The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Robots to be trialled on North Sea rig
A fully autonomous robot is set to work alongside humans on a North Sea oil rig for the first time.
A collaboration between the Oil and Gas Technology Centre (OGTC), Total E&P, Austrian manufacturer taurob and Darmstadt Technical University in Germany aims to develop and trial a mobile robot for use in operational inspections within 18 months.
The robot is to be deployed onshore at the Shetland Gas Plant and offshore on the Alwyn platform.
If successful, it will be the first time an autonomous ground robot has been deployed on an operational oil and gas installation.
“A robot working alongside humans on a North Sea platform isn’t a distant aspiration; it could be a reality in the next 18-months, paving the way for a robotics revolution,” Rebecca Allison, asset integrity solution centre manager at OGTC, said.
“Robotics has the potential to trans- form the offshore oil and gas industry,” she added.
“We have countless repetitive, dirty and potentially dangerous tasks carried out every day.
“Integrating robots for these tasks will help upskill our workforce and improve the quality of the jobs.
“Projects like this will help inspire and attract the next generation oil and gas workforce.”
Dave Mackinnon, head of technology and innovation for Total E&P UK, said: “Total believes that robots have the potential to play an important role on offshore platforms.
“We are on the cusp of delivering technology that will improve safety, reduce costs and even prolong the life of North Sea operations,” Mr Mackinnon added.
“Robots represent an exciting new paradigm for the oil and gas offshore industry, and Total is proud to be part of it.”