Mapping Energy Production with Efficient Design

Revolution in the Oil & Gas Industry

Ever since the industrial revolution, Oil and Gas (O&G) industry has played a pivotal role in the economic transformation of the world by fueling the energy requirement for heat, light and mobility of the world’s population. In the last few years, oil prices have remained subdued and this has led to the demand for Oil & Gas production at optimized cost and flexible rate. In order to achieve Time-Quality-Cost factors at optimum, it is essential to minimize manufacturing defects and nonconformance of tools and equipment.

Connecting the Industry Context and Design Challenges

O&G companies are exploring novel strategies of system engineering for product and equipment design and development. At the same time they meet the industry demand for lower cost of energy, greater focus on safety and environment and an increased product life. All these factors, in turn, increase pressure on the design engineers to deliver under the above defined conditions resulting in complex innovative products and systems that are cost-effective and capable for greater levels of collaboration. Further, the industry demands continuous enhancements and faster time to market for these products. It is not just about accelerating product time-to-market, but also shortening the time it takes to develop new concepts, while simultaneously ensuring the completeness of proposed design concepts.

So, what are O&G companies doing to tide over this wave?

Accelerating Accuracy of Conceptual Design

Companies are incorporating agility, flexibility and automation into conceptual design for quick response to operational events, thus enabling faster changes to mechanical design or bringing out repair solutions to ensure continued drilling process with minimum of interruptions. 

Charting Cost Optimization

Interruptions in the drilling program can cost millions of dollars by way of lost time, wasted tool rentals, idle man power and production loss. In order to overcome competitive time pressures, engineers must be able to automate concept development by finding, reusing and reconfiguring existing designs, as well as by working, collaborating and communicating more effectively.

Improving Geological Competency

In the case of the Oil & Gas industry, mechanical designers with thorough engineering skills, knowledge of earth formation, geology and crude chemistry should be able to provide the right solutions for every case. Formations differ across sites and the design requirements for the tools also vary based on the formation characteristics.

Replacing the Talent Pool

Around the world, the talent pool in the Oil & Gas industry is dwindling due to retirement, low availability of new talent and the need to replace it quickly in order to meet exigencies in the drilling projects is prevalent. Oil & Gas equipment companies & service providers find it difficult to manage design resources for their day-to-day requirements and also for long-term new product initiatives.

Designs for the New Era

Competitive pressures in the energy market make it crucial for O&G companies to meet the rising energy demand with innovative services and clean products, while managing price volatility and overall risk. Evidently, they need to continue their transformational journeys with a view to drive growth, productivity, efficiency and safety across their operations, with supporting design projects in upstream, midstream and downstream operations.

A quick augmentation of design resources, defect-free design outputs, synergizing with customer, reducing design cycle time, ensuring compliance with industry standards, improving existing processes to increase productivity and demonstrating continuous improvement is also necessary.

Hence, success can be ensured by developing and deploying custom engineering solutions that span across the entire product lifecycle, starting from conceptualization to obsolescence. Moreover, their equipment designers not only require a wide range of 3D CAD capabilities, but also robust tools to develop large assemblies, welded structures, and piping systems.

Comprehensive product engineering and lifecycle services providers can therefore partner with O&G companies to achieve their business goals much more efficiently. However, choosing the right services partner is important in such a case, as the O&G companies need to double-check on their experience levels in services such as:

Conceptual Design

Need experienced engineers in the application of QFD approach for requirement analysis and Pugh Matric methodology for concept selection and support from VAVE and Should Costing teams to guide customers with the correct economic concepts.

Finite Element Analysis

Capability in a wide range of Finite Element Analysis Software such as ANSYS, STAAD, deep knowledge in setting boundary limits, achieving convergence and running effectively to deliver cost-effective solutions. Experience should range from small components to even large wind turbine towers.

Detail Design

Detail engineering services, include complete functional analysis of components as well as assemblies including strength calculations, DFM, DFA, tolerance analysis, etc.

3D CAD

3D CAD experience across CAD platforms are like NX, Solidworks, CATIA, Inventor, Creo and many more. Services include updating/creating digital models of components/assembly; the approach used includes - parametric modeling, solid modeling and surface modeling. The most important benefit to customers is the service provider’s ability to get tuned to customer standards and methodologies and create an identical feel as the customer output.  

Lifting and Transportation Analysis

High level of competency in analyzing equipment rigidity and strength while in transportation and during handling.

Manufacturing Drawing Creation

Expertise in Manufacturing Engineering to produce drawings that will be concise and complete in any platform the customer chooses.

Model-based Definition

Considerable expertise in the MBD domain, which is the future of Mechanical Design, and in turn, the base for paperless manufacturing.

Internal Processes

Well defined in-house processes of requirement study, evaluation, should costing, idea generation and implementation.

Switching from a traditional business approach to a guided roadmap, with opportunities to increase profitability aligned with business objectives, is indeed a paradigm shift. However, outsourcing the strategic O&G engineering functions to a trusted, thinking partner can be an effective way to increase viability, profitability, efficiencies and productivity gains at each stage of the development process.