Automated Robotic Oil Rigs to Help in Oil Drilling Operations

OPEC, Russia and other National Oil companies have been unable to perform oil drilling due to political restrictions on international oil drilling and hence they have shifted base to drill in the more extreme environments, where the giant oil fields are most likely to be found.

Automated Robotic Oil Rigs

Energy operations, especially in extreme environments need not only competency but also minimal intelligence, so that disaster could be averted. In most of the areas where the richest oil fields lie, the people have very low IQs thereby needing outside workers to complete the tasks. However, locating competent workers is also very difficult. In spite of better conditions in offshore rigs, human manning is still required. In some complicated operations disaster is always hovering overhead. Hence, the oil industry has been developing robotic seafloor drilling equipment, which would eliminate most of the dangers for the rig workers. These equipments would also decrease the numbers of well trained and gifted technicians needed to handle the operations.

These new robotic rigs would be used for production and exploratory purposes. They have been designed to operate on the ocean floor, for safe exploration of ultra-deep water and also for exploring the arctic regions that are inaccessible by traditional rigs. Seabed Rig AS has created highly intelligent robots, which are controlled by software, coded by Energid Technologies, a Cambridge Massachusetts firm. According to Neil Tardella, Energid’s COO, the software had been developed for the National Science Foundation and NASA for controlling complex robots, and this was then used to construct the most intelligent robotic rig.

Roald Valen, Seabed Rig’s Robotics and Control System Manager has stated that an automated rig would ensure the safety of the workers and also eliminate human errors, which cause major incidents. According to Valen, robots never get tired, they never make mistakes and also do not get hurt, unlike their human counterparts. A pressure compensated and a patented encapsulated design has been employed by the Seabed rig for safety purposes, which would ensure minimal discharge to the sea, along with being environmentally-friendly. Kenneth Mikalsen, Seabed Rig’s CTO has revealed that their aim was to create an exploratory rig that was much more effective and safe than the other available rigs. Similar rigs would be made use for mining oil and gas and minerals.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Choi, Andy. (2019, February 21). Automated Robotic Oil Rigs to Help in Oil Drilling Operations. AZoRobotics. Retrieved on October 11, 2024 from https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=1300.

  • MLA

    Choi, Andy. "Automated Robotic Oil Rigs to Help in Oil Drilling Operations". AZoRobotics. 11 October 2024. <https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=1300>.

  • Chicago

    Choi, Andy. "Automated Robotic Oil Rigs to Help in Oil Drilling Operations". AZoRobotics. https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=1300. (accessed October 11, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Choi, Andy. 2019. Automated Robotic Oil Rigs to Help in Oil Drilling Operations. AZoRobotics, viewed 11 October 2024, https://www.azorobotics.com/News.aspx?newsID=1300.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this news story?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.