First Integrated Robotics Pilot Offshore West Africa

Abstract The Oil and Gas industry is still in the early stages of adopting autonomous robots. To build trust among operational teams regarding this groundbreaking approach, TotalEnergies initiated an extensive testing program in 2020, which has seen seven pilots to date. In 2023, an ambitious pilot started off the coast of Angola, showcasing a more integrated approach. This paper offers insights from the Pazflor FPSO pilot, during which two robots were operational for a six-month period. The pilot project lasted almost two years, encompassing various phases from preparation and preliminary tests to training, commissioning, and the final 6-month deployment. Throughout each phase, various actors played critical roles, including robot manufacturer, Robot Supervision System developers and many other specialists from different disciplines. Given the complex integration of all the pilot components, collaboration was essential to mitigate challenges related to remote site conditions and ensure a reasonable chance of successful trials. Only after extensive testing in our robotics playground in France, configured to match the Angola environment, the project did receive the green light for shipment and deployment. Throughout the project's duration, especially in the operational stages, significant knowledge was acquired. Initially, the on-site team was skeptical about the technology. However, their views shifted as they witnessed the robot consistently executing time-consuming tasks. The pilot project underscored the technology's potential in a significant asset environment and demonstrated the scalability of the robotics ecosystem, with site personnel solely in charge, with only occasional remote assistance from robot experts. The robots successfully performed routine monitoring tasks as planned by the initial engineering study. This indicated that the robot's operating envelope was well-calibrated, and they achieved approximately 2,300 man-hours annually across the two oil separation modules where they were deployed. A notable accomplishment was the successful integration of various technological components within an affiliate configuration, including adherence to cybersecurity rules. Nevertheless, there were areas that required improvement. The robots did not achieve the anticipated reliability targets, resulting in a lower mission success rate. Consequently, although the robots were capable of collecting the data as planned, they could not do so at the expected frequency. In conclusion, the pilot project was a success since we are now on the verge of showcasing a Minimum Viable Product, especially for manned facilities. Autonomous robotics could potentially be a game-changer and a crucial element of Industry 5.0. This paper provides valuable insights into the large-scale implementation of robotics, considering the comprehensive integration and challenging conditions encountered during the Pazflor FPSO pilot.