Making savings in the oil and gas sector

AML offers industrial production locations the infrastructure to manage and maintain online analysers, flow meters and transmitters in the field and in laboratories, with a minimum of resources. This increases the reliability of measurements and contributes to efficient operation.

The low oil prices are starting to take their toll in the oil and gas sector. Energy producers see their income fall and are forced to take action. Cost savings and efficiency therefore top the agenda of management boards. These companies recognise that the hitherto conservative industry will have to turn to technological innovation to survive the lean years.

Failing analysers

One of the areas where many technological gains can be made is the analyser management in the workplace and in laboratories. Online analysers provide essential measurement data and information on process applications, provided the analyser systems are reliable and accurate. This is often not the case because they regularly fail due to their complexity and sensitivity. In reality, production volumes and compositions seem to deviate considerably from the measured quality and numbers. This can result in a difference of millions of dollars. Losses are always to the detriment of the supplier or buyer. Analyser management therefore, contributes significantly to cost savings, also because servicing the equipment can be planned better.

Analyser management, metering and loading

Hint’s AML automation solution (which stands for Analyser Management, Metering and Loading), specialises in metering and allocation in oil, gas and petrochemicals. Drawing on their practical experience, the company finds that substantial savings are possible with better analyser management. Online analysers measure and analyse product flows at plants, drilling platforms or drilling wells. This yields data about produced quantities and quality, which is used to determine revenues of measurement stations, wells, concessions and reservoir (allocation). Analysers are also required for measuring emissions and monitoring process safety. Both of these are required by law.

With AML, operators and managers can monitor the performance of analysers, and perform maintenance. The software package provides an easy way to understand your processes. As the performance of the analyser and flow equipment improves, the equipment becomes more reliable for the operation and it functions on spec. Maintenance costs are reduced and the entire plant is running more efficiently.

Investing in digital technology

Hint represents a holistic view on performance. Validation and data integration can bring major quality improvements in the overall performance of systems. Connecting the dots from measurements to maintenance management. To facilitate this, an analyser management system is indispensable. Wout Last, President of Hint, commented: “Companies in energy production want to do more with fewer people and deliver higher quality at lower costs. Loss of product must be kept to a minimum. Until recently, there was little investment in digital technology to optimise the operation, but I see that changing now. With AML, Hint hopes to show end clients which savings are already possible in the short term, by focusing on analyser management with the help of smart tools.”