Petronas to develop sustainability solutions and robotic inspection devices

As more organizations embrace new technologies, sustainability is now a key feature in most of them. Today, organizations are judged not just for their use of new technologies but also for how they are working towards reducing their carbon emissions and promoting sustainability.

Most industries today are adopting greener technologies to reduce their carbon emissions. In the oil and gas industry, sustainability is becoming increasingly vital, with more companies committing to carbon-neutral energy solutions.

In Malaysia, Petronas has collaborated with Honeywell on the development of carbon-neutral energy solutions in process technologies, industrial automation, and plant digitalization of its operations.

The collaboration aims to strengthen operations optimization and support emissions reduction efforts to deliver cleaner energy solutions, in support of the companies’ common sustainability goals and line with Petronas’ Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050 (NZCE 2050) aspiration.

According to Bacho Pilong, Petronas Senior Vice President of Project Delivery & Technology, the partnership will be a catalyst for Petronas’ growth agenda.

“We believe it will inspire more collaborations among major industry and technology players to collectively deliver a carbon-neutral future through a flourishing ecosystem of innovation – where solutions can be delivered at a pace to counter the many challenges we face,” said Pilong.

For Norman Gilsdorf, Honeywell President of ASEAN, the solutions will support Petronas in achieving the highest standards of accuracy, reliability, profitability, and security.

The sustainable solutions to be embraced include Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCS) technology, digital twin, and remote autonomous operations, in achieving productivity excellence and strategic growth in a low-carbon manner.

The collaboration also marks one of the first of its kind in harmonizing processes and business analytics into an integrated, cutting-edge technology and 5G-enabled secured asset operations for Petronas. It also supports Petronas’ pursuits in the key areas of cybersecurity as well as leadership and capability management.

At the same time, Petronas’ technology commercialization arm, Petronas Technology Ventures will be jointly developing robotic inspection devices and scale utilization in the oil and gas industry with Waygate Technologies Robotics AG (WTR).

Based on the BIKE robotic system, the device enables improved data management and inspection of confined or hard-to-reach spaces in oil and gas facilities – onshore and offshore. The enhanced technology includes a cleaning tool as well as additional ultrasonic and eddy current inspection capabilities. Petronas will deploy the updated BIKE robot in more facilities, while WTR will provide comprehensive training and support services.

WTR Executive General Manager of Visual & Robotic Inspection Solutions, Michael Domke said, “Our R&D teams have been working closely together to tailor our robotic BIKE platform to their specific challenges. The result is a solution that will allow Petronas to minimize safety risks for their personnel as well as the overall downtime of their assets around the globe.”

The companies are also co-developing two new versions of the tool, the BIKE I-Beam, designed to overcome specific obstacles and sharp edges in confined spaces, and a micro crawler version to facilitate inspection of smaller pipes.

The agreement seals another milestone in WTR’s strategy to strengthen its automated data caption capabilities and drive innovations that will enhance its customers’ productivity and competitiveness. Robotic inspection solutions are part of its mission as part of the energy technology ecosystem to make energy operations safer and more efficient for people and the planet.

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