Oil & Gas companies undergoing rapid transformation post COVID using Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality!

Posted On August 23, 2021

Oil & Gas industry is considered to be one of the oldest and most traditional industrial sectors. Despite the fact that the Oil & Gas sector is one of the largest in the world, technology adoption has always been slow. However this industry has been at the forefront of adoption of technologies like Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality and it has accelerated the manifold post COVID situation. The global AR and VR market in the Oil and Gas industry was worth $106.7 million in 2018, and is expected to hit $943.4 million by the end of 2027, rising at a CAGR of 27.4 percent. Although we foresee due to COVID these numbers would grow exponentially due to the need for transformations required in use of digital technologies.

The oil and gas industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and generates hundreds of billions of dollars per year, is considered the world’s most valuable industry in terms of dollar value. But it faces the challenges of lowering costs, maximising the output of its industrial base properties, and improving working conditions in the face of increasing global demand and multiple economic problems. Oil and gas production, distribution processes and systems are highly complex, capital-intensive, and require cutting-edge technology. The use of augmented reality technology in the oil and gas industry has shown that it is a valuable asset to invest in for both businesses and employees.

The oil and gas industry due to the nature of its operations has a high incidence of injuries and fatalities. Although real-world experience is preferred, Virtual reality (VR) provides a way to cut training costs while dramatically reducing safety issues. A useful opportunity for unskilled workers to learn skills in an off-site environment without interfering with production or endangering costly machinery. Although there are several advantages of using digital off-site training, there are three key areas where this technology can help.

𝐋𝐞𝐭’𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐥𝐲 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫:

𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

AR — Remote Support allows field staff to access real-time data on the organisational frontline when monitoring workflow, allowing them to continue performing their tasks efficiently and without interruptions. In the event of an unforeseen issue, AR will assist field workers in resolving the issue by providing remote advice from experts who are virtually present on the field. In such situations, the organisation saves time and money by reducing the number of site visits.

InfiVR is working with a couple of leading Oil & Gas companies to provide digital twin solutions powered by Augmented Reality for remote surface facility monitoring and inspection, a totally disruptive implementation of digital twin technology for the Oil & Gas sector.

𝐄𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲

Training is a critical component of preparing for work in an offshore setting. It is a fairly straightforward connection that the quality, consistency, and pace of training can have a direct effect on workplace readiness, which can in turn have an impact on other actors in the situation. While the value of such training is widely acknowledged, time, expense, and safety constraints restrict the degree to which employees are exposed to hazards and brought up to existing standards.

Current “Virtual” training has a distinct realism that is not found in the traditional classroom or web-based training. The interactive nature of this technology helps the user to immerse themselves in the training environment and understand the situation on a much deeper level, while AR can be thought of as an informational supplement to real life. A wide range of situations in preparation can also be used to increase safety efficiency with the inclusion of interactivity. The ability to use AR/VR technology to reconstruct events and situations allows for the safe simulation of risky real-world scenarios. The ability to replay the user’s experiences makes this a valuable tool for evaluating trainee results. This even becomes more useful in a post COVID scenario where travel is restricted and Oil & Gas safety training is very context specific, trainees need to get a feel of real Oil Rig, onshore / offshore context and critical equipment, which is now very much possible with virtual reality. Recently

InfiVR has seen as surge in such requirements and since we have extensive training we are the preferred partner company of leading oil and gas companies to provide Virtual Reality based training solutions.

InfiVR has provided Onshore and Offshore Oil Rig Safety training and various simulators which are required by Oil and Gas companies.

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 — 𝐀𝐑 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬.

The majority of field engineers in charge of maintaining and operating machines on oil rigs, such as pumps, engines, top drive, mud tanks, draw works, generators, etc. do not have real-time knowledge about the efficiency and operations of the machines in front of them. With AR insightful graphics, Real-time details can appear in their field of view over a cell phone or glasses and audio can match to what they see. So, AR technology can help to speed up the process of fixing machines that need immediate attention. Machines that aren’t working need the attention of a skilled technician, causing several processes to be disrupted before the root cause of the problem is identified. AR-Remote Support enables a real-time link between a Centre specialist and Field technicians, resulting in quick and efficient repair and maintenance solutions. Field technicians can quickly discover the root cause of a machinery failure and fix the problem thanks to AR collaboration.

Apart from this, Augmented reality is also used by Oil & Gas companies in marketing visualisation of latest complex equipment used in upstream and downstream processes. Virtual Reality is used for remote collaborative design reviews of complex 3D designs of equipment used in Oil and Gas production. Many companies in the oil and gas industry are embracing AR/VR technology as a tool for rising efficiency, protection, and cost-effective maintenance. These applications are already helping oil and gas companies change their operating processes by lowering costs, improving remote communication, and staying competitive in the market. Considering all of the features and advantages, the use of Augmented Reality in oil and gas operations is proving to be extremely effective and has the potential to completely change the industry and

InfiVR is helping Oil and Gas companies to come up with such innovative solutions which take their design review discussion to a new level.