With a view to having robots perform plant inspections and maintenance in the future, Cosmo Oil and Yokogawa are conducting a proof-of concept test using a quadruped walking robot at Cosmo Oil's Yokkaichi Refinery. In addition to conducting a performance assessment of the quadruped robot in a temporarily closed plant facility at the same oil refinery, the two parties are identifying challenges for on-site application and selecting points that need to be verified in preparation for on-site use of the robot. Going forward, the companies will accelerate digitalisation at refineries through the realisation of robot-driven inspection and maintenance, and other such initiatives.
Additionally, as part of these refinery digitalisation efforts, workshops on the use of digital tools have been held at the Chiba Refinery from November to improve the sophistication and efficiency of refinery operations.
In the future, the companies will explore the potential introduction of robotics (robots and drones) and use of digital tools, and will work toward the realisation of 'refineries where humans, robots, and AI can work together' at Cosmo Oil’s Chiba, Yokkaichi, and Sakai, Japan, refineries.