Reliability

Challenge

Challenge:

It is critical for oil and gas companies to understand how productive their wells are, and when it is time for decommissioning. The Well Productivity Index is a valuable measure of individual well health, but it is difficult to scale to the number of wells owned, which typically number in the thousands for each operator.

Challenge:

Pipeline operators face a constant balancing act of running their pipelines while protecting the environment from oil spills caused by a rupture. A sudden low-pressure event might indicate a pipeline rupture that threatens the environment. To minimize environmental impact, operators set parameters for low-pressure conditions that would cause a hard shutdown, or lockout. Lockouts can last for hours or days, greatly impacting the pipeline’s revenue.

Challenge:

In the mining industry, it is critical to monitor and maintain the health of the large, rugged trucks that bring material from the bottom of a mine to the surface. With an average value of more than $3 million per truck, these assets are essential to the mining operation. Working under extreme conditions, it is common for the trucks to develop engine trouble. The cost of unplanned truck downtime is high.

Challenge:

In process industries such as oil and gas, pharmaceutical and chemical, it is essential to maintain and prolong the lifetime of critical assets including pumps, valves, heat exchangers and compressors. Process companies need better insight into the condition of pumps and other assets. The goal is to gain a clearer understanding of when pumps are not operating efficiently–and the root cause of the degraded performance–instead of waiting until there is a catastrophic failure. Optimizing asset maintenance saves time and money.

Challenge

Heat exchangers play a crucial role in the downstream oil & gas industry. Prior to distillation, crude oil is heated through a series of exchangers called the preheat train. Additionally, heat exchangers are used to heat intermediate feeds prior to processing in various reactors.

Challenge

Challenge

Challenge

Many oil producing wells require an artificial lift to increase the flow of fluids as the reservoir pressure is not high enough. Typically, electrical submersible pumps (ESPs) are used, but these pumps are not always operating efficiently and can cause costly downtime for operators. Sudden loss of flow can damage the pump, causing lost productivity and expensive pump repair costs. In addition, the lack of sophisticated trip logic can lead to premature trips and loss of production. This problem spans hundreds of pads and thousands of wells.