Digital mirror gives ONGC view of safety, business

ONGC, the state-owned oil and gas giant, has pivoted to artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies in the last few years to ensure the safety of its assets and help business.
 

The petroleum sector was one of the earliest adopters of automation. By nature of their work in difficult and inaccessible terrains, oil companies have had to use automation in their offshore and onshore explorations. 
 

ONGC, short for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, recently launched a project called Darpan that technology wise puts the company alongside the best in the world. At the ONGC headquarters in New Delhi, the Darpan centre is impressive in size, scale and capability. A curved display at the centre is the size of about three cinema screens and works as a dashboard for the company’s operations in India and the world. Darpan, by using high bandwidth connectivity, enables a 360-degree digital view and acts as an interactive management centre for ONGC’s exploration and production business. 
 

Darpan, said to be one of its kind in the petroleum sector, will act as the central command and collaboration centre for ONGC’s management in case of an emergency at a location. Senior managers in New Delhi can view operations at all company wells and rigs. Regional officers can see assets in their areas.
 

ONGC says that the system has helped in crises and prevented time and resource loss. While drilling a well in Agartala Asset, shallow gas was observed and the well was shut down. Shallow gas is a hydrocarbon-bearing zone very close to the surface and it can cause severe damage if not managed quickly. Senior ONGC officers in Delhi used Darpan to review the well and guide operations to contain the gas flow.
 

Operational data about the well was analysed and the local work centre at the Agartala Asset was asked to quickly solve the crisis. The company’s corporate crisis management team was mobilised for controlling the well and a control room was set up for sharing information.
 

"Darpan represents the pinnacle of ONGC's commitment to leveraging digital technology for enhancing operational efficiency and decision-making and embodies our core values of innovation and excellence,” said V K Chowdhury, executive director and chief infocom officer at ONGC.

“As we continue to expand our initiatives in AI, Darpan will play a pivotal role in transforming our operations, ensuring real-time connectivity and fostering a culture of agility and foresight across all levels of our organisation."
 

ONGC says it has deployed various solutions with embedded AI and machine learning capabilities, data analytics and blockchain for business efficiency. AI-based surveillance systems are being put up to identify safety protocol breaches. Real-time production optimisation systems and real-time monitoring of installations, fields and rigs through latest systems are in place. 
 

ONGC is working to develop digital twins in engineering and operations. That involves creating systems with augmented and virtual reality with predictive analytics for collaboration and training and to maintain critical equipment in oil and gas fields. Building digital models of reservoirs will help ONGC in exploration and extraction.
 

The company has digitally connected operations at all assets in a multi-year programme of deploying sensors everywhere. Internet-of -Things enabled devices working on 5G speeds are connected to a centralised command and control mechanism from base offices. OGC’s goal is to build a system of integrated digital oil fields. 
 

A digitally connected era has led to concerns about the security of critical infrastructure. Recent cyberattacks on petroleum installations in India and other countries underline the urgent need for cyber vigilance. ONGC says it is keenly aware of the dangers and is establishing AI-driven cybersecurity solutions for threat detection, response and mitigation.