OGJ Research - Supplemental

“Be the kind of person who takes supplements -- then skip the supplements.” ― Michael Pollan, Food Rules: An Eater's Manual
A previous post (Researching OGJ Research) highlighted the research service provided by the Oil & Gas Journal – OGJ – organization. Much of what OGJ has to offer is based on surveys conducted each year.

For example, here is the text of a recent OGJ email …

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Have you got the 2020 Worldwide Refining Survey with Complexity Analysis yet?
It's based on the Oil & Gas Journal's 2020 Worldwide Refining Survey, and includes the calculated Nelson Refinery Index for the set's available global refineries.

The Nelson complexity index (NCI) is a measure to compare the secondary conversion capacity of a petroleum refinery with the primary distillation capacity. The index provides an easy metric for quantifying and ranking the complexity of various refineries and units.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_complexity_index

The Nelson Index is calculated for the following:

    Crude
    Vacuum
    Coking
    Isomerization
    Asphalt
    Sulfur
    Catalytic Reforming
    Catalytic Cracking
    Catalytic Hydrotreating
    Lubes
    Hydrogen
    Isooctane
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TIP: After exploring the OGJ Research Web page, supplement your search by Googling on specific topics. For example …

Google®: ogj research desulfurization
Google®: ogj research robotics
Google® ogj research UAV
Google®: ogj research IIoT

The advantage of this approach is that you can focus on your specific areas of interest to determine whether you want to contact OGJ representatives to explore subscription options. It saves you time, and it may save you a significant amount of money.

Here are a few results from the above Google® search statements …

ANOTHER TIP: Try using this search technique on any vendor of interest to you. In other words …

vendor name + keyword(s)

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Petroleum Science, 2017
A review of refinery complexity applications (2017)
Abstract
Refinery complexity quantifies the sophistication and capital intensity of a refinery and has found widespread application in facility classification, cost estimation, sales price models, and other uses. Despite the ubiquity and widespread use of refining complexity, however, surprisingly little material has been written on its applications. The purpose of this review is to describe the primary applications of refinery complexity and some recent extensions. A secondary purpose of this review is to provide a framework that unifies complexity applications and suggests avenues for future research. Examples illustrate the applications considered.
source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312080971_A_review_of_refinery_complexity_applications/link/587dc30008aed3826af0900c/download
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Journally Speaking: Robotics testing
Oil and gas companies are testing robotics solutions on some of the industry’s more complex challenges to drive productivity and efficiency as well as mitigate risk.
Mikaila Adams
Sep 23rd, 2019
In order to access this content, you must be logged-in and have an active subscription to the OGJ Premium Archive
source: https://www.ogj.com/general-interest/article/14040731/journally-speaking-robotics-testing
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Small unmanned airborne systems to support oil and gas pipeline monitoring and mapping
Article (PDF Available) in Arabian Journal of Geosciences 10(9) · May 2017 with 899 Reads 
Cristina Gomez, University of Aberdeen
David R. Green
Abstract
Oil and gas transmission pipelines require monitoring for maintenance and safety, to prevent equipment failure and accidents. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) technology is emerging as an opportunity to supplement current monitoring systems. Small UAV technological solutions are flexible and adaptable and with a demonstrated capacity to obtain valuable data at small to medium spatial scales. Systematic surveys of extensive areas are better completed with fixed-wing platforms and automatic flight design, whilst multirotor platforms provide flexibility in shorter and localized inspection missions. The type of sensor carried by an aerial platform determines the sort of data acquired and the obtainable information; sensors also determine the need for specific mechanical designs and the provision of energy on-board required from the system. UAV systems prototyped to monitor pipelines are reviewed in this paper, and a number of monitoring scenarios are proposed and illustrated. Notwithstanding difficulties encountered in the generalization of use for civilian applications, small UAVs have demonstrated, through research and operational cases, the capacity to support the inspection and monitoring of oil and gas pipelines.
source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316624471_Small_unmanned_airborne_systems_to_support_oil_and_gas_pipeline_monitoring_and_mapping
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Digital Transformation: Powering The Oil & Gas Industry
The Heat is on in 2018: 3 Trends Driving Change in the Energy & Utilities Industry
Aug 1st, 2018
Content Dam Ogj Native Advertising 2018 08 209 50041
[ EXCERPTS ]

Digital transformation is a predominant trend impacting today’s global business. Broadly speaking, digital transformation speaks to the changes produced by the application of digital technology to society at large—just walk down a street or go into a coffee shop and look at the eyes focused on the ubiquitous smartphone. But for business, digital transformation goes beyond the tactical application of technology—something that has been happening in enterprises for years—to the strategic incorporation of digital technology as the very basis for competition. It is transforming business models by speeding innovation and making ongoing practical gains in operational efficiencies, product design, development and delivery, and customer relationships. It’s changing the way companies think about coming to market.

Many of the ideas driven by digital transformation and Big Data have found new and innovative ways of transforming consumer and media markets. Further, environmental and societal changes are increasingly shaped by the power of the new ways of sourcing and analyzing information. For the sake of this discussion, let us make a distinction between the consumer and behavioral disciplines and the oil and gas industry. Instead of Big Data, let’s call it Smart Data—industrial application of data based on a deep understanding of technology and processes. Utilizing data to improve performance is not a new concept, but what is new is the pace of change in capturing the effects of automation and process know-how. This is now a global race to become “the digital winner,” as it is widely understood that future winners will need to be on top of this digital development. What really has spurred this change is a strong underlying technological change that has happened over the last 10 years:

    Cost of data processing improved by a factor of 60
    Cost of bandwidth improved by a factor of 40
    Cost of data improved by a factor of 1,000
    Cost of sensors improved by at least 50 percent

Combine this with a generation that has grown up with the digital world— that is always connected and tuned into the digital economy— and the result is strong digital innovation in all industries.

IoT benefits for equipment vendors
In the oil and gas industry, you see the most prominent change in business models among equipment vendors.

Equipment manufacturers embedding machine-learning technologies into equipment for condition-based maintenance to help customers extract maximum value and efficiency from their infrastructure are not a new phenomenon. But building entirely new business models onto these technologies is relatively new. These suppliers want to provide support services such as data monitoring that will help customers optimize equipment utilization and maintenance strategies, as well as provide data that can be used in the design phase of new products. With enhanced user data, the precision of design parameters can be improved significantly, thereby optimizing the product cost and value relationship. This marks a turning point in the business strategy of suppliers, as oil and gas companies have historically been hesitant to rely on equipment suppliers to run maintenance programs due to fear of vendor lock-in, which pushes up costs. While the fear of lock-in is still relevant, we also see the business benefits that not only improve the equipment vendor’s margin significantly, but also the benefit for the end user.

Asset owners increasingly see the benefit in gathering data from their installations to improve operations and look for ways to own both the data they generate and the technology that enables them to manage condition-based maintenance programs. Expect to see this understanding become practice as more oil and gas companies take steps to capture and learn from smart data to make their operations smarter and reduce costs. The ones that manage to capture scale effects in this regard are particularly well positioned, so therefore expect the largest fleet owners to be the most aggressive in leading this development. You may also see pooling of data becoming more widespread, even if this sharing of data may be controversial. In areas of health, safety, environment and quality (HSEQ), this may be less controversial— and may lead the way. Real-time monitoring, accurate reporting for compliance purposes, integration of Wi-Fi, and location-based technologies are examples of this trend.
Sensors and 3D printing

Several technologies are speeding this development, specifically sensors and 3D printing. The increasing sophistication and lower costs of sensors are making their broad scale application feasible as a means of building the Internet of Things (IoT) and realizing the benefits it offers to oil and gas companies, such as machine learning. 3D printing is emerging as an innovative alternative for companies in the oil and gas sector as they scrutinize their supply chains and engineering practices.

An increasing number of oil and gas companies are already deploying 3D printing technology, using it in two different ways:1

    To create models that can be used for training. Innovation in training methods has been driven by the need to move away from on-site apprenticeships due to a mixture of safety issues and new technology requirements in the field. This combination has changed what is practical to teach on site, making 3D printing particularly valuable in teaching onsite equipment repair and maintenance, especially for offshore and subsea equipment.
    To replace traditional tools and parts, helping access and maintain equipment in remote areas. Parts and equipment that could be 3D printed include almost anything that can be drawn in 2D (e.g., drill bit molds, fix cutter drill bit bodies, and other down-hole tools).

These examples of digital developments are enabling businesses to cut costs and improve performance and asset integrity. They’re beginning to be rolled out in maintenance and operations due to necessity, driven by the drop in the price of oil.

Other use cases of digital transformation specific to the oil and gas sector include:

    Performance forecasting
    Production forecasts across thousands of wells
    Enhanced oil recovery
    Analytics across unconventional assets
    Analytics have been shown to help exploration companies extract 3-5% more oil
    Predictive maintenance
    Automation of work
    Transferring work onshore from offshore facilities
    Integration of Wi-Fi and location-based technologies to allow for remote monitoring of potential incidents, tracking and tracing not only people in potentially dangerous situations, but also contractors and equipment utilization
    Enhanced asset security
    The increase of hydrocarbon shrinkage through theft and leakage is a problem that can be identified and tracked through logistics analytics

Free full text source: https://www.ogj.com/home/article/17297879/digital-transformation-powering-the-oil-gas-industry
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Google® Better!
Jean Steinhardt served as Librarian, Aramco Services, Engineering Division, for 13 years. He now heads Jean Steinhardt Consulting LLC, producing the same high quality research that he performed for Aramco.

Follow Jean’s blog at: http://desulf.blogspot.com/  for continuing tips on effective online research
Email Jean at research@jeansteinhardtconsulting.com  with questions on research, training, or anything else
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