據油價網2021年12月20日報道，一款全新的全自動油氣鉆機最近在美國二疊紀盆地首次亮相。這部鉆機使用數字技術和Canrig機器人來“操縱”平臺。其他機器人機制已經在油氣行業應用多年，包括支持監測石油平臺的機器人狗，以及檢查管道泄漏的陸上無人機。  

經過多年的研制，一種新型的全自動鉆機最近在美國二疊紀盆地首次亮相。 盡管這一直貌似是異想天開的想法，但疫情期間許多油氣公司面臨的限制迫使一些鉆井公司停止運營，并讓鉆井工人回家。 這促使眾多科技公司與石油巨頭建立合作伙伴關系，幫助實現系統自動化和操作數字化，從而通過機器人鉆機等創新技術，使鉆井項目可以在沒有人力的情況下繼續運行。

今年10月份，總部位于休斯敦的納伯斯工業公司在沒有地面工作人員手動操作的情況下，利用自動鉆機實現了近2萬英尺的鉆井作業。作為測試階段的一部分，納伯斯工業公司預計將在該地區鉆兩至三口井。 Nabors Pace-R801是世界上第一臺全自動陸上鉆機，花了5年的建造時間才建成。 它為埃克森美孚公司在該地區的鉆井業務提供支持，提供無人駕駛的鉆井船，而以前需要整個團隊在鉆井船上作業。

這部全新的鉆機使用數字技術和Canrig機器人操縱平臺，提供運行鉆機的機械臂等關鍵部件。納伯斯工業公司還表示，SmartDRILL和SmartSLIDE自動化軟件可以將鉆井時間縮短4天，從而減少項目中的碳排放。  

納伯斯工業公司全球鉆井高級副總裁特拉維斯· 普爾維斯表示：“這是鉆井行業發展的方向。”此外，“這種機器人技術真的是在改變游戲規則。在未來的5到10年里，圍繞這一領域的創新將是非常令人興奮的。” 向無人鉆機的過渡出現在去年的“幽靈鉆機”概念中，當時鉆井工人遠程運行系統，在疫情期間，他們被禁止接觸平臺。 盡管關于自動化鉆機的討論已經進行了多年， 挪威能源巨頭Equinor在2020年首先改用“幽靈鉆機”方式，由工作人員遠程操作平臺，英國石油公司(bp)和其他石油巨頭也緊隨其后。 

其他的機器人機制已經在石油和天然氣行業應用多年，包括支持監測石油平臺的機器人狗，以及檢查管道泄漏的陸上無人機。

然而，這一最新的創新令油氣行業的工人感到擔憂，他們在疫情期間已經受到了沉重打擊。

在疫情期間，鉆井行業裁員大約40萬人，其中一半在美國。石油和天然氣工人目前的主要擔憂是，從化石燃料向可再生能源的過渡即將到來。 但是，系統的數字化和機器人技術的加入可能會導致鉆井工人比預期更早的失業。

然而，也有人稱贊這項創新，他們指出，無論實施的安全標準有多高，石油鉆機傳統上對工人來說都是極其危險的地方。 由于這項工作的復雜性，鉆機鉆入很深地層以提取原油，事故時有發生。 隨著大型石油公司面臨越來越大的改善運營的壓力，這可能是改善ESG社會方面的重要舉措。 盡管如此，鉆井時間的減少也意味著排放的減少，這也將支持環保計劃的實施。 

許多人強調了石油鉆機災難的悠久歷史，例如導致167人喪生的Piper Alpha管道破裂的鉆機著火。就在今年，墨西哥一部石油鉆機發生火災，造成5名工人死亡。 在世界各國出于環境原因都在關注石油開采的同時，重要的是要注意其社會影響，因為只要可再生能源的可用性有限，石油開采作業就會繼續下去。  

埃克森美孚公司項目運營經理Jason Gahr解釋道：“埃克森美孚公司與納伯斯工業公司在米德蘭部署的自動化鉆機展示了利用機器人、自動化、計算和數據的綜合能力來優化鉆井的能力。”此外，“這是通過創新技術提高我們運營的安全性、效率和環保成效的一個很好的例子。”

納伯斯工業公司堅持認為，自動化并不一定意味著失業，因為工人將繼續監督運營和執行重要任務。 它只是防止工人必須出現在鉆機最危險的“紅色區域”。 然而，隨著新技術被全球其他公司采用，我們將看到它對石油工人的實際意義，由于新的外出限制，許多人仍在遠程工作。 

機器人鉆機的創新顯然是突破性的，這需要多年的精心規劃、投資和建造。 然而，隨著數字化和自動化操作的全面提速，這對石油行業及其工人們意味著什么，只有時間才能告訴我們。

李峻 編譯自 油價網

原文如下：

Robots Are Taking Over Oil Rigs

·     A new, fully automated, oil and gas rig recently made its debut in the Permian Basin.

·     The rig uses digital technology and Canrig robotics to ‘man’ the platform.

·     Other robotic mechanisms have been used across the oil and gas industry for years, including robotic dogs that support the monitoring of oil platforms, as well as onshore drones that check for pipeline leaks.

After years in the making, a new fully automated drilling rig recently made its debut in Permian Basin. While this has long been a pipedream, restrictions faced by many oil and gas companies during the pandemic forced several to stop operations and call rig workers home. This spurred a plethora of tech companies to establish partnerships with oil giants to help automate systems and digitalize operations so that projects could run with or without human workers, through innovations like robot rigs.  

In October, Houston company Nabors Industries achieved drilling to a depth of almost 20,000 feet with its automated rig, with no help from a crew on the floor to run operations manually. The company is expected two dig three wells in the area as part of its test phase. The Nabors Pace-R801 is the world’s first fully automated land rig, taking five years of engineering to achieve. It supports ExxonMobil operations in the region, providing unmanned vessels to drill wells that would previously have required whole teams on board. 

The rig uses digital technologies and Canrig robotics to man the platform, providing vital components such as a robotic arm that runs the drill. The company also says that its SmartDRILL and SmartSLIDE automation software helps to reduce drilling times by up to four days, thereby reducing carbon emissions in projects. 

Travis Purvis, Senior Vice President of global drilling for Nabors, stated “This is the direction that the industry is heading and should head,” Further, “This robotic technology really is game-changing. Over the next five to 10 years, it’s going to be really exciting to see the innovation that happens around that.” The transition to human-free rigs emerged last year in the ‘ghost rig’ concept when systems were run remotely by rig workers that were prohibited from physically accessing the platforms during Covid. Although discussions around automated rigs have been going on for years. Norway’s Equinor switched to a ghost rig approach in 2020, with crews operating the platform remotely, followed shortly after by BP and other oil majors.

Other robotic mechanisms have been used across the oil and gas industry for years, including robotic dogs that support the monitoring of oil platforms, as well as onshore drones that check for pipeline leaks. 

However, this latest innovation worries workers in the oil and gas industry that were already hit hard during the pandemic. Around 400,000 jobs were cut from the sector during Covid, half of which were in the U.S. The main worry for oil and gas workers at present is the impending transition away from fossil fuels to renewable alternatives. But the digitalization of systems and the addition of robotics could spell earlier job losses than previously anticipated. 

Yet, others praise the innovation, noting that oil rigs are traditionally extremely dangerous places for workers to operate, no matter the level of safety standards implemented. Accidents take place regularly due to the complex nature of the work, digging holes deep into the earth’s surface to extract crude. This could be an important move towards improving the social aspect of ESG, as Big Oil faces increasing pressure to better operations. Although, a reduction in drilling time also spells a decrease in the emissions being released, which will also support the environmental part. 

Many highlight the long history of oil rig disasters such as the Piper Alpha pipeline ruptures, which caused the rig to set alight at the cost of 167 human lives. Just this year, we saw a fire outbreak at a Mexican oil rig cause the death of five workers. And while the world focuses on putting an end to oil extraction for environmental reasons, it is important to note the social implications, as oil operations are set to continue so long as the availability of renewable alternatives is limited. 

Jason Gahr, ExxonMobil operations manager on the project explained, “ExxonMobil’s collaboration with Nabors in deploying this automated rig in Midland demonstrates the ability to optimize drilling using the combined power of robotics, automation, computing, and data”. In addition, “This is a great example of enhancing the safety, efficiency, and environmental performance of our operations through innovative technologies.”

And Nabors is insistent that automation doesn’t necessarily mean job losses, as workers will be kept on to supervise operations and carry out essential tasks. It will simply prevent workers from having to be present in the most dangerous ‘red zone’ of the rig. However, as the new technology is adopted by other firms around the globe, we will see what it means in practice for oil workers, many of whom are still working remotely due to new restrictions. 

The innovation of robot rigs is clearly ground-breaking, taking years of careful planning, investment, and engineering. However, only time will tell what this means for the oil industry and its workers, as digitalization and the automation of operations picks up pace across the board.