By: Franyi Sarmiento, Ph.D., Inspenet, June 3, 2022
Yokogawa Electric Corporation and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) have been selected by the Nippon Foundation, a private non-profit grant-making organization, to develop an automated robotic inspection system to predict hazards at high-pressure oil and gas facilities. sea, and improve the safety of inspection work on offshore platforms.
“The use of a wide variety of robots has long been considered to enable unmanned operations and therefore reduce the risk of conducting inspections on offshore platforms; however, the central coordination of individual robots is complex, as it requires the management of multiple systems and the data they acquire,” the companies said in a statement.
According to the statement released this week, Yokogawa has already engaged in research and development of a robotic services platform that centralizes the management of multiple robots and seamlessly links them to existing control systems.
“Based on the findings of this research and development, this project will build a communications infrastructure and robotic system that will be well-adapted to the environment found on offshore platforms,” the statement said.
As part of the project, a proof of concept will be carried out using the second-generation EX ROVR plant inspection robot that MHI introduced to the market in April under the name ASCENT.
“With its explosion-proof features, the EX ROVR makes positive contributions to improving worker safety, increasing work efficiency, and improving facility operation rates by performing 24-hour inspections in potentially hazardous atmosphere conditions. explosives,” Mitsubishi said.
According to the company, the robot’s qualifications will enable the safe use of the EX ROVR in Zone 1 combustible gas conditions.
“The adoption of a 6-DOF explosion-proof tamper with light-equipped camera allows for close-up and head-on photography from various positions.”
“Gas density measurement, sound recording and thermal image acquisition are also possible. Additionally, when used in combination with the online application provided as a standard feature, the operator can remotely set up and manage inspection schedules and inspection data confirmation. Should an incident occur at the plant, remote monitoring enables rapid identification of on-site conditions, which contributes to greater plant inspection efficiency and a quick and safe resolution of the incident in question,” they said. the companies.
Photos : Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
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