried out in the southern part of France, almost two-thirds of oil and gas facilities had methane leaks.

The inspection drones equipped with the AI camera vision system and acoustics imaging technologies can detect gas leakage in real-time, with a claimed accuracy rate as high as 99%. Some of the inspection systems have been able to detect methane, VOCs, and hydrogen sulfide gas leaks almost instantly. The early detection of leaks can help avoid fines for violations of environmental regulations and production disruptions.

(Source: iFactory AI)

Offshore Operations are Accelerating Robotics Deployment

Offshore energy installations are one of the riskiest and costly areas for inspection. Diving or halting the operations of offshore energy facilities would involve heavy expenses, amounting to millions of dollars every year. Therefore, ROVs, AUVs, and UAVs are becoming popular options.

North America makes up more than 32% of the market share of inspection robots in the oil & gas industry owing to the presence of vast pipeline networks and shale drilling operations. In contrast, the Asia Pacific region is expected to register the highest growth due to increasing investment in offshore energy exploration in countries like China and India.

AI and Predictive Maintenance are Changing Inspection Strategies

Energy firms are beginning to move from reactive to predictive maintenance strategies. The use of robots alongside AI algorithms will continuously detect any potential problems even before they happen. As a result, unplanned maintenance will be avoided as well as unnecessary costs, which translates into improved efficiencies.

Inspection robotics, previously considered an optional component in many energy infrastructures, are now being adopted by energy companies as an indispensable part of operations. Taking into account that there is increasing emphasis on safety, environmental compliance, methane emissions, and asset performance, it is likely that adoption will accelerate in the coming years, driving further growth in the inspection robotics market.

FAQs

• Why are the oil & gas firms investing in inspection robots?
  • Ans: Inspection robots provide worker safety, reduce downtime of operations, and facilitate early leak and corrosion detection.
• In what way can inspection robots assist in cutting methane emissions?
  • Ans: Methane leaks can be detected through the use of robots with AI sensors, thermal imaging, and acoustic technology.
• What kinds of applications are seen for inspection robots in the energy sector?
  • Ans: Inspection robots are being utilized extensively for pipe inspections, offshore drilling platform inspections, tanks inspections, refineries inspection, and underwater inspections.
• What technologies do inspection robots employ?
  • Ans: Some of the technologies employed by inspection robots include LiDAR, ultrasound sensors, high resolution cameras, and thermal imaging among others.
• Why are there increasingly more offshore inspection robots in recent times?
  • Ans: There are a lot of dangers and costs associated with offshore inspections; using robots minimizes both.