Page 64 - Vol 33 Issue 34 2021

oil Outlook

Fracking 9 Increased
Robotics
8 Challenges 10 Connectivity

Fracking is one of the more traditional techniques There are several tasks in the petroleum in dus- Alongside the increased use of hardware in the
used in the petroleum industry. Because of some try that are repetitive and laborious, although petroleum industry has been the implementation
unwanted side effects of the practice, however, it’s they’re often essential. This has led to companies of the software. This has been used in several
started to become increasingly challenged across increasingly focusing on automation and capacities, with one of the largest of these being
the world. robotics. These have been primarily used in what’s known as the Internet of Things (IoT).
This has primarily been international, such as wastewater disposal, drill pipes, and repairing Through this, robotics and other machinery
in the United Kingdom and several other coun- broken machinery. are connected and can subsequently monitor
tries, it has started to affect more American com- While the majority of companies utilizing each other. There are a variety of benefits that
panies. The majority of this has been focused robotics in the industry have been on the larger this provides, with performance being key. This
on chemicals being leaked into the surrounding side, including The Petroleum Institute and results in companies having more data on where
water, as well as the potential for seismic activity. others, smaller companies have begun taking and when their machinery should be repaired to
Much of this has been seen through protests advantage of the tech. This is being driven by its optimize results.
and legal challenges, which have made fracking- increasing affordability, as well as several of the Alongside this is the reduced need to replace
related activities increasingly more difficult. benefits it can offer. equipment, as preventative maintenance will
While the United States has only begun seeing Chief among these has been that automation avoid any breakages. As a result, the majority of
opposition to this, it’s expected that this is likely and robotics can reduce labor costs, which companies will be able to see much less associated
to grow in the coming years. is further enhanced by how quickly they can with downtime and machine replacement.
As a result, American companies may need to perform a task compared to a typical worker. This
begin adjusting their strategies accordingly. offsets much of the upfront investment a firm will
need to make to purchase the technology needed
for these tasks.

64 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol33 Issue 34 2021