How OXY AI Agent Keeps Oil & Gas Refinery Operations Running Smoothly – Even During Off-Hours

Oil and gas refineries are among the most demanding environments in terms of maintenance. With complex equipment, high-value assets, and a nonstop production schedule, refineries require meticulous attention to detail to keep operations safe, efficient, and profitable. Monitoring and maintaining these critical assets can be challenging, especially during off-hours like weekends, night shifts, and holiday periods when issues may receive less immediate attention.

To address these challenges, a major oil and gas refinery introduced the OXY AI agent into its maintenance team as a real-time monitoring and response assistant for critical equipment. Designed to handle repetitive tasks and make data-driven decisions, the OXY AI agent has proven essential in supporting the maintenance workforce, especially during off-hours, and in managing vast data streams to monitor hard-to-watch assets.

Refinery Profile

• Industry: Oil and Gas Refining
• Operating Hours: 24/7, with an increase in unattended shifts during weekends, nights, and holiday months
• Maintenance Team: 25 human workers, including technicians, engineers, and maintenance planners
• Key Challenges: High-stakes breakdowns during off-hours, limited monitoring of critical assets, complex parts ordering, and dynamic PM schedule requirements

Challenge: Maintaining Critical Assets During Off-Hours

Refinery operations run round-the-clock, and the impact of any unplanned downtime can be enormous. The refinery’s maintenance team faced several unique challenges, particularly during off-hours:

• Breakdown Risks During Low-Attention Periods: The team operates at limited capacity during nights, weekends, and holidays, leading to delayed responses to unexpected maintenance issues.
• Hard-to-Monitor Equipment: Essential assets like pumps, pressure vessels, and heat exchangers are challenging to monitor consistently. Missing early warning signs in these assets can lead to significant disruptions.
• Complexity of Managing PM Schedules for Zero Breakdowns: Achieving zero breakdowns requires tailored preventive maintenance schedules, demanding data analysis that is challenging to conduct manually.

Solution: Deploying the OXY AI Agent as a 24/7 Digital Maintenance Supervisor

The refinery deployed the OXY AI agent as a digital maintenance assistant to monitor equipment around the clock, analyze breakdown conditions, and automatically coordinate responses, even during off-hours. OXY’s capabilities specifically addressed gaps that occur during unattended shifts, providing consistency in asset management for high-stakes operations.

Implementation

The OXY AI agent functioned as a “virtual maintenance supervisor” with critical functions:

• Real-Time Asset Monitoring and Alert System: OXY monitored high-priority equipment such as pumps, compressors, and pressure vessels continuously, detecting anomalies and alerting team members to potential issues.
• Automated Root Cause Analysis and Work Order Creation: When a breakdown risk was identified, OXY analyzed details, confirmed the issue, and generated a detailed work order with diagnostic insights.
• Efficient Team Coordination and Material Reservation: OXY assigned tasks based on team member skill sets and availability, with options to reserve materials or order parts if necessary.
• Dynamic PM Scheduling for Zero Breakdowns: OXY optimized PM schedules based on historical and real-time data to maintain assets in peak condition.

Results

Within six months, the OXY AI agent became an invaluable part of the refinery’s maintenance strategy, especially during off-hours:

• Zero Breakdown on Critical Assets: Dynamic PM scheduling based on continuous monitoring helped achieve zero breakdowns. For example, OXY adjusted PM frequency for a high-priority centrifugal pump based on detected wear patterns.
• Improved Responsiveness During Off-Hours: With 24/7 monitoring, response time for maintenance issues improved, as illustrated by OXY detecting and coordinating repairs for a heat exchanger on a Saturday night.
• Streamlined Maintenance Processes with Automatic Parts Ordering: OXY cross-checked inventory and proactively ordered parts when needed, reducing downtime due to part shortages by 50%.
• Efficient Task Assignment and Coordination: OXY’s ability to track team availability and assign tasks saved hours in manual coordination and minimized delays for high-priority maintenance tasks.
• Enhanced Data-Driven PM Services: By optimizing PM schedules, OXY reduced maintenance costs by 20% over six months, extending asset life while avoiding unnecessary repairs.

How OXY AI Agent Transformed the Refinery’s Maintenance Operations

OXY AI agent’s role extended beyond traditional automation to enhance asset management and real-time data handling:

• Consistent Off-Hours Coverage: OXY filled in coverage gaps during nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Automated Decision-Making and Coordination: From issue detection to task assignment, OXY streamlined complex workflows, reducing the need for manual intervention.
• Data-Driven Maintenance for Critical Assets: With real-time and historical data insights, OXY helped achieve zero breakdowns, setting a new standard for asset reliability.
• Improved Safety and Compliance: Continuous monitoring helped maintain a safer environment, essential for facilities handling high-pressure and hazardous materials.

Key Benefits Realized

• Zero Breakdowns on Critical Equipment: Dynamic PM scheduling and continuous monitoring achieved zero breakdowns on essential assets.
• Enhanced Efficiency During Off-Hours: Reduced response times ensured consistent coverage during nights, weekends, and holidays.
• Proactive Parts Management and Reduced Downtime: Automated parts requisition saved downtime and streamlined inventory management.
• Data-Driven PM Optimization: Tailored PM schedules reduced costs and extended equipment life.

Conclusion: AI as an Indispensable Partner in High-Stakes Maintenance

For this oil and gas refinery, the OXY AI agent is more than a digital assistant—it’s a critical partner in maintaining safety, efficiency, and uptime. OXY’s data-driven approach to maintenance prevented breakdowns on essential assets and empowered the team to handle tasks with precision and confidence.

As OXY continues to analyze equipment and optimize PM schedules, the refinery’s maintenance approach has transformed from reactive to proactive, setting a benchmark for reliability and safety. In an industry where delays can have costly consequences, OXY AI agent proves itself as an essential force driving operational excellence.