Aligning with the global shift in the energy transition, oil and gas companies have diversified their portfolios with a focus on emissions reduction in their operations and increasing their investments in lower-carbon projects.
At the heart of this shift lies technology that enables oil and gas companies to balance traditional energy production with the demands of a greener future.
The year 2024 saw several technological advancements with AI standing at the forefront to increase production, improve efficiency, and reduce emissions in the oil and gas industry.
Innovations in Emissions Reduction
One notable advancement is flare.IQ technology that measures data on flare system performance, including temperature, pressure, vent gas velocities, and gas composition, enhances combustion efficiency and minimizes emissions.
This emissions abatement technology was developed by Baker Hughes and adopted by BP in its upstream oil and gas operations at 65 flares across seven regions.
Meanwhile, Zero Emission Power Station (ZEUS) technology employs advanced oxyfuel combustion and burns untreated gas while capturing 100% of the CO2 emissions. The carbon captured is then immediately injected into a reservoir for permanent storage or can be used to increase the production of both oil and gas before being permanently stored.
Another technology for emissions reduction is Bluenzyme™️. It is an enzymatic CO₂ capture solution designed for small and medium emitters in hard-to-abate sectors.
The technology, developed by Saipem, will be applied at the Herambiente waste-to-energy plant in Italy. It aimed to capture about 90% of the emissions from one of the plant’s two lines, amounting to 64,000 tons of CO₂ per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of around 37,000 cars.
Supercomputing and AI Innovations
Supercomputing is the highlight of the 2024 technological evolution as the HPC6 was launched. It is ranked as one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. Developed by Eni, HPC6 delivers a peak performance of 606 PFlops (600 quadrillion floating-point operations per second). It uses HPE Cray EX4000 systems with AMD EPYC CPUs and AMD Instinct accelerators.
Furthermore, this computer supports a wide range of applications, including AI modeling, simulation, geological and fluid dynamics studies for CO2 storage, battery development, biofuel supply chain optimization, and plasma behavior simulation in magnetic confinement fusion.
Unlike most AI digital solutions, Neuro™ Autonomous Geosteering technology stands out for guiding drilling operations without the need for human intervention. It interprets real-time subsurface data to ensure optimal well placement within the most productive reservoir layers. Leveraging advanced cloud and edge AI capabilities, Neuro™ meticulously selects the best drilling route using high-fidelity downhole measurements, resulting in precise and efficient drilling operations.
During its deployment in Ecuador, the system, developed by SLB, completed 25 autonomous trajectory changes in a single operation, demonstrating its ability to adapt quickly to real-time conditions and significantly enhance well performance.
Another innovative solution is RoboWell. It is a cutting-edge cloud-based AI solution designed to autonomously operate oil and gas wells. This technology continuously monitors and adjusts operations according to changing conditions, maximizing production while minimizing emissions. Deployed initially across 10 wells in the NASR offshore field, RoboWell is set for further implementation across over 300 wells in ADNOC’s operations.
Overall, this year has undergone significant technological advancements in the oil and gas industry, paving the way for a lower-carbon future. With increased collaboration among industry leaders, the sector is well-equipped to thrive while meeting growing global energy demands.
