10 ways AI is transforming the oil and gas industry

The need for automated remote monitoring is rising

There is an ever-greater need for remote monitoring oil & gas production facilities driven by escalating supply chain costs, lack of skills and labor to monitor production, and the growing pressure to become more sustainable. 

The cost for two people to visit an oil well can be as high as $10,000 per day.

Manual monitoring of oil and gas production at remote facilities is very expensive. Hence, many companies are seeking to operate and automate monitoring remotely. 

However, remote monitoring using legacy technologies, such as sensors, is often unreliable, difficult to install, and costly to operate, in addition to being limited in functionality and adaptability. This is why digital technologies based on AI are emerging.

Wherever human eyes are needed to improve operations, safety, and security at remote oil and gas production facilities, smart video systems can do the same. In many cases even better and not limited to safety and security at all, as the following applications prove.

Download our white paper for users and system integrators to learn more about how AI video analytics can take remote monitoring to the next level.

How AI video analytics paves the way to smart remote monitoring

Objectives: Make operations more reliable and eco-friendly, reduce effort and costs

AI video analytics comes with a wide range of ready-to-use camera solutions that help oil and gas production operators make remote monitoring of their assets more efficient through automation, while at the same time more reliable through advanced hardware and software.

Example #1: Detect leaks in tanks and pipelines

Leaks in water tanks and pipes can lead to expensive failures and downtime. Leaks in pipelines or oil tanks can contaminate the ground. Both are scenarios that operators of oil and gas facilities must avoid at all costs. AI video analytics can help with this.

Automated gas leak detection using AI video analytics

Virtually invisible to the human eye, gas can leak unnoticed from damaged tanks or pipes and pose a massive threat to the safety of humans and equipment. Video cameras equipped with AI video analytics can reliably monitor equipment 24/7 and report gas leaks in real-time.

This short video shows a camera view where a gas leak is detected:

Source: LatentView Analytics 

Similarly, liquid leaks can be reliably detected and reported in real-time using AI video analytics. In this way, the loss of water and soil contamination by leaking oil or chemicals can be detected in time and the damage minimized.

Example #2: Monitor tank level in real-time

Tanks are a key part of the critical infrastructure in oil and gas production. No matter whether water, oil, or chemicals are stored, the challenge for operators is to monitor the level of all tanks anytime to detect overfilling as well as shortages and to take appropriate action.

Conventional sensors inside containers are prone to incorrect measuring and wear, plus maintenance involves risk for technicians and downtime of the plant. AI-powered thermal imaging cameras allow non-invasive monitoring of tank levels without opening the tank hatch.

This figure shows the thermal imaging camera view with liquid level detection:

Source: Plainsight, LLC

Example #3: Ensure clean flaring to avoid fines

The oil and gas industry is facing increasing environmental regulations. The regulations by the US EPA (CFR-60.18), for example, require industrial flares to operate with no visible emissions, except for periods no longer than 5 minutes during any 2 consecutive hours. 

Hence, flaring must be monitored at all times, as the fines for violating regulations can be high. Human monitoring is costly and often not reliable enough to meet the high standards required. AI video analytics can support teams on-site or even fully take over monitoring.

Source: CyboSoft

One major benefit of AI flare monitoring is that abnormal conditions are reported in real-time so that immediate action can be taken. In addition, the qualitative analysis of the flame pattern provides valuable information about possible causes and helps to eliminate them.

More ways AI is transforming the oil and gas industry

• AI video cameras recognize license plates and help automate vehicle access management
• Drones equipped with AI video technology automatically inspect pipelines for leaks
• Predictive maintenance of oil and gas production facilities
• Automated mapping of reservoir rock properties over an oil region
• Geological assessment extracting geological information from good logs.
• Detecting the drilled rock type and potential failure using real-time drilling telemetry
• Predicting the efficiency of well-treatment campaigns

(Source: sciencedirect.com)

Digital solutions are being developed in all areas where AI can help make oil and gas production and transportation operations safer and more efficient. Here it is worth looking for “low-hanging fruits” - solutions that can be implemented quickly and with little effort.

Quick wins of remote monitoring using AI video technology powered by Azena

Azena allows users and video system integrators to quickly deploy turnkey remote monitoring solutions to video cameras with minimal effort. By simply installing from the Azena Application Store, operators benefit from the latest AI technologies threefold:

• Increase efficiency: reduce costs and resources for remote monitoring
• Improve quality: ensure the reliability of monitoring, avoid errors and gaps
• Ensure compliance: prevent violations of environmental regulations and high fines

Want to benefit from AI video analytics today? Then browse the Azena Application Store to find exactly the ready-to-use apps that will turn your video cameras into true business all-rounders.