A new, fully automated oil and gas rig recently made its debut in the Permian Basin in the United States. The rig uses digital technology and Canrig robots to "maneuver" the platform. Other robotic mechanisms have been used in the oil and gas industry for years, including robotic dogs to support monitoring of oil platforms and land-based drones to check for pipeline leaks.
After years of development, a new type of fully automated drilling rig recently made its debut in the Permian Basin of the United States. While this always seemed fanciful, the restrictions faced by many oil and gas companies during the pandemic forced some drillers to shut down operations and send drillers home. This has prompted a number of technology companies to form partnerships with oil majors to help automate systems and digitize operations so that drilling projects can continue without human labor through innovative technologies such as robotic RIGS.
In October, Houston-based Nabors Industries drilled nearly 20,000 feet with an automated rig without a surface crew to operate it manually. Nabors Industries expects to drill two to three Wells in the area as part of the testing phase. The Nabors Pace-R801 is the world's first fully automatic land drilling rig and took 5 years of construction to build. It supports ExxonMobil's drilling operations in the region, providing unmanned drillships that previously required entire teams to operate on them.
The new rig uses digital technology and Canrig's robotic steering platform to provide key components such as a robotic arm to run the rig. Nabs Industries also said the SmartDRILL and SmartSLIDE automation software can reduce drilling time by four days, thereby reducing carbon emissions in the project.
"This is where the drilling industry is headed," said Travis Purvis, senior vice president of global drilling at Nabors Industries. In addition, "this robotics technology is really a game changer. The innovation around this is going to be very exciting over the next five to 10 years." The transition to unmanned RIGS appeared in last year's "ghost rig" concept, when rig workers operated the system remotely and were not allowed to touch the platform during the pandemic. While there has been talk of automated RIGS for years, Norwegian energy giant Equinor was the first to switch to a "ghost rig" approach in 2020, with workers remotely operating platforms, followed by BP and other oil majors.
Other robotic mechanisms have been used in the oil and gas industry for years, including robotic dogs to support monitoring of oil platforms and land-based drones to check for pipeline leaks.
However, this latest innovation is worrying workers in the oil and gas industry, who have already been hard hit during the pandemic.
The drilling industry has shed about 400,000 jobs during the pandemic, half of them in the United States. Oil and gas workers' main concern right now is the impending transition from fossil fuels to renewables. But digitisation of systems and the addition of robotics could lead to rig workers losing their jobs sooner than expected.
Others, however, praised the innovation, pointing out that oil RIGS have traditionally been extremely dangerous places for workers, no matter how high the safety standards in place. Because of the complexity of the work, RIGS drill deep into the ground to extract oil, and accidents happen frequently. With big oil companies under increasing pressure to improve their operations, this could be an important move to improve the social side of ESG. Still, less drilling time also means less emissions, which will support environmental initiatives.
Many highlighted the long history of oil-rig disasters, such as the Piper Alpha pipeline rupture rig fire that killed 167 people. Just this year, a fire at an oil rig in Mexico killed five workers. While countries around the world are concerned about oil extraction for environmental reasons, it is important to note the social impacts, as oil extraction will continue as long as renewable energy is available only in limited quantities.
"Exxonmobil and Nabors Industries' deployment of an automated rig in Midland demonstrates the ability to optimize drilling using a combination of robotics, automation, computing and data capabilities," explained Jason Gahr, ExxonMobil Project Operations Manager. In addition, "this is a great example of innovative technology to improve the safety, efficiency and environmental effectiveness of our operations."
Nabors Industries insists that automation does not necessarily mean job losses, as workers will continue to oversee operations and perform important tasks. It simply prevents workers from having to be in the rig's most dangerous "red zone." However, as the new technology is adopted by other companies around the world, we will see its practical implications for oil workers, many of whom still work remotely due to new travel restrictions.
The innovation of robotic drilling RIGS is clearly ground-breaking, requiring years of careful planning, investment and construction. However, as digitalization and automation accelerate across the board, only time will tell what this means for the oil industry and its workers.
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