24 September 2021
IMPORTANCE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PIPING INDUSTRY
Pipelines act as veritable veins of the society inside the Earth. They are leveraged to transport oil and gas, hydrocarbons and water. Whether these are carbon stainless steel pipes, duplex pipes, or supporting parts like valves or flanges, all are critical for the transportation of power resources for domestic, industrial and commercial purposes. Their presence carries geo-strategic and economic influence in international relations.
Presently, the world has an expansive 3.5 million kilometers of pipeline network connecting the world. In fact, as per GlobalData report- Global Crude Oil Pipelines Industry Outlook to 2022 the pipeline network is expected to increase by 12.2% as of 2022. This requires extensive technological intervention to make the piping products more qualitative, effective, reliable and advanced.
Pipelines have always been the safest choice for carrying large volumes of oil and gas. Over the years, as the technology evolved, so did the safety, quality, efficiency and ecological performance of these pipelines which is intricately linked to the product manufacturing. We at PetroGas Piping believe that technology impacts every aspect of the pipeline industry, from metallurgy, quality control to overall pipeline construction processes including leak detection, maintenance, spill control and monitoring. High levels of technological automation and excellence guarantees consistency and the pipeline product reaching the user industry facilities. It also ensures improved monitoring to respond to spills and leakages.
The present digital transformation, which includes incorporating the latest developments like the artificial intelligence, IoT, blockchain, robotics, augmented reality or data analytics, is expected to further bring in pipeline safety and improve environmental performance in the next decade. The oil and gas piping industry is now ready to shed its yesteryear image and bring revolution in the energy industry by adopting new-age digital technologies. Some of the main reasons to adopt technological innovation in piping industry are:
- Technologies like IoT and AI help reduce operational downtime
- Help gain a holistic transparent overview of the entire operation
- Technological automation saves costs as it enables streamlining of processes
- Advanced technologies help improve safety and reduce environmental impact
- However, one of the biggest benefits lies in constructing the digital models with help of data analytics.
- This enables field visualization and the type of piping product required in a certain topography and geographical terrain.
- It aids in 3D model development giving a good understanding to the piping product manufacturers to predict the best fit and also the potential hazards.
- Accordingly, the products can be designed, and the facility managers can go ahead with exploration and development of field operations.
- Using digital data points can help predict more accurate outcomes and focus on improving it through regular digital monitoring and evaluation.
In fact, a McKinsey report states that digital technologies can help oil and gas industry cut capital expenditure by 20% and improve global cash flows to the tune of $300 billion by 2025. There is no doubt that the future of pipeline industry is deeply intertwined with technological application in their construction, operation and maintenance. As more and more new technology is incorporated in the energy industry as a whole, it will accelerate maintenance and control of possible anomalies thereby fast-tracking repairs. This productivity optimization will ultimately bolster the industry performance and define the new era of pipeline industry and allowing it to fast-track itself into future.