ANYmal X - Transforming Inspection in Oil & Gas and Chemicals

ANYbotics, the Swiss robotics company, introduced ANYmal X, the world's first Ex-proof legged robot. ANYmal X now makes it possible for the Oil & Gas and Chemical industries to automate routine inspections, thereby increasing safety and operational effectiveness. ANYmal X extends the leading mobility, autonomy, and inspection intelligence of ANYbotics' robotic inspection solution. Specifically designed and certified for safe usage in hazardous and potentially explosive environments, ANYmal X is an industry breakthrough.

ANYmal X Transforms Routine Oil & Gas and Chemical Inspections

Oil & Gas and Chemical operations are complex, and safety is paramount. Plant operators pay special attention to infrastructure where flammable and potentially explosive matter is processed. Ensuring availability and safety in these operationally intricate facilities requires frequent inspections and detailed monitoring. Often, inspections must be performed in or close to potentially hazardous environments, and therefore all on-site equipment must be Ex-certified as safe for use in potentially explosive atmospheres. This means that any equipment used in these areas must be guaranteed not to cause an explosion, even with high levels of combustible substances present.

ANYmal X, the recently launched Ex-certified, legged robotic inspection solution, is driving an inspection transformation. Operators in Oil & Gas and Chemicals can now include safe, autonomous, and highly mobile robots in their inspection and workforce planning.

“For a first time, ANYmal X closes an important technical gap, conducting automated inspections in very complex environments, with stairs and tight passages, and this in combination with Ex-zones, that’s a novelty!,” Peter Welter, Automation Manager, BASF.

For Oil & Gas and Chemicals, robot inspection solutions reduce HSE risks and OPEX, including the high cost of moving inspection specialists offshore. With autonomous robotic inspections, plant operators benefit from reductions in manual work, less hazardous environment exposure of people, no facility inspection shutdowns, less unplanned downtime, improved workflows, better data tagging, automatic reporting, and generating insights that enable swift operations adjustments.

Industry-Wide Impact towards Scaling Robotic Integrations

ANYmal X was unveiled together with PETRONAS at OTC Asia in Malaysia on March 22, 2022. At the event, PETRONAS and ANYbotics signed a commercial agreement to scale ANYmal X deployments to their upstream and downstream facilities and to promote the utilisation of ANYmal X across the industry up until 2025.

“Several partners are including ANYmal X in their inspection and workforce planning. We are thrilled about this industry-wide impact to improve the safety and efficiency of operations in Oil & Gas and Chemicals through our robotic solution,” Péter Fankhauser, CEO, ANYbotics.

Customers intend to deploy 300+ units during the next few years. Given the extensive, early interest in ANYmal X, ANYbotics is planning for additional deployments this year. Strategic Customers Lead the Way through the ANYmal X Early Adopters Program

To ensure the seamless introduction of inspection robots to their operations, ANYbotics developed an exclusive early adopters program for strategic customers. The program underpins the cross-functional embracing of robotics and prepares partner organisations for 2023 scaling. Central to the program are numerous ANYmal X trial deployments at customer facilities. The program includes workshops, operational safety training, security, and standard operating procedures, as well as priority access to 2023 ANYmal X production deliveries.

"Our offshore and onshore assets require Ex-certification in certain areas. Robots moving in these areas would therefore need to be certified. For this reason, we are taking part in the ANYmal X onboarding program,” Anders Røyrøy, Principal Researcher Automation, Equinor.

Global energy company PETRONAS has been spearheading the integration of autonomous, legged Ex-certified robots with the needs of the oil and gas industry by partnering with ANYbotics to co-develop ANYmal X since 2019. Additionally, several global operators have already signed up for the ANYmal X early adopters program , including Equinor, the Norwegian-based energy company, present in 30 countries, Petrobras, the Brazilian-based, global Oil & Gas producer operating 67 platforms, Woodside, the leading Australian-based natural gas producer, and Shell, the London-based global group of energy and petrochemical companies.

“As Petrobras offshore platforms are large and complex assets, we need detailed and up-to-date information to keep a proper maintenance plan. ANYmal X can be an autonomous plant surveyor, an on-demand inspector and an important tool to respond to safety incidents,” Gustavo Levin, R&D Manager, Petrobras.

Partners define ANYmal X’s mission tasks together with ANYbotics. Tasks include visual inspections and automated readouts of analog instruments such as gauges, liquid level, and lever positions, advanced thermography and vibration analysis of equipment, as well as 3d scanning of the infrastructure. In addition, ANYmal X is equipped with gas detection sensors to monitor the presence of Methane, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Sulfide, and several other gasses. ANYmal X integrates as an end-to-end solution through its software API with asset management software and digital twin platforms such as Cognite Data Fusion (watch demo) and Woodside Fuse for automated reporting.

ANYmal X — A Remarkable Engineering Achievement

Until now, Ex-certified robots were bulky, slow, and lacked the mobility required to navigate the complex, multi-level nature of industrial facilities. The ANYbotics team developed ANYmal X with identical performance, functionality, speed, and mobility to that of ANYmal (Gen. D), their leading non-Ex inspection robot. ANYmal X is powered by AI and approved according to the IECEx and ATEX certification standards for usage in Zone 1 explosive atmospheres. The challenge of packing all inspection capabilities and performance into an Ex-proof robot system was a serious undertaking and required ANYbotics to completely rethink how they develop robots.

“Having ANYmal X Ex-certified up to Zone 1 will really enable us to bring the robot very close to our process area, and that’s where you create value,” Iskandar Al-Thani Mahmood, Manager (Robotics), PETRONAS.

For safe usage in hazardous and potentially explosive environments, all systems need protection against any gas ignition. Robots work with motors, electronics, batteries, and in ANYmal X’s case, self-contained systems. Temperature control therefore requires complex thermal management. No suitable components exist yet, so ANYbotics developed the necessary high-performance components for their advanced thermal management system. In addition, the ANYmal X drivetrain needed multiple-redundancy protection. Such systems are not typically found in robots, so the team effectively re-engineered standard heavy machinery protocols to meet their weight, mobility, and Ex-requirements.

All optics and sensors are fully functional and simultaneously, totally protected, impact-resistant, and highly ruggedised. This means ANYmal X can inspect and navigate autonomously in Ex-conditions. Furthermore, their latest next-generation controller makes operating ANYmal X easy and intuitive. The control software is tablet agnostic, which means that operators can use their existing industrial Ex-rated tablets.

“Integrating autonomous robots into Oil & Gas and Chemical workforces is now not only possible, but effortless,” Mario Mauerer, CTO Hardware, ANYbotics.

Learn about Automating Routine Inspections in the Oil & Gas and Chemicals Industries

To support significant early interest in ANYmal X, ANYbotics is hosting a dedicated webinar for the Oil & Gas and Chemicals industries in April. The webinar will cover current technologies, the impact of automating routine inspections in the Oil & Gas and Chemicals industries and deploying ANYmal X in potentially explosive environments. In addition, ANYbotics will lead an interactive discussion with early adopters and leading Oil & Gas and Chemicals operators regarding their automated robotic inspection experiences and insights.

The webinar is titled “Robotic Inspection in the Oil & Gas and Chemicals Industries” and registration information is available online at www.anybotics.com/webinar-sign-up-robotic-inspection-in-oil-gas-and-chemicals-industries/

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