GS Caltex leans on AI, robots to boost safety, efficiency at Yeosu oil refinery 

From tube cleaning robots to AI security cameras, GS Caltex said Thursday it has completed its first-half major maintenance work — critical for safe refinery operations — of its plant in Yeosu, South Jeolla, using advanced AI solutions. 

The refiner carried out a turnaround — a large-scale periodic overhaul in which refinery and petrochemical plant operations are shut down for extensive maintenance and upgrades, such as replacing aging parts and consumables — across a total of nine process units at the plant over a two-month period from May, spending 200 billion won ($135 million) and mobilizing an average of about 3,000 workers per day.

Specifically, a range of digital and AI solutions were applied including MOVision, an app that can pinpoint the location of each motor-operated valves (MOVs), automated valves that use an electric motor to open, close or regulate fluid flow in a pipeline. 

The refinery has a vast number of MOVs distributed all throughout the facility, making them time-consuming to locate. The app offers detailed information through 3D models that enables inspection to be expedited significantly.

A tube cleaning robot has been introduced as well, which precisely manages even hard-to-reach cleaning blind spots. By removing dust and other debris that could interfere with heat transfer, the robot is expected to improve thermal efficiency and reduce fuel consumption by cutting down on inefficient cleaning.

GS Caltex also developed an AI security camera capable of identifying multiple hazardous situations and detect various risk factors in real time, including whether workers are wearing personal protective equipment and safety hooks — used to prevent falls from heights — and whether a worker is approaching potentially dangerous machinery.

BY SARAH CHEA   [[email protected]]