Robots are used for the first time for inspection of oil and gas platforms

At the beginning of April, 2018 it became known of the first-ever project on use of robots for conducting inspections on oil and gas platforms which is implemented by the E&P Total oil and gas company in cooperation with the Scottish center Oil & Gas Technology Centre, the Austrian producer of Taurob robots and the Technical university of Darmstadt (Technische Universität Darmstadt).

Within the project calculated on 18 months, the mobile independent robot will inspect objects of Total — the gas-processing enterprise Shetland Gas Plant and the oil Alwyn platform in the North Sea. It is the first experience of implementation of robots on the operated drilling rigs, reports the The Maritime Executive edition.

The robot of Taurob company who began to be used for inspection of oil and gas platforms

The robot created by Taurob and TU Darmstadt is capable to perform visual inspections, to read out indicators of measuring devices and to distinguish provision of latches, to move on narrow passes and ladders, to measure temperature and concentration of gas, to distinguish and avoid collision with obstacles or people.

In 2017 joint development of Taurob and TU Darmstadt won the competition ARGOS (Autonomous Robots for Gas and Oil Sites) announced by Total on creation of the independent robot for accomplishment of routine tasks on objects gas - and an oil field.

Project participants plan two more modifications of ARGOS which will differ in the increased reliability and durability. Also it is supposed to improve functionality of the robot and to make him simpler in management that workers of the sea platform without additional instructing from specialists-robototekhnikov could use it.

Believe in Total that robots will play an important role in service of sea platforms, will allow to increase labor safety of personnel, will help to reduce costs and to prolong lives of objects in the North Sea.^[1]

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