The importance of predictive maintenance has increased in the oil and gas industry against the backdrop of ageing infrastructure and fluctuating crude pricing. A drop in crude oil prices, even a short-term one, may cause onshore oil production to slow, subsequently affecting the capital budget for onshore facilities. This presents many operational challenges and maintenance activities often get overlooked due to the costly and labour-intensive methods of maintaining assets in remote or unmanned areas. Successful maintenance programs not only increase overall production rates, but also help avoid downtime and increase oilfield profitability.
In the past, maintenance would usually occur after an incident had happened in an oilfield, disrupting operations and leading to increased equipment damage. Many fracking well sites are now adopting predictive maintenance technologies to avoid serious issues prior to failure. With real-time asset visibility, and by centrally monitoring the status of equipment at remote well sites, oil and gas operators have the data they need to eliminate inaccuracies and ensure greater critical asset utilisation, resulting in maximised productivity.
Downtime is most costly to the oil industry when it’s unexpected, and 92% of shutdowns are unplanned. These unplanned shutdowns cost oil and gas companies an average of $42 million a year, and by transitioning to data-driven oil and gas maintenance schedules, operators could expect up to 36% less unplanned downtime, and an average $17 million improvement in the bottom line.
Tan Delta’s Full Spectrum Holistic (FSHTM) oil condition monitoring systems are suitable for deployment across a range of oilfield assets, from gearboxes on large pumpjacks, to hydraulic systems and engines on mobile fracking rigs. Monitoring the real-time oil condition of these critical assets means operators are immediately alerted to any imminent equipment failure. This allows maintenance to be scheduled at the optimum time, minimising well-site downtime, preserving equipment integrity and reducing overall operating costs.