Digital engineering pioneer Akselos has inked by a three-year deal with Shell for use of structural digital twin technology across the energy giant’s oil & gas and wind portfolios.
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The so-called ‘enterprise framework agreement’ (EFA) anoints Akselos as one of Shell’s verified suppliers for structural integrity assessments, forming part of the Anglo-Dutch company’s newly formed digital twin platform.
“I’m very pleased to see our joint efforts result in the deployment of Akselos’ structural digital twin on multiple of Shell’s assets, including the Bonga FPSO [floating production and storage vessel] off Nigeria,” said Yuri Sebregts, Shell’s chief technology officer. “This newly-signed agreement is a testament of the strength of our partnership."
Akselos CEO Thomas Leurent called the EFA “an important milestone with [its] of our most valued partners”.
“We have deployed our structural digital twins on both a fixed and floating asset in Shell’s portfolio with excellent results, and this agreement will allow us to support other parts of the business celebrate the same success.
He added: “Shell’s vision and commitment to innovation has always impressed us and we look forward to working with the team and other partners to fully digitise their operations.”
Digital twins are physics-based models of assets that are double for the “entire physical counterpart in absolute detail and accuracy” and can be updated with loading conditions and inspection data on a regular basis so that structural assessments based on the near real-time condition can be made “from anywhere and at any time”.
Shell has broken into the offshore wind market in recent years with major offshore wind projects off the US and Europe and among the frontrunning oil companies pursuing an energy transition strategy, with a plan to become carbon neutral by 2050 and promising more spending on renewables.
The energy giant has also begun supplying Microsoft with renewables-sourced power to help the IT giant reach its 2025 100% clean-energy targets as part of a far-reaching “strategic alliance”, t
Akselos has taken a leading role in introducing digital twinning to the offshore wind industry via projects including the US floating wind Digifloat project.
