Digital Twins Are About to Transform Oil and Gas—Here’s Who’s Winning the Race

Digital twins allow operators to proactively manage the situation rather than sitting back while issues emerge in the field.

EXPERT OPINION BY ANIS UZZAMAN, GENERAL PARTNER AND CEO, PEGASUS TECH VENTURES @ANIS_UZZAMAN

Oil and gas producers manage sprawling, complex operations. Assets are spread across basins, states, and continents. If we take a closer look, hundreds of components are present at each site – any of which may lead to increased downtime. If the operator has corrosion on Pump B19, lead on Valve 26, or risk of a potential outage in a catalytic cracking unit may amplify into a shutdown of the full plant. 

This is where digital twins become critical to oil and gas producers.

The digital twin acts as a living replica of a physical system or asset. While a static 3D model could be used, using digital twins is superior. Digital twins are updated regularly with real-time data from IoT sensors, operational logs, SCADA systems, and maintenance records. Producers can see not only what the equipment looks like, but also what outside factors are influencing it, how it is performing, and what risks might arise. 

Using this process, each pump, vale, and unit is mirrored virtually. By doing so, producers can proactively manage the situation rather than sitting back while issues emerge in the field. The digital twin recognizes abnormalities immediately and models the problem – which allows operators to fix problems before escalation occurs. 

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Oil and gas operators can achieve a big picture view of their infrastructure by scaling this capability from the component to plant level. This allows them to reduce unplanned outages, fine-tune performance, and ultimately optimize operations across an entire value chain – all leading to better results. 

Why Digital Twins Are Taking Off Now

Digital twins are not a new idea, but they’re unlocking utility with modern tech advancements. For example, IoT sensors across pipelines, pumps, and refineries offers more operational data than ever. Operators can combine these capabilities with the incredible performance of AI and cloud computing. By doing so, companies may be able to run real-time simulations on thousands of scenarios. 

The impact of digital twins is substantial, due to their capability of transforming raw data into smart business and technological decisions.

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