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Key processes within oil & gas and petrochemicals operations can now be digitized. This is
good news especially for an industry struggling to manage a new world order based on lower oil
prices. The profitability benefits of reinventing core oil & gas plant operational processes through
digital transformation are significant.
Market information can be leveraged to drive process optimization. Concepts such as digital
twin, based on predictive modeling, are driving real cost reductions.
This paper provides guidance on how digital transformation concepts can best be leveraged to
drive profitability through new levels of operational efficiency
Massimiliano De Luca
Sales & Business Dev. Director
Offshore and FPSO/FLNG
Schneider Electric

rofound technology innovations are nected or used to collect data).
redefining the boundaries and expec- Consider the many types of captured “big data”
tations for the oil & gas and petroche- used to create models and images of the Earth’s
micals industry. We see it every day in structure and layers 5,000-35,000 feet below the
the growing use of digital technologies surface, or the data used to describe activities
Pto generate revenue, improve partner- around oil well equipment performance, oil flow
ships, and replace/evolve processes. Now, more rates and pressures. With approximately one mil-
than ever, streamlined operations are essential as lion wells currently producing oil and/or gas in the
oil & gas companies refine their competitive edge United States alone, and many more sensors mo-
through digitalization in order to prosper in this new nitoring performance, this dataset is growing daily.
low-commodity-price age. By seizing the moment As the data flow volumes increase, digital tools
and leveraging the potential of digitalization, oil & act as the enablers that unlock the value of these
gas operations personnel will exert a larger influen- higher volumes of data. According to McKinsey &
ce on corporate decision-makers and on their in- Company, effective use of digital technologies in
vestment plans. the oil & gas sector could reduce capital expen-
The sheer volume of data being gathered, stored, ditures by up to 20% and cut upstream operating
analyzed and connected is changing the way that costs by 3 to 5% and downstream operating costs
business decisions are made. Consider the recent by 1.5 to 2.5% [1] (figure 1).
exponential growth in the use of sensors, the key Emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligen-
components for gathering data. Just one typical ce (AI), advanced process automation, blockchain,
offshore production platform can have more than Internet of Things (IoT), and digital twins are all fue-
40,000 data tags (not all of which are yet con- ling the pace of transformation within oil & gas ope-

Fig. 1 – Oil & gas industry:
digitalization-related growth
projections

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