Revolutionizing Remote Areas Operation and Activities through Robotic Operator Round

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Abstract ADNOC Sour Gas operates a gas processing facility with over 23% H2S, requiring the safest possible operations in the hazardous area "red zone". To reduce human exposure, ADNOC Sour Gas aims to deploy an ATEX-certified, dust zone-rated robot to conduct automated operator rounds. The robot focuses on digitizing routine tasks, avoiding human hazards, detecting emissions, verifying field gauges, and monitoring toxic gases. By automating these activities, the robot will achieve an initial 30% reduction in manual work, leading to cost savings and the ability to redirect employees to more complex operations. While challenges remain, the robot solution demonstrates the transformative potential of automation in revolutionizing remote and hazardous industrial operations, specially that, in an environment such as in ADNOC Sour Gas H2S exposure can cause serious health effects, such as respiratory failure, eye irritation, loss of consciousness, and even death. The high concentration of H2S in the red zone poses a constant threat to the operators, who must wear protective equipment and follow strict safety protocols. The robot can reduce the risk of H2S exposure by performing tasks that would otherwise require human intervention, such as checking for leaks, measuring gas levels, and inspecting equipment. The robot can also alert the operators of any abnormal conditions or emergencies, enabling faster and safer responses. It is worth mentioning that the deployed robotic solution is limited to ground level activities due to its mobility systems and it does conduct any work at elevated levels at the plant, which is still a challenge that the industry did not solve for ATEX Zones and Dust one.