Our Sensor Technology Operates From The Crane Boom Tip

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Reduced costs, increased safety, improved efficiency and reduced environmental footprint for offshore & onshore lifting and logistics handling.

Optilift offers a range of products, technologies and solutions to improve safety, efficiency and logistics control related to offshore & onshore lifting and cargo handling.

At the heart of all the solutions lies Optilift’s robot vision technology, combined with innovative and effective algorithms and software for optimum control and non-contact measurement capabilities.

Motion Reporter

  • Measures the relative heave-movement.
  • Enables less waiting for weather.
  • Helps avoid lifting in unsafe conditions.
  • Does not require instrumentation of the supply vessels.
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Boom Tip Indicator

  • Shows where cargo will land
  • Helps crane operator avoid lifting with off-/sidelead angle.

Soft Lifting Assistant

  • Helps perform soft landing and lift-off.
  • Uses the actual heave movement to help timing of the lift.

People Detector

  • Detects people and dangerous situations.
  • Alerts crane operator.

Lifting Support

Lifting Support product gropu is a set of descision support modules that can assist crane operators to perform lifting operations in a safer and more efficient way.

Motion Reporter

Motion Reporter is a DNV GL-certified technology that measures the relative heave-movement between the supply vessel and the boom tip of the crane. These measurements can replace significant wave height that are used according to the traditional method. Using Motion Reporter, you will not only ensure less waiting for weather, but you can also avoid lifting in unsafe conditions.

How?

Analysing vessel arrivals in 2016 and 2017 shows that the movements reported by Motion Reporter was on average 65% lower than what was reported by the wave radar. On the contrary, a few times the wave radar reported lower movements than the actual heave movement that occurred on the vessel.

Cost Savings

  • Less waiting on weather
  • Reduced rental time for equipment
  • Avoid re-entries and damage to equipment

Deck Planner

  • Shows location of CCUs in real-time.
  • Plans and communicates lifting sequences to the crane.
  • Sends events to subscribers on CCU movements.
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Site Observer

  • Identifies and tracks CCU locations.
  • Builds and maintains 3D models of platform decks and vessel decks
  • Shares CCU events with customer logistics system.
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CCU Portal

  • Detects CCU's arriving and leaving at gates.
  • Takes pictures of the CCU's.
  • Creates a visual ID for further tracking.

Lift Reporter

  • Shows the lifting tasks planned with the Deck Planner.
  • Highlights which CCU to lift, and exactly where to place it.
  • Shows special procedures for dangerous goods.

Digital Logistics

Keep an overview of all cargo transits between onshore base, platforms, rigs and supply vessels. The Deck Planner allows easy overview of cargo and deck, and allows planning lift sequences with intuitive drag and drop interface in the web browser. The Crane monitor integrates with the Deck Planner, and shows the lifting sequences live on the screen. The sensor technology is automatically registering the location of the cargo on deck of the vessels and rigs. The location data can be integrated and automatically updated in the customer logistics system, and is shown in real-time in the Deck Planner. This will reduce the need for manual registrations and tagging of CCUs (Cargo Carrying Unit).

How?

The cargo is tracked using computer vision, utilising unique features for each container, such as size, marks and corrosion. Similar methods are used in other industries for facial recognition and fingerprint identification. The containers do not need visual codes or letters, and no electronic tags are required.

Cost Savings

  • CCU-location is updated automatically in real-time
  • Fewer internal lifts on platforms and rigs
  • Better planning and actual execution of plans
  • Better utilisation of loading decks
  • Immediate alerts when goods arrive or are late
  • Avoid searching of goods
  • Avoid wrongful returns of goods

Auto Landing

  • Times the landing based on real-time velocities and prediction.
  • Press and hold a button on the joystick to activate and execute.
  • Ensures soft landings without re-entry.

Auto Lift-Off

  • Times the lift-off based on real-time velocities and prediction.
  • Press and hold a button on the joystick to activate and execute.
  • Ensures soft lift-offs without re-entry.

Relative Heave Compensation

  • Automatically compensates for relative heave motion between crane and vessel.
  • Enables constant tension on wire-rope for empty hook and light-weight loads.

Anti-Pendulum

  • Ensures pendulum movement does not occur during lifting operations.
  • Actively compensates for pendulum movement if inflicted by external forces.

Anti-Collision for Cargo

  • Ensures that the hook and cargo does not hit structures on the vessel and platform.
  • Adapts automatically to structural changes on the platform.

Anti-Collision for People

  • Prevents hook or cargo from hitting people.
  • Ensures lifting does not occur over areas with people present.
  • Actively stops the crane before the cargo reaches people.

Anti-Collision for Boom

  • Detects static and moving objects in the lifting area
  • Stops the crane before the boom hits obstacles
  • Only the crane is instrumented

AutoHook Control

  • Automatic on- and off-hooking without deck crew on vessels and platforms.
  • Requires CCU's to be equipped with the AkerBP Autohook.

Cruise Control

  • Follows the supply vessel's horisontal movements during sea lifts.
  • Enables hands-free crane operations while waiting for the right moment to perform the lift.
  • Requires the Anti-Pendulum feature.

Assistance Systems

The Assistance Systems from Optilift provides features to assist and automatically control parts of crane operations. The features can be used for local control of lifting operations from the crane cabin, or in combination with remote control and autonomous lifting operations.

How?

The advanced sensor technology from Optilift is used to perceive its surroundings, detect objects, measure- and predict movement and motions to allow automation of certain crane operations. This allows smart and automated assistance systems for the crane operator.

Benefits

  • Soft and gentle lifting, reduces damage to equipment
  • Advanced anti-collision systems provide increased safety
  • Flattens out differences between crane operators
  • Enables remote controlled and autonomous lifting operations

The Assistance Systems are designed to be retrofitted to existing cranes, or integrated with new cranes, on fixed or floating installations. The functions can be demonstrated live at our scale crane, whereas technology qualification and certification for the Assistance Systems is in progress.

Remote Control Room

  • Enables remote operation of crane operations.
  • Real-time and low-latency video and audio from remote crane.
  • Provides "Assisted Autonomy" by planning lifting sequences using Deck Planner.

Live Support Centre

  • Automated reporting of technical issues.
  • Proactive trouble-shooting and repairs.
  • End user support and training.

Remote Control & Autonomy

The Remote Control & Autonomy product group offers features for autonomous and remote control of crane operations, where the control of the crane is located far away from the crane, e.g. onshore or on another rig.

Optilift can provide hardware- and software solutions for remote- and autonomous control of crane operations. This includes remote capture of video, audio and motion, transferred with minimum lag and with robust detection of connecitivity status. The smart crane with the autonomy & assistance functions will provide a safe and reliable remote operation even if network connections are interrupted or delayed.

The functions can be demonstrated live at our scale crane, whereas technology qualification and certification for the Remote Control & Autonomy functions is in progress.

Optilift published a magazine in 2019 describing our views on the possibilities and challenges introducing remote operations and autonomy in the oil and gas industry:

Horizon 2020

The mother company of Optilift; VOCA, was granted support by the European Commmission through the SME Instrument. The vision of the Optilift project was to upscale, pilot and commercialise our unique toolset. Digital Logistics became a spin-off from the Horison 2020-project, and the product groups Assistance Systems, Remote Control and Autonomy have been developed based on the core Optilift technology that was matured and developed during the EU-project.

Learn more

Risks related to lifting operations

Half of the significant events in the oil- and gas industry are related to material handling or crane- and lifting operations. 10 out of 16 fatal accidents between 1994 and 2017 were related to crane- and lifting operations (helicopter accidents not included).

Our equipment improves the safety

  • Reduce the number of lifts with improved planning using Deck Planner
  • Avoid lifting with a side- or off-lead angle using the Boom Tip Indicator
  • Avoid overloading the crane using Motion Reporter
  • Alert when cargo is on collission course with people using the People Detector
  • Avoid re-entry and damaged goods using the Safe Lift Assistant and Motion Reporter

CO2 emissions related to sea transport

The CO2 emissions from a single supply vessel equals emission from 3000 cars on a yearly basis. A supply vessel emits approximately 900 kg CO2 per hour.

Reduce CO2 emissions

  • Less waiting on weather using the Motion Reporter
  • Fewer vessel transport hours by optimized deck utilisation with Deck Planner
  • Reduced fuel consumption from optimised sailing routes

What Customers Are Saying

– The Optilift Motion Reporter technology has at least once saved our client Ithaca up to a full day rate in costs, as the technology has made it possible for us to continue to load supply-goods from supply vessels – when we probably would have shut down rig operations without the information from the Optilift Motion Reporter

Bjarte Fadnes, Rig Manager at Odfjell Drilling

Optilift has proven throughout 2017 to be a very useful tool. On several occasions, the significant wave height reported from the control room was significantly higher than what Optilift reported as the actual movement on the specific part of the vessel deck. This has made it possible to perform a lot of lifts that would not have been possible without Optilift.

Håvard Smørdal, Operations at Dolphin Drilling

– We had a lift of 57 tonnes where we saved 20 days because the lift could be performed with up to 2,5 meter waveheight, compared to traditional 1 meter. Statistics show that it is approximately 10 times more days when these operations can be performed when the limit on wave heights is extended from one to 2,5 meters. In this single example we reduced costs in the order of 600 000 NOK per day, or somewhat above 10 MNOK for the entire operation, says Hetland.

Svein Harald Hetland, Technical Authority Crane and Lifting, Aker BP

“I am operating several cranes on our platform – one of them is without Motion Reporter, and I feel “blinded” without the Boom Tip Indicator – it improves my day-to-day effectiveness during lifting”

Fixed Platform

“We managed to get the BOP on-board as scheduled – this would not have been possible if it was not for the Motion Reporter”

Semi-Submersible Drilling Rig

“This winter, with Optilift, was actually the first winter we did not have problems with getting our cargo on board”

Floating Production and Storage Unit (FPSO)

Autonomous Crane Control System

Development project in collaboration with Aker BP

Since late 2017, Aker BP and Optilift has collaborated on developing technology for remote controlled- and autonomous offshore crane operations. The development has been performed in stages, maturing the technology readiness level (TRL) where among other a scale crane has been built and used to test and demonstrate the technology.

During the first public demonstration in December 2019, Responsible Technology Lead at Aker BP, and owner of the autonomous crane project Stian Ødegaard, said the development of remote and autonomous cranes is a core part of the ongoing digital focus at the company.

– There are a lot of dangerous situations that can arise around the rough environment on deck, and by removing personnel from these zones we will significantly increase their safety. Autonomous operations will also create a more efficient workflow for us and the industry as a whole, he explained in December 2019.

The autonomous crane control system consists of elements developed by both Aker BP and Optilift, and is set up to be able to perform lifts of cargo without the need for human interaction. After successful demonstrations of the technology using a scale crane, next steps are to prepare for full-size crane testing and further maturation of the technology.

See video demonstration from the demo-day below.

Selected articles

All Articles

Optilift parent company set to develop next-generation crane, truck and drone autonomy

2020 priorities – A preview

Autonomous crane control system demonstrated at Aker BP Headquarters

Increase Safety — Reduce Costs