ADNOC, the UAE’s state oil company, is building up momentum in its drive to become an artificial intelligence leader in the oil and gas sector with the deployment of a pioneering AI-powered autonomous well-control solution on its offshore NASR field.
The RoboWell technology uses cloud-based AI algorithms to autonomously operate wells that self-adjust according to changing conditions, according to ADNOC.
Developed by AIQ, another UAE-based company, RoboWell is intended to improve the safety of well operations, improve efficiency, reduce the need for travel and physical interventions, and thus reduce emissions.
The technology has initially been deployed at 10 wells on the NASR field which is located 130km northwest of Abu Dhabi in the Persian Gulf. The plan is to roll out the technology at more than 300 wells across ADNOC’s offshore and onshore operations this year. It was first used in 2023 on the onshore NEB field, where ADNOC has trialled AI-enabled advanced technologies.
“AIQ leverages AI and machine learning solutions that unlock value across the entire value chain of the energy sector” Chris Cooper, AIQ’s chief executive, said.
The technology had already been proven to deliver “up to 30% optimization in gas lift consumption and up to 5% increase in operating efficiency”, he added, describing its roll out across more fields as “a pivotal step for AIQ and ADNOC”.
RoboWell was developed by AIQ and ADNOC’s Thamama Excellence Centre, a hub for the development of digital technologies that can bring greater value to hydrocarbons exploration and production, contributing to ADNOC’s push to take a lead in AI.
Abdulmunim Saif Al Kindy, ADNOC Upstream Executive Director, said the deployment of RoboWell showed that ADNOC was harnessing the power of AI to help meet global energy demand.
“ADNOC’s aim is to become the world’s most AI-enabled energy company, integrating AI from the control room to the board room to maximize efficiency and move towards autonomous operations,” he said.
In March, the company estimated it had generated $500m in value in 2023 by deploying over 30 AI tools across its value chain, and that those applications had also abated “up to 1m tonnes of CO2 emissions” between 2022 and 2023.
5G network to support AI
ADNOC is also beefing up its communications networks to handle the extra data generated by AI-powered tools. In partnership with UAE-based telecoms group e& – formerly Etisalat – the firm is developing what it says is the energy industry’s largest private 5G wireless network, covering 11,000 square km.
The network will relay information from sensors in more than 12,000 wells and pipelines to autonomous control rooms to inform recommendations aimed at increasing the lifespan of assets, improving safety, enhancing productivity and reducing emissions across the company’s operations.
ADNOC said it expected the 5G project, which is due to be completed in 2025, to generate $1.5bn in value during its first five years of operation.
(Photo: ADNOC)
