Our world has become incredibly connected and that is affecting many industries and the way they share information. The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a pivotal role in this as the devices involved gather important data and provide actionable information faster than ever before.
Oil and gas is one of the many industries that is turning towards cloud-based software solutions and IoT remote devices to gain a competitive advantage. As a result, IoT unlocks new career opportunities for software engineers to play an active part in oil and gas projects around the world.
“It is essential for engineers to be able to predict future hydrocarbon reservoir behaviors with accuracy and provide solutions that are cost-efficient and practical,” Huw Rothwell, managing director – North America, Petroplan, said. “Being able to identify these key messages and act accordingly will not only save project costs but also reduce the potential danger.”
To do so they need to understand and carefully analyze complicated information. In the oil and gas industry, a vast amount of data is being communicated every minute like pump or drilling performance, machine-to-machine connectivity, and well pressure or flow status. Therefore, keeping on top of the information may be a challenge.
Productivity
As the search for reserves continues to push the boundaries it faces increased challenges in deep-water operations. In this complex environment that needs be monitored 24/7, sensors are installed to keep track of the assets’ health. “This can only mean one thing: engineers now have access to a huge amount of data which they need to analyze and monitor,” Rothwell said.
IoT has not only enhanced productivity but also safety as it minimizes the risk of employees getting injured. Sensors monitor and report any toxic gasses, pressure, temperature and flow through text messages that are sent to the workers. “Software engineers can also program mobile devices to send ‘help’ messages in the case of a problem,” Rothwell continued.
“Additionally, spills can now be quantified by monitoring. The analytics, as well as the images taken from the monitors, can specify when the spill happened and identify the loss. It is essential to review the efficiency of the work on a rig but also be able to audit any issues before they become dangerous.”
The need for talent
There is a growing need for talent that has the knowledge and expertise of working with or programming these IoT devices. “As a leading oil, gas and energy recruitment company, we notice that more and more businesses are searching for specialists who can operate software systems and make sure that the system is always running,” Rothwell said.
“In addition, they are looking for operators who are able to properly examine data in such way that it produces beneficial and actionable information. Engineers should be capable of assimilating data that may come in different formats, units, and even sizes.”
As a software engineer, some of your main duties include managing operating equipment and data solutions for offshore rigs and managing, reporting and analyzing data in real-time. Finally, it is essential to be able to work with platform architects on software and system optimizations, with an emphasis on improving IoT functionality.
IoT devices can gather data of the oilfield and analyze what affects operational performance. Because of these innovations, projects are now more functional, efficient and secure. IoT has opened many career possibilities all over the world as more and more companies are seeking candidates who are familiar with the various software programs and languages.
“A Houston-based provider of oilfield specialist equipment and software has recently contacted us as they were looking to extend their team,” Rothwell said. “More specifically, they needed developers who could support their drilling logging and monitoring software. As the business operates equipment and data solutions for offshore rigs, managing, reporting and analyzing data in real-time is essential.
“This meant looking to hire a team of AWS cloud developers and architects with experience running projects utilizing AWS Cloud. Ideally, the candidates will also be familiar with the oil and gas industry. Teams are very significant in the oil and gas industry, their commitment drives not only safety in the field but the collective response to what are often very big challenges.”
It is critical to be able to monitor the efficiency of work on a rig and evaluate problems before they even affect the project. This immediate communication is now possible with the use of IoT devices. More and more businesses implement software that enables them to connect with their equipment or employees.
Therefore, there is a growing need for talent who has experience managing these devices and can control and understand the data received. There seems no doubt that IoT will continue to develop within the oil and gas industry and that expansion will be fueled by talented developers and software architects.
