Asset Maintenance in the Oil & Gas Sector

The oil and gas sector holds a central place in Brazil’s economic landscape. It supplies almost half of the country’s domestic energy demand, accounting for 10% of its industrial GDP. Globally, Brazil ranks as the 9th largest oil producer, with an estimated 3.9 million barrels per day.  

Given such a complex and strategic sector, it’s crucial to understand the specificities and challenges of asset maintenance within this context. In the following text, you’ll get an overview of the main challenges in continuous asset monitoring within the oil and gas industries. 

What Challenges Does the Oil & Gas Sector Impose on Maintenance?

The oil and gas industry has specific characteristics that complicate continuous asset monitoring. Beyond the logistical issues that require strategic planning, industries in this sector operate in environments that pose risks, such as classified areas where there’s a possibility of an explosive atmosphere forming. This means an atmosphere where flammable vapors or gases are mixed with air under atmospheric conditions, allowing for self-sustained flame propagation if ignition occurs. Therefore, all equipment and tools installed there must receive Ex certification. 

What is Ex Certification and Why is it So Important in the Oil & Gas Sector?

Ex certification indicates that equipment is suitable for use in classified areas. It’s recognized by Inmetro (Brazil’s National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology) and assigned to certify that a specific piece of equipment wouldn’t cause ignition, making it safe for installation in an explosion-risk zone. Furthermore, every product certified for use in classified areas must be identified on its indelible label with the marking referring to its applicability.

Classification Zones

There are classification zones where equipment can be installed. That is, plant classification is divided into Zone 0, 1, and 2 for gases, and 20, 21, and 22 for dusts.

22 and 2: Areas where the presence of an explosive mixture is unlikely to occur, or if it does, it’s for short periods or associated with abnormal equipment operation.

20 and 0: Areas with a continuous or prolonged presence of an explosive mixture.

21 and 1: Locations with a probability of an explosive mixture forming under normal equipment operating conditions.

Asset Management in the Oil & Gas Sector

Finally, another challenge is asset management itself, which is impacted by the points mentioned previously. The issues of logistics, exposure to harsh weather conditions, and the scarcity of specialized technicians make maintenance a highly complex process. Maintenance is not only technically demanding but also critical due to the high value of the assets involved. Unplanned downtime or accidents can result in significant financial losses.

Dynamox Solution for Asset Monitoring in the Oil & Gas Sector

Dynamox offers a complete monitoring solution for collecting vibration and temperature data to monitor asset health throughout the production chain, thereby enabling failure anticipation and preventing process interruptions. This technology includes both hardware and software: wireless sensors, gateways, a web platform, and a mobile app, all integrated with data processing and analysis tools.

Wireless Vibration and Temperature Sensors

The Dynamox Solution comprises wireless vibration and temperature sensors. These devices continuously and automatically collect asset condition data. Furthermore, the sensors have IP66 / IP68 / IP69 and Ex certifications, with the latter making them suitable for use in classified areas

Automated Data Collection Gateway

To collect data from these sensors, the automated collection device (DynaGateway) is used, connected via Ethernet or Wi-Fi. It enables communication with the sensors, thus sending the collected information directly for analysis on the Dynamox Web Platform. There is no limit to the number of sensors per Gateway; a single device can collect data from dozens or hundreds of sensors simultaneously. Additionally, the Solution also includes an Ex Gateway for classified areas. 

Web Platform for Analysis and Diagnosis

The Dynamox Web Platform is the central hub of the ecosystem, offering a wide range of tools for analyzing and forecasting asset conditions. It enables maintenance teams to take predictive and preventive actions based on real-time data.  

Automated Detection Module – DynaDetect

The automated fault detection module, DynaDetect, brings greater ease and agility to the daily routine of the maintenance team, aiding in decision-making and optimizing work with the help of artificial intelligence.

DynaDetect identifies various types of faults, providing detailed information on how they were detected and which ones are being monitored. It also generates semi-automated reports with diagnostic information, providing greater agility in analysts’ routines.

Inspection Routes Module – DynaSens

With DynaSens, the inspection routes module, you can standardize asset inspections, configure checklists according to your industry’s needs, execute routes via the application, attach asset information in the form of photos, audio, and videos, and track all indicators, from team performance to asset condition data. This allows for reliable and traceable route records, asset data management, and optimized inspector time.  

Visual Management Dashboard – DynaNeo

With DynaNeo, the visual management dashboard, you can create panels with the most relevant flows by asset type. Visualize in real-time the main indicators of your production process and which asset requires your immediate attention. Furthermore, access asset health data clearly and centrally, speeding up decision-making. This way, you can drastically reduce the time for identifying and resolving failures throughout the entire production chain.

Free eBook: Maintenance Challenges for the Oil & Gas Sector

Considering the relevance of this sector to national industry, Dynamox has prepared an exclusive eBook! Read it to get an updated overview of oil and gas production and analyze the challenges of asset maintenance in this industry.

This content covers general topics about the oil and gas sector, such as market data, updates on the sector in the context of energy transition and the decarbonization process.

It also provides more information about maintenance in the oil and gas sector, discussing the types of assets considered critical for the sector, their main failure modes, and efficient solutions for monitoring the equipment involved throughout the entire production chain.

After reading, you’ll certainly be prepared to deal with the challenges of maintenance in the oil and gas sector and learn how to increase machinery reliability and availability.

Download now and learn more about the sector’s assets, their most common failure modes, and how to detect them efficiently:

Download for free (This eBook is now available in Portuguese. Don’t worry! We’re working on it to bring more available languages for you)

Enjoy your reading!

Did you like our material? Read more about the maintenance sector by visiting our blog or clarify your doubts by speaking with one of our experts.