Siemens rolled out ‘Topsides 4.0’ at the recent SPE Offshore Europe event in Aberdeen, a ‘comprehensive digital lifecycle’ that is to ‘help offshore production transition to fully digital operations.’ Topsides 4.0 repurposes Siemens’ industrial plant digitalization smarts for the oil and gas industry. Judy Marks, CEO of the Siemens’ Dresser-Rand unit said, ‘Digitalization is not a passing trend, but rather a foundational value-add technology in oil and gas.’
Topsides 4.0 spans the conceptual and design phases of an offshore project, enabling digital project management and manufacturing, virtual testing and commissioning. On handover to the owner operator, Siemens delivers an ‘intelligent digital twin’ of the facility. The digital twin comprises a virtual replica of the plant, underpinned by secure communications and centered on the key modules of compression, power generation and automation.
Marks concluded, ‘To reap the benefits of digitalization, we must combine customers’ domain expertise with our knowledge of products, automation and data analytics. Getting companies to be comfortable sharing data in this secure but open ecosystem will be critical.’
Poster child for Topsides 4.0 is the digital performance analytics solution deployed on Aker BP’s Ivar Aasen project. This has cut the offshore headcount and optimized maintenance schedules. Following the Ivar Aasen success, Aker BP and Siemens have partnered to provide analytics across future Aker BP developments.
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