Addressing Problems with Power in the Oil and Gas Industry
Suppose you work in an air-conditioned office on mundane tasks where a power supply failure may result in little more than minor frustration. In that case, many cheap-and-cheerful UPS systems are available from vendors like Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. However, suppose you are employed in the oil and gas industry out in the field— operating in hostile environments involving high humidity, shock and vibration, and extreme temperatures—and working on mission-critical and safety-critical applications where a power failure may cost millions of dollars and potentially involve injury and loss of life. In that case, only the best UPS systems on the market will do.
Although climate change is driving the adoption of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and hydro),1 the combination of global geopolitical tensions and the need for affordable energy—coupled with ever-increasing requirements for products like plastics that are derived from fossil fuels—is maintaining the demand for oil and gas.2 For example, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects US crude oil production to surpass 12.9 million barrels per day for the first time in late 2023 and to exceed 13 million barrels per day in early 2024.3 As another example the recent acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources by Exxon Mobil Corporation means that Exxon’s production volume in the Permian Basin will more than double to 1.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (MOEBD), and is expected to increase to approximately 2 MOEBD by 2027.4
Common trends seen in every segment of the oil and gas industry include the increasing use of the Internet of Things (IoT). This is coupled with artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), big data and analytics, robotics and automation, cloud computing, and predictive maintenance.5
The oil and gas industry is typically divided into three segments: upstream, midstream, and downstream. The upstream segment includes exploring and producing crude oil and natural gas. The midstream segment embraces transportation and storage, including pipelines, pumping stations, tank trucks, rail tank cars, transcontinental tankers, and other infrastructure. And the downstream segment involves everything associated with refining crude oil into fuels such as gasoline, kerosene, heating oils, jet fuels, etc. The downstream segment also includes transforming crude oil and natural gas into end products like plastics, synthetic rubbers, fertilizers, and preservatives.
The need for reliable power—as provided by Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems—applies to every segment of the oil and gas industry.
Problems with Power
A common factor for many UPS deployments in the oil and gas industry is harsh environments, including shock and vibration, high humidity, extreme temperatures (both hot and cold), particulate matter like dust and sand, and harsh climatic conditions like rain, sleet, and snow. Salt spray may also be a factor in the case of offshore oil platforms and transcontinental tankers.
Another common issue is “dirty power” coming from the primary supply. This dirty power can manifest in spikes, dips, surges, transients, and unwanted harmonics. If left untreated, dirty power can damage sensitive equipment and electronic systems. As was previously noted, for example, the oil and gas industry is currently seeing increasing use of artificial intelligence and machine learning across the board. In the context of DrillOps, for instance, these technologies can continuously monitor drilling systems and adapt to changes, thereby maximizing the rate of drill penetration while protecting drill string integrity. These systems can detect anomalies to facilitate predictive maintenance but demand clean power to perform their magic.
Even in the case of air-conditioned environments where environmental stresses are non-existent and clean power is the norm, off-the-shelf commercial UPS systems are less than ideal when damage to equipment due to loss of power can result in hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost production. When it comes to mission-critical and safety-critical applications in hostile environments like oil rigs, where problems with power can easily result in millions of dollars in lost production and may potentially involve injury and loss of life, failure is simply not an option. Commercial and so-called “ruggedized” UPS systems cannot satisfy the demands of these applications. Truly rugged UPS systems are the only option.
If you wish to read the full white paper from Intellipower on this topic which discusses the following:
Critical Requirements for Oil and Gas UPS Systems and How AMETEK IntelliPower Exceeds Oil and Gas Industry Expectations, with examples of IntelliPower Oil and Gas UPS Deployments.
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