4 IR Center
Our 4IR Center (4IRC) is 2,500 square meters dedicated to innovation and exploring cutting-edge technology. Using a series of advanced technological solutions, 4IRC works to help the company enhance fuel efficiency, cut production costs, improve workplace safety, and reduce emissions.
The futuristic AI hub is ringed by a large concave screen that displays over 20 operational solutions, focused on developing advanced analytics and machine learning solutions. The UAV space demonstrates operational uses of air, ground, and underwater robots that support flare stack inspection, or methane gas detection.
The VR Zone is used to develop and train operators. Through augmented reality and virtual reality, they are able to get a live sense of the plant experience from a simulation booth.
Robotics
Aramco has developed a myriad of technologies used to improve the company’s efficiency and productivity. Developed at Aramco’s KAUST research center, our Shallow Water Inspection and Monitoring Robot (SWIM-R) performs underwater inspections, allowing inspections to be conducted remotely. This reduces the time and costs associated with underwater inspections.
The Saudi Aramco Inspection Robot (SAIR) conducts visual inspections, ultra-sonic thickness gauging, and gas sensing to conduct visual inspections, which reduces risk.
Finally, a new robotic dust cleaning technology developed by KAUST works to clean solar panels and reduce efficacy issues caused by dust accumulation.
EXPEC Advanced Research Center (EXPEC ARC)
EXPEC ARC's mission is to develop specialized upstream technologies to increase oil discovery and reservoir recovery from 50 percent to 70 percent in major producing fields, while adding value to operations and promoting sustainability.
One such technology developed at EXEPC ARC is Resbot™, nano-scale robots deployed with reservoir fluids to collect data such as pressure, temperature, and fluid type. The information can then be used to manage resources more effectively and lay the groundwork for improved recovery rates. The Resbot concept won the prestigious New Horizons Idea Award at the 2008 World Oil Awards.
Last year, EXPEC ARC’s capabilities were taken to the next level with a newly constructed state-of-the-art building in Dhahran. The new facility is custom-fit to help EXPEC ARC become the preeminent center for Upstream R&D, with more than 54,800 m2 of space to innovate, including 300 fit-for-purpose lab modules that provide the capacity to respond to the company’s Upstream challenges through the development of breakthrough solutions. The building’s innovative design incorporates a world-class research environment, with state-of-the-art facilities and unprecedented capabilities for agile R&D, including high bay, imaging, and core labs, to name but a few, that facilitate advanced experimentation from the atomic-scale all the way to field-scale within a safe testing environment.
Research & Development Center (R&DC)
R&DC conducts programs that target immediate, near-term, and long-range industry needs, from the desulfurization of crude oil to the management of carbon release.
R&DC also administers testing and deployment for leading-edge technologies that enhance operational reliability, efficiency, and safety.
