Shape Reef AI to be Deployed in Brazil to Enhance Offshore Oil Safety

"We are going to develop and test new methods for managing safety barriers on offshore units, making the tool even more robust," said Felipe Baldissera, CEO, Shape Digital. Image courtesy Shape Digital

Shape Digital, Shell Brasil, MODEC Brasil and Unicamp signed a partnership to develop new methodologies for monitoring operational risks using artificial intelligence. The solution will be based on Shape Reef, a tool for operational process safety designed by Shape Digital. It will be enhanced to identify the degradation of safety barriers in offshore units - systems, procedures and equipment designed to prevent, control or mitigate operational risks. The aim is to provide real-time visualization, support decision-making and contribute to safer operations.

"We are going to develop and test new methods for managing safety barriers on offshore units, making the tool even more robust. This project is completely in line with our vision and strategy: to generate more and more intelligence based on data and AI, supporting decision-making towards operational excellence," explained the CEO of Shape Digital, Felipe Baldissera.

Over the course of the 36 months of the project, financed with funds from the ANP's RD&I clause, the partner companies will implement, test and improve risk estimation approaches using data-based techniques for two contexts: degradation of safety barriers and gas leak scenarios.

"Safety is a non-negotiable asset for Shell Brasil. Investing in technology and innovation to improve risk management in offshore units is a central part of our operational excellence strategy. Partnerships like this allow us to anticipate failures, reduce uncertainties and increase the protection of people and the environment. This is how we move forward responsibly and ensure increasingly safe operations," says Olivier Wambersie, Director of Technology and Innovation at Shell Brasil.

MODEC Brasil will provide operational expertise from its FPSOs in Brazil to support the development of the tool.

"The initiative reinforces MODEC's commitment to continuous innovation and the adoption of technologies that strengthen people's safety and the operational excellence of offshore units. That's why we're committed to sharing our expertise, providing relevant technical data and all the intellectual capital needed to drive solutions that contribute to safer and more efficient operations," says Leonardo Santoro, MODEC Brasil's Technical Management Manager.

The technology under development originated from a previous project carried out at the State University of Campinas (Unicamp), under the coordination of Professor Sávio Viana. In the first stage, two computer programs were created and registered, which gave rise to innovative products: the Fuzzy BowTie and the Artificial Neural Network for Leak Detection. Now, in Phase II, again under the coordination of Prof. Sávio Vianna, from Unicamp, the project will combine computational fluid dynamics data and real field data to investigate and apply new artificial intelligence models, raising the level of technological maturity of the solution.

With these new technologies validated, Shape Reef, which already operates in offshore units in Brazil, Mexico and Africa, will have its capacity to identify and support risk mitigation increased in coverage and precision.