Frota 360 is a robot fleet management (RFM) framework designed to support autonomous inspection in oil and gas (O&G) facilities, where operators must coordinate heterogeneous robots under strict safety, connectivity, and cybersecurity constraints. Existing commercial solutions are typically cloud-centric, vendor-specific, or weakly integrated with mission planning and inspection workflows, while opensource frameworks such as Open robotics middleware framework (Open-RMF) primarily focus on traffic negotiation and basic task orchestration. This paper presents an on-premise, physically isolated architecture that extends Open-RMF with an O&G-oriented interoperability and supervision layer, enabling coordinated multi-robot inspection. As a work in progress, the proposed system introduces a vendor-agnostic abstraction for legacy and modern robots. We present an early iteration that extends RMF-Web with a supervisory dashboard tailored to the operational requirements of Petrobras, the leading O&G company in Brazil. The envisioned interface incorporates role-based access control via Keycloak, live streaming of camera and perception data, and 2D/3D visualization of robot states aligned with facility maps and computeraided design (CAD) models, supporting situational awareness and operator-in-the-loop supervision in industrial environments. The ongoing development of Frota 360 is motivated by an initial in-situ analysis at Petrobras facilities using ANYmal, Spot, and the Taurob Inspector under commercial fleet management systems to identify architectural and operational limitations. We validate the architecture through a phased methodology whose results follow a middleware comparison of Zenoh against data distribution service (DDS) implementations over the experimentalWi-Fi mesh; quantitative gains from large-scale CAD loading optimizations; laboratory monitoring-task trials with two real wheeled robots, including sim-to-real timing, that exercise dispatch, live supervision, and photo generation under an isolated stack; and physics-based Gazebo experiments of multi-robot inspection timing in an offshore digital twin. Together, these experiments de-risk the communication, environment-modeling, and coordination choices that advance Frota 360 toward a deployable on-premises RFM for O&G inspection.

The increasing deployment of industrial and service robots has created a significant demand for robotic Fleet Management Systems (FMS) to control these assets and deliver efficient and safe operations. This paper explores applications of FMS across various industrial sectors, including oil and gas, mining and agroindustry. Then, it describes expected functionalities of FMS, such as route planning, task allocation, simulation, realtime monitoring, integration with corporate systems, diagnosis, teleoperation, data analytics and devops tools. The discussion includes an analysis of current FMS software solutions, highlighting their features and industry-specific applications. The paper concludes that the continued evolution of FMS technology is critical for optimizing robotic operations and achieving strategic industrial goals, and the selection of a FMS solution should consider companies’ current fleet and expectations towards its adoption.

The objective of this paper is to present Petrobras’ learnings when evaluating the routine of a FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading) asset crew to identify scenarios for the application of robotics in day-to-day offshore activities. The method used for the studies presented in this paper consists of surveying archived data recordings in objective metric criteria, to evaluate the leverage of robotic assistance. A larger perspective analysis to one pre-salt typical FPSO reveals three main groups of key activities in terms of people on board: operator inspection/surveillance rounds, work at height, especially when scaffolding is required, and painting campaigns (surface preparation and application of the coating). Each of these three activity groups (operator round, work at height, painting) opened a set of robotics initiatives within Petrobras. For this paper, we delved into the analysis of recurrent operational tasks performed during a year of operations for five pre-salt FPSOs and which could be impacted and benefited by the application of ground robots. In order to illustrate the potential of the applications presented here in terms of values, the first attempt of analysis was carried out through the SAP™ input logs for one of these five FPSOs. The logs have shown checklists performed by the operators over a year, comprising 6,663 pieces of equipment, 16,148 checklist items, 497 different types of tasks, and 18,305 equivalent man-hours/year. This is equivalent to 5 seats on board, which can increase to 10 to 15 people, depending on the work shift adopted. It is worth mentioning that this number refers to one FPSO only and was just a preliminary analysis, from which the inspiration for more detailed studies was extracted, since the Company currently manages a fleet of 42 FPSOs. These numbers reveal a glimpse of the addressable market size of ground robots for routine offshore verification tasks. However, while consistency of inspection and uninterrupted availability are a premium associated with the use of robots, a qualitative analysis with continuous updates must be performed to confirm the feasibility of robotization given current and future capabilities of the robot. An initial analysis suggests that 30% to 50% of the theoretical equivalent hours per year could be freed up.

Summary Methane hydrates and paraffin plugs on flexible lines are concerns in offshore production. They may stop wells for months, causing high financial losses. Sometimes, operators use depressurization techniques for hydrate removal. Another strategy is using coiled tubing or a similar unit to perform local heating or solvent injection. However, frequently these strategies are not successful. In those cases, a rig may perform the operation, or the line may be lost. We developed a robotic system to perform controlled local heating and remove obstructions. The system developed can access the line from the production platform. It uses a self-locking system to exert high traction forces. An umbilical with neutral buoyancy and low friction coefficient allows significant friction reduction. It allows moving upward and in pipes with a large number of curves. Coiled tubing and similar units cannot do that. Carbon fiber vessels and compact circuits give the flexibility to move inside 4-in. flexible pipes. In addition, a novel theoretical model allows the cable traction calculation using an evolution of the Euler-Eytelwein equation. Experimental tests validated this model using curved pipes, both empty and filled with fluid, and using different loads. Experimental tests also confirmed the external layer traction resistance. Furthermore, the carbon fiber vessels were pressure tested, indicating a collapse resistance of 57 MPa (8,300 psi). Besides, exhaustive tests of the onboard electronics and the surface control system guarantee the communication reliability. In addition, a theoretical model allowed the design of the 25 kN (5.6 kip) traction system considering the self-locking system, the contact with the wall, and a diameter range. Four prototypes allowed us to compare hydraulic and electric drive systems, validate the self-locking mechanism up to its limit, analyze the hydraulic system for leg opening and translation, and prove the traction capacity. Finally, a theoretical model allowed the local heating system and the temperature to increase. The experimental validation of the system on a cooled environment demonstrated its ability to increase temperature. Further, it allowed the obstruction removal in a controlled manner, avoiding damage to the polymeric layer of the flexible line.

Abstract Two major concerns in offshore production are Methane Hydrates and Paraffin Plugs. They may stop wells for months, causing high financial losses. Sometimes, depressurization techniques allow hydrate removal. Another strategy is using coiled tubing or a similar unit to perform local heating or solvent injection. However, frequently these strategies are not successful. In those cases, a rig may be a suitable but expensive solution, or the line may be lost. The present project aimed to develop a robotic system capable of performing controlled local heating for removing Paraffin and Methane Hydrates. The robotic system accesses the line from the production platform. It uses a peristaltic self-locking traction system to exert high traction forces. An umbilical with quasi-neutral buoyancy and low friction coefficient reduces the cable traction. It also allows moving upwards and in pipes with a large number of curves, something that coiled tubing and similar units cannot. Carbon fiber vessels and compact circuits allowed downsizing it to move inside 4-inch flexible pipes. Initially, a theoretical model for the local heating system allowed the evaluation of this strategy. A prototype allowed testing the system in a cooled environment. This heating system removes the obstruction in a controlled manner, avoiding damages to the polymeric layer of the flexible line. Simultaneously, a modified Euler-Eytelwein equation allowed the development of a theoretical model for cable traction. Experimental tests validated this model. Those tests used straight and curved pipes, both empty and filled with fluid and using different loads. Also, the 20 kN (4.3 kip) traction system was modeled theoretically considering the self-locking system, the contact with the wall, and a diameter range. Prototypes allowed the comparison between electric and hydraulic systems. Those prototypes also validated the traction capacity. Besides, force transmission from the traction system to the umbilical occurs through an external aramid layer. A Universal Testing Machine validated the traction resistance of the external layer. Furthermore, carbon fiber vessels protect the electronic circuits from oil and external pressure. The power electronics designed can provide up to 4kW for the motors to operate the hydraulic system. The onboard computer runs with a real-time operational system and, together with a sensors network, is responsible for monitoring the pressures, temperatures, currents and tensions throughout the entire robot. The fail-safe design allows the robot to operate without risks of catastrophic accidents and guarantees that it can be pulled out at any time. A pressure vessel validated the collapse resistance, reaching more than 700 bar (10.000 psi). In addition, exhaustive integration tests validated the onboard electronics and the surface control system. Finally, factory tests validated the umbilical design.

Summary Well interventions, especially in offshore wells, are costly and usually very time-consuming to conduct. This is related mainly to the need for a rig or a similar unit to perform these operations. In this paper we propose the development of an autonomous robot for rigless well interventions. The robot will be inserted through the tree using a special tool. This proposal will result in significant cost reduction by eliminating the rig when performing light–workover operations in offshore locations. This reduces intervention time because a simpler unit might be used to deploy the robot. Examples of operations that could be performed by the robot are production logging, gas–lift valve replacement, sliding–sleeve opening and closing, and plug insertion or removal. To evaluate this proposal, a conceptual robot was designed. The feasibility of this conceptual robot was evaluated theoretically. After that, a simplified test robot was constructed to test critical aspects experimentally, in laboratories, and in a test well. The traction system, energy storage, and a positioning algorithm were evaluated. In this paper we will outline the intervention strategy proposed, perform a theoretical evaluation of this proposal on the basis of the conceptual robot, and present experimental results obtained with the simplified test robot.

DORIS is a mobile robot for remote supervision, diagnosis, and data acquisition on offshore facilities. The proposed system is composed of a rail-guided robot capable of carrying different sensors through the inspected area. This paper presents a general overview of the robot, and a description of the developed embedded electronics, power supply system and software architecture. The results with teleoperated navigation validate the concepts considered so far and rise several challenges for future works.

DORIS is a mobile robot for remote supervision, diagnosis, and data acquisition on offshore facilities. The proposed system is composed of a rail-guided robot capable of carrying different sensors through the inspected area. This paper presents a general overview of the robot, and a description of the developed embedded electronics, power supply system and software architecture. The results with teleoperated navigation validate the concepts considered so far and rise several challenges for future works.

This work presents a methodology for autonomous manipulation of valves using a dual-arm robot and the visual sensing provided by cameras mounted on the head and each robot arm. A novel image-based identification and pose estimation method is devised to determine the valve to be manipulated as well as to estimate its position and orientation with respect to the robot base. The valve pose is used in the positioning and alignment of the robot end effector enabling the manipulation task to be carried out autonomously. Experimental results, obtained with a BaxterTM robot performing valve turning tasks, illustrate the feasibility of the proposed methodology. The main objective of this work is to provide capabilities to develop new solutions and innovative technologies to deal with the challenge of manipulating valves autonomously in poorly structured and harsh environments

The Oil & Gas industry have been focusing on robots to accomplish several offshore activities as a way to diminish production costs, replace workers during hazardous operational procedures, enabling exploration in remote places and, in particular, deep-water regions. The project and validation of a robotic task on a virtual environment aids studies on how to introduce robots in these environments in an efficient way and, when compared to actual tests, significantly reduce costs and help to mitigate operational risks. In this context, we present SimVR-Robotics, a virtual reality tool to plan, simulate and evaluate the use of robots on offshore scenarios. SimVR-Robotics is capable to recreate realistic environments and to reproduce accurately physics with multiple robots. The user can create complex scenes from a model library and simulate them in real time or, if desired, use the graphic editor to create and configure its own robot. Several components are provided to view the simulation data, control the robots and objects in the scene, and assess the feasibility of the projected scenarios. In addition, the software offers, to advanced users, access to its internal API to control the various components of the scene. As the tool is based on the ROS (Robot Operating System), it is extremely easy to integrate with other external simulators. In this article, we discuss the SimVR-Robotics architecture, as well as its most important resources. To illustrate its benefits, present two real applications: a trajectory study of a robotic arm and planning an underwater operation using an ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle).

DORIS is a research project which endeavors to design and implement a mobile robot for remote supervision, diagnosis, and data acquisition on offshore facilities. The proposed system is composed of a railguided robot capable of carrying different sensors through the inspected area. This paper presents a general overview of the robot and a description of the developed mechanical designs and signal processing algorithms. Initial results validate the mechanical concepts considered so far and indicate that the signal processing algorithms are capable of detecting, in real time, multiple foreign objects and audio anomalies from a standard scenario. Keywords— Mobile robots; Field robotics; Security and safety of HMS. Resumo— DORIS é um projeto de pesquisa que se empenha em implementar um robô móvel para supervisão remota, diagnóstico, e aquisição de dados em instalações offshore. O sistema proposto é composto de um robô guiado por um trilho e capaz de levar diferentes sensores através do ambiente inspecionado. Esse artigo apresenta uma visão geral do robô e uma descrição do projeto mecânico e dos algoritmos de processamento de sinais desenvolvidos. Resultados iniciais validam os conceitos mecânicos considerados até então e indicam que os algoritmos de processamento de sinais são capazes de detectar, em tempo real, múltiplos objetos abandonados e anomalias de áudio nos sinais adquiridos em um cenário padrão. Palavras-chave— Robótica Móvel; Robótica de Campo.

Remote locations such as ultra-deep water reservoirs (400 m or deeper) have been increasing the production complexity and logistic costs for Oil & Gas industry. In such conditions, oil exploration feasibility depends on new technologies to optimize production efficiency. One possible solution to this challenge is to increase the degree of automation in production units. New design concepts consider the use of robotic devices in such scenarios. In this paper we present the use of virtual reality techniques in a robotics framework, SimUEP- Robotics (Robotics Simulator for Stationary Production Units), aimed to enable planning the offshore platform robotizing. SimUEP-Robotics has an integrated Virtual Reality Engine specially tailored to provide realistic visualization of large offshore scene models in an immersive environment. Through the use of those visualization tools it is possible, for example, to better understand the quality of the planned robot trajectory and propose new algorithms that can be further evaluated in the virtual environment. We argue that the validation process in an immersive virtual environment reduces risks and costs of real operation tests scenarios.

Safety and efficient operation are imperative factors to offshore production sites and a main concern to all Oil & Gas companies. A promising solution to improve both safety and efficiency is to increase the level of automation on the platforms by introducing intelligent robotic systems. Robots can execute a wide variety of tasks in offshore environments, including monitoring and inspection, diagnosis and maintenance, process production intervention, and cargo transport operations. In particular, considering the distance of offshore platforms from the Brazilian coast, such technology has great potential to increase safety by decreasing the number of onboard personnel, simplify logistics, and reduce operating costs of Brazilian facilities. The use of robots can also allow proactive integrity management and increase frequency and efficiency of platform inspection. DORIS is a research project which endeavors to design and implement a mobile robot for remote supervision, diagnosis, and data acquisition on offshore facilities. The proposed system is composed of a rail-guided mobile robot capable of carrying different sensors through the inspected environment. The robot can also analyze sensor data and identify anomalies, such as intruders, abandoned objects, smoke, fire, and liquid leakage. The system is able to read valves and make machinery diagnosis as well. To prove the viability of the proposed system, an initial prototype is developed using a Roomba robot with several onboard sensors and preliminary tests have been performed in a real environment similar to an offshore platform. The tests show that the robot is capable of indicating the presence or absence of objects in a video stream and mapping the local area with laser sensor data during motion. A second prototype has been built to test the DORIS mechanical design. This prototype is used to test concepts related to motion on a rail with straight, curved, horizontal, and vertical sections. Initial results support the proposed mechanical concept and its functionalities. Introduction During the last decade, several Oil & Gas companies, research groups, and academic communities have shown an increased interest in the use of robotic systems for operation of offshore facilities. Recent studies project a substantial decrease in the level of human operation and an increase in automation used on future offshore oil fields (Skourup and Pretlove, 2009). Today, robotic systems are used mainly for subsea tasks, such as mapping the seabed and performing inspection tasks on underwater equipment, risers, or pipelines using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) or Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Topside operations, on the other hand, have not yet adopted robotized automation as a solution to inspection and operation tasks. From (2010) points out the potential increase in efficiency and productivity with robot operators rather than humans, given that robots work 24 hours per day and 7 days per week, are less prone to errors, and are more reliable. Another highlighted point is the improvement Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) conditions, as robots can replace humans in tasks performed in unhealthy, hazardous, or confined areas. In the specific Brazilian case, the Oil & Gas industry is growing at a high pace, mainly due to the recent discoveries of big oil fields in the pre-salt layer off the Brazilian coast. These oil reservoirs are located farther than 300 km from the shore and at depths of 5000 to 7000 km. These factors, especially the large distances, motivate the development of an offshore production system with a high degree of automation based on advanced robotics systems.

Abstract High uptime of petroleum plants, simple logistics, and good Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) conditions are all key factors for a successful petroleum industry. These issues need particular attention when facing new challenges with, e.g., production in more remote areas, but are also highly relevant for many current petroleum installations. Automation and remote supervision and control are both important areas which can address these challenges. To this end, robots are already contributing subsea, but also have the potential to contribute with significant benefits within both the offshore topside and onshore petroleum industry. Such robot technology, often termed offshore robotics, is currently not commercially available and a large scale joint effort is required in order to realize its inherent potential. Offshore robotics has been a topic of research and development for quite some years and relevant concepts and demonstrators have been developed. However, there are still significant challenges that need to be met in order to take advantage of the opportunities that robots can provide and realize commercial solutions. In this paper, we describe some of the important challenges to be met for enabling this inherent potential. There are both technical and organizational challenges, where the latter include, e.g., building acceptance for new technologies and responsibility issues in connection with remote operations. We also elaborate on key opportunities represented by use cases for robotics within the petroleum industry. A focus is on inspection, maintenance and emergency handling operations. The state of the art on offshore robotics is presented including the activity within this field at Statoil and Petrobras. Successful solutions to the use cases can lead to improved HSE (e.g., fewer people in exposed areas), simpler logistics (e.g., less helicopter transportation), and increased uptime (e.g., through early fault detection and intervention).

The Oil & Gas industry has seen increasing costs of finding and extracting hydrocarbons, especially in remote locations, ultra-deep water reservoirs (400 m or deeper) or in hostile environments. Those new exploration frontiers have been increasing the production complexity and logistic costs. In such conditions, oil exploration feasibility depends on new technologies to optimize production efficiency. One possible solution to this challenge is to increase the degree of automation in production units. New design concepts also consider the use of robotic devices in such scenarios. In this paper we present a robotics framework, SimUEP-Robotics (Robotics Simulator for Stationary Production Units Unidades Estacionárias de Produção or UEPs, in Portuguese), aimed to enable planning the offshore platform robotizing using virtual reality techniques. The SimUEP-Robotics is based on ROS (Robot Operating System), a middleware for exchanging messages between different devices and processes that cooperate to accomplish a robotics task. SimUEP-Robotics is designed concerning the offshore requirements and is a flexible framework that allows the inclusion of new robots and devices in a virtual operation scenario. This capability enables the robotization and automation of offshore facilities that gradually evolve, starting from a complete virtual scenario towards a complete robotic system operating on a real platform, progressively including real devices. SimUEP-Robotics has an integrated Virtual Reality Engine (VR-Engine) specially tailored to provide realistic visualization of large offshore scene models in an immersive environment. The monitoring and management of remote operations of Stationary Production Units (SPU) is an activity that can also benefit by the usage of virtual reality scenarios due to the potential to reduce the complexity and difficulty in visualizing and validating simulations of operations performed by robots on a real SPU. The framework supports simultaneous simulation of multiple robots equipped with sensors and actuators like cameras, laser range finders and robotic manipulators. SimUEP-Robotics has also some specialized visualization tools like trajectory visualizer, ghostview robot animation, point-to-point measurement and a scenario editor that allows the user customize the target scenario accordingly. Through the use of those visualization tools it is possible, for example, to better understand the quality of the planned robot trajectory and propose new algorithms that can be further evaluated in the virtual environment. In conclusion, we argue that the validation process in an immersive virtual environment reduces risks and costs of real operation tests scenarios. SimUEP-Robotics has also an integrated Robotics-Simulator which is responsible for taking care of task planning and execution based on the information of the virtual scenario provided by the VR-Engine. To illustrate the effectiveness of the framework, different robotics applications were developed. One is an underwater application that calculates the whole dynamics of an operated ROV to simulate and test complex ROV operations in deep waters, like the connection of a flowline to a Christmas tree. The other one represents a topside offshore platform scenario where different virtual robots, derived from real mechanisms like Motoman DIA10, Puma 560, Seekur and others, operates. Results obtained on a pick and place task demonstrate the benefits of the proposed robotics framework for offshore applications.

This paper presents simulation and experimental results of a power converter within an experimental apparatus for high pressure discharge (HID) lamp evaluation, consisting essentially in a class D amplifier with transformer isolated output, for load power range in the hundreds of watts. Guidelines for the system are presented, as well as amplifier plant modeling and the proposition of a control system.

This work presents a case study on technology assessment for power quality devices. A system compatibility test protocol for power quality mitigation devices was developed in order to evaluate the functionality of three-phase voltage restoration devices. In order to case test this test protocol, a development platform with reduced power for DVR (Dynamic Voltage Restorer), the micro-DVR, was tested, and results were discussed based on voltage disturbances standards.

This paper deals with the design and analysis of a Dynamic Voltage Restorer output voltage control. Such control is based on a multiloop strategy, with an inner current PID regulator and an outer P+Resonant voltage controller. The inner regulator is applied on the output inductor current. It will be also demonstrated how the load current behavior may influence in the DVR output voltage, which justifies the need for the resonant controller. Additionally, it will be discussed the application of a modified algorithm for the identification of the DVR voltage references, which is based on a previously presented positive sequence detector. Since the studied three-phase DVR is assumed to be based on three identical H-bridge converters, all the analysis and design procedures were realized by means of single-phase equivalent circuits. The discussions and conclusions are supported by theoretical calculations, nonlinear simulations and some experimental results.