Offshore drilling to extract our petroleum wealth is not easy or inexpensive. But, it is necessary for a nation’s vital economic future. For example, in Australia, nearly 90 per cent of petroleum wealth is found offshore! And, it is practiced for last hundreds of years. But, when the question of efficient extraction of petroleum from beneath the seas arises, it has been possible only since last 40 years. Thanks to technology.
But, it is a huge risk for men to do the job in deep and often stormy waters - it is life risking and expensive as well. So, technology has moved yet another step forward to let all the platform operation for offshore oil extraction process happen with man staying on land! Yes, very soon offshore platforms could be run by robots alone. SINTEF scientist Pål Liljeback has designed an orange robot arm that hangs from a steel beam, spanning a 30 square meter-room at ceiling height. The colossus is framed by large, sky-blue support beams and has been pre-programmed with a huge range of rapid movements - its arm can glide silently back and forward on its beam, can suddenly moves out in a wide arc and turn downwards to the floor. Amazingly, the robotic framework weighs seven and a half tones!
With the StatoilHydro’s futuristic new technological solutions, oil-extraction operators can remain on land and control the extraction process from there! This would definitely reduce not just costs, but also risks to a considerable extend. If all goes well, the robot will be ready for installation in 2015. But, what is to be seen is that the robot doesn’t collide with the process equipment on the platform during operation.
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Image Courtesy: SINTEF
