Assessment Methodology for Transition of Offshore Brownfield Platforms to Remote Operations

Abstract

Abstract Remote Operations (RO) for offshore brownfield platforms in PETRONAS (to be referred as Company) refers to the use of digital technologies and remote monitoring systems to operate and manage existing oil and gas facilities. It involves the implementation of digital solutions and advanced technologies such as the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Time to Failure (TTF) Machine Learning (ML) to optimize the performance of existing assets and ensure safe and efficient operations. The detailed assessment to evaluate and frame RO gaps and requirements are divided into three main processes consisting of Operability Assessment, Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) Assessment and Value Trade-Off Assessment to ensure the delivery of value driven design and concept for RO. The details of the three processes are as follows: Operability Assessment – To identify manual intervention activities that are required in managing normal and abnormal operations by evaluating as is gaps for each level of RO. RAM & Scenario – To simulate the platform availability number for each scenario according to RO modes. Value Trade Off Assessment – To evaluate each RO scenarios against CAPEX investment and OPEX reduction where the optimum scenario should be selected. Through Detailed Assessment, each platform in Malaysia Assets was evaluated on the potential of RO end state level to be implemented.​ Implementation of RO is targeted to minimize or eliminate human intervention at site as well on console by improving control and automation. The implementation shall give significant value with unmanned philosophy since it will require less support in logistic and eliminate other associated cost for manned operation. Subscribing to this new operating condition through detailed assessment evaluation while embracing digital and technology transformation for current oil and gas platform in operation is novel in COMPANY operation. Rethinking of the current Asset Operation & Maintenance (O&M) towards Remote & Integrated Operations results in value driven operations, improved operational efficiency, enhanced safety, increased asset reliability and reduced costs. In addition, it opens the door to be agile in addressing current pain points and provide solutions to sustain asset life in view of declining production.