Shell has signed a deal with Hiber, a company specialising in remote monitoring through internet-of-things (IoT) technology, to provide solutions for monitoring its wellheads.
While Shell is in the process of transitioning to become a broad-based energy company, oil production is likely to continue for some years to produce oil for fuels and industrial products like hydraulic oil, so it is important to cut the associated emissions wherever possible. Under the deal, Shell subsidiaries and other entities will have access to the HiberHilo platform, which uses satellite technology for remote monitoring.
By getting real-time data about unconnected wells, such as pressure and temperature, operators can make informed decisions about when in-person interventions are required, thus saving engineers from making unnecessary visits to offshore and remote locations – not to mention the emissions that such visits entail.
Shell has already tested the system in its North Sea operations, and Shell’s leading authority on well integrity, Ian Taylor, said that this had shown clear opportunities, and the company may now apply it further in operations in Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
In a statement, the Chief Strategy Officer at Hiber, Coen Jansen, said about the deal:
“HiberHilo is a simple solution to help oil and gas companies improve safety, optimize operations, and reduce their environmental footprint. We’re thrilled to be working with Shell toward a technologically cleaner future.”
Hiber was founded in the Netherlands in 2016 to provide end-to-end IoT systems. In addition to monitoring wellheads, its systems can also help provide real-time monitoring data for industrial heavy equipment.
