New capabilities to overcome space constraints needed for training within oil and gas companies with a large number of employees.
CNPC Richfit, one of the fastest growing and largest information support team of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), has deployed Microsoft HoloLens to transform training programs for technicians and frontline employees.
The integration of Microsoft HoloLens together with Azure Kinect DK will provide CNPC Richfit the capabilities to overcome space constraints needed for training within oil and gas companies with a large number of employees.
From research to production, nearly 90 per cent of operations in the oil and gas industry consist of physical work, requiring skilled technicians and frontline employees. CNPC Richfit will use HoloLens to construct and display 3D models, achieving a highly integrated display of virtual information and on-site scenarios for trainings conducted in mixed reality. The use of HoloLens will provide users virtual access to historical data of entire production environments, visual displays of gas reservoirs, wellbores, buried pipeline models, to ensure technicians can fully grasp the specific conditions of the allocated sites. This is critical in helping the workforce familiarize themselves with production equipment structure, process flow, and equipment operations of production sites at faster speeds.
“Unlike VR glasses, Microsoft HoloLens brings us a refreshing mixed reality experience. It breaks through the conventional human-computer interaction model and is not restricted by the environment. Its powerful SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) function makes the combination of the virtual and physical worlds more feasible, enabling us to substantially improve our training and research. As part of the first batch of companies to apply Microsoft HoloLens, CNPC Richfit has now upgraded to Microsoft HoloLens 2,” said Sun Shisheng, head of CNPC Richfit’s Engineering Technology Internet of Things Laboratory.
HoloLens also provides users the ability to utilize gesture recognition to engage in virtual ‘dismantling’ of 3D equipment and gain visibility of an equipment’s internal components. The technology can help technicians undergo training on an equipment’s technological processes and structural principles through 3D animation, text, audio explanations, and video.
Beyond training, Microsoft HoloLens unlocks further value for CNPC Richfit by helping the organization capture opportunities in engineering, geology, and reservoir research. It can interactively display oil wells, surface geographic information system (GIS) data and underground geologic data, as well as track design through a series of interactive modes like gesture recognition, voice commands, and eye tracking.
Within the industry, PetroChina Southwest Oil and Gasfield Company has also applied HoloLens technology. In doing so, it has increased the productivity of two businesses – training and well deployment research – as well as delivered two projects. Another four projects are expected to use HoloLens in the future.
Empowering energy enterprises to digitally transform
Microsoft HoloLens has been broadly recognised and supported by customers, partners, and developers across industries, powering many innovative business models, industry applications and solutions. Through its cooperation with CNPC Richfit, Microsoft and HoloLens have fully demonstrated its world-leading capabilities in transforming industries, by showcasing its potential for training, research, and more within the oil and gas sector.
As Microsoft seeks to expand its cooperation with CNPC Richfit, HoloLens will be leveraged to enable customers to digitally transform with ever-evolving technologies and product experiences. Driven by the mission to position itself as a leader in the oil and gas industry amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, CNPC Richfit looks to continue partnering with Microsoft in areas such as intelligent cloud, AI, quantum computing, and intelligent solutions.
CNPC Richfit offers solutions that span the entire industry chain, covering oil and gas fields, crude oil refining, pipelines, sales, trade, and finance. It also provides enterprises with professional information technology services such as planning and consultation, development, implementation, operations, and maintenance. As innovation powers digital transformation within the oil and gas industry, CNPC Richfit continuously explores the application of cutting-edge technologies in real-world production scenarios, empowering more enterprises with innovative vertical solutions and business development opportunities.
