Energy giant Royal Dutch Shell will start a four-year pilot project to digitalise its Pulau Bukom refining complex.
Its advanced manufacturing site technology, called Digital Twin, is expected to boost productivity, reliability and safety.
When fully implemented in 2024, the technology will generate a complete virtual twin of the physical elements on the oil and petrochemical manufacturing site.
Digital Twin will allow operators to dynamically respond to changes in conditions in facilities on the site, the company said yesterday.
It noted that Pulau Bukom was picked for the initiative as it has a strong track record in piloting path-breaking digitisation projects and a long history here.
Shell employs 1,300 people at the 59-year-old site - the company's Asia-Pacific hub for integrated fuels and petrochemicals and home to Singapore's first refinery.
While the new technology will improve productivity and efficiency, a Shell spokesman said "there is currently no plan to review our manpower needs as a result of the Digital Twin".
The company said the digitalisation of Pulau Bukom is aligned with the Singapore Government's focus on Industry 4.0, which will see automation powered by data to perform everyday tasks.
"We are committed to making our Singapore sites on Bukom and Jurong Island globally competitive by combining human capabilities with advanced digitalisation technologies, to truly transform the ways we work," said Mr Hugues Bourgogne, Shell's vice-president of manufacturing for Singapore/Philippines and general manager of the Pulau Bukom manufacturing site.
The power of the Digital Twin technology lies in its visual, data and analytics capabilities.
DIGITAL TWIN
- Complete virtual representation of the physical elements of Shell's Pulau Bukom manufacturing site.
- Able to respond dynamically to conditions based on data from more than 20 technology platforms.
- Live information of plant operations can be provided to engineers via augmented reality and virtual reality, reducing the need to enter the facility.
- All critical field operations at the site will be performed through tablets (above) by 2025.
Live information of plant operations can be provided to engineers via augmented reality and virtual reality, reducing the need to enter the facility.
All critical field operations at the Pulau Bukom site will be performed through tablets by 2025, Shell said.
It noted that since late last year, about 140 employees from various teams at the Pulau Bukom site have participated in hackathons and digital boot camps to bolster digital capabilities at the site.
All employees, including management, engineers and technicians, will be trained to operate the technology over the next two years.
Shell is committed to investing more than 6,000 training hours annually from next year to push its digital initiative here.
The Pulau Bukom site can process up to 500,000 barrels of oil a day, making it Shell's largest petrochemical production and export centre in the Asia-Pacific region.
Shell has already implemented digitalisation solutions such as drones, 3D printing and augmented reality at manufacturing plants here, including Shell Jurong Island.
Digitalisation has also changed the way construction work is done. Staff can use 4D-and 5D-based construction planning to accurately predict constraints and monitor developments, resulting in time and manpower savings.
Mr Damian Chan, executive vice-president at the Economic Development Board, said: "We are encouraged that Shell has taken this bold step of piloting the Digital Twin solution in Singapore, setting a strong example of how the energy and chemicals sector can adopt technology to move towards Industry 4.0 standards."
He said Shell's investment in digital processes, technologies and training will help advance Singapore's push for digital transformation.
© 2020 Singapore Press Holdings
This article was written by Ovais Subhani from The Straits Times and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
