Indian Institute of Technology Madras has collaborated with Oil and Natural Gas Cooperation Limited (ONGC) with an objective to enrich and enhance the operational life cycle of the existing platforms and to subsequently reduce its costs with the help of offshore survey requirements. As a part of the agreement, IIT Madras will develop an exclusive Database Management System and Structural Integrity Management System (SIMS) for all the 280-plus platforms of ONGC. The agreement was signed on 12th September 2018.
Prof. Ravindra Gettu from the ICSR - Industrial Consultancy and Sponsored Research wing of IIT Madras highlighted the importance of the collaboration and said that it has the potential to bring about significant results that will benefit the relationship between ONGC and IIT Madras in the long run as well. On the other hand, Mr. Dinesh Kumar who is the Head of IEOT - Institute of Engineering & Ocean Technology at ONGC said that the mutual cooperation between the two will also lead to better industry-academic collaborations and benefit the country at large.
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The project mentioned above will be handled by Dr. S. Nallayarusu from the Department of Ocean Engg at IIT Madras who has over 25 years of experience in the Oil and Gas industry with respect to teaching and research.
The project aims to maintain a structural stability and strength of the platforms for which it will take measures such as the underwater strengthening of members, removal of marine growth and many other activities including load shedding in some cases.
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Some of the objectives of the collaboration include:
- Develop a technology-based tool to monitor, assess, inspect and maintain the structural integrity of the existing platforms.
- Fulfill operational as well as regulatory requirements to ensure prolonged and uninterrupted production of gas and oil.
- Develop location-based design criteria which will be specific to the ONGC operated platforms in that region.
- Develop codes and standards for the offshore platforms in India
It is interesting to note that this SIMS software is being developed on the similar lines of GoI's Make in India policy under the ONGC-PAN IIT program.