TotalEnergies to deploy offshore robot fleet management system
TotalEnergies SE will implement a robot fleet management system for autonomous operations for its offshore platforms, according to a press release from Rockwell Automation Inc.
TotalEnergies has been investing in remotely operated robots with autonomous surveillance and inspection capabilities certified to ATEX explosive atmospheres standard, and has been working with Rockwell Automation’s Kalypso robotics subdivision to implement a Robotic Supervision System (RSS) to allow operators in an onshore control room to remotely supervise and coordinate the robots using IoT technology (OGJ, Mar. 7, 2022, p. 26).
The robots will perform tasks that field operators are currently executing on conventional infrastructure, from periodic inspection operation and maintenance tasks to emergency response.
Kalypso uses Unity Technologies’ video game engine which has been configured to obtain interactive digital content from 3D data and deploy it to mobile devices, computers, AR, and VR devices. It combines the functionality of a digital twin and the mobility and synchronization of a gaming platform. The resulting RSS concentrates the information provided by several different types of robots and consolidates HMI displays necessary for remote operators.
Rockwell plans a first test on an offshore asset in mid-2023.
Alex Procyk | Upstream Editor
Alex Procyk is Upstream Editor at Oil & Gas Journal. He has also served as a principal technical professional at Halliburton and as a completion engineer at ConocoPhillips. He holds a BS in chemistry (1987) from Kent State University and a PhD in chemistry (1992) from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).