From Wellhead to Fuel Tank, Digital Technologies Track Oil Across Russia
Digital transformation is reshaping Russian industry.
Russian oil refineries are actively adopting advanced technologies to achieve deeper processing of raw materials. Every drop of oil travels a long path from the wellhead to a car’s fuel tank. One of the most striking examples of the sector’s digital transformation is the Omsk Oil Refinery, which produces high-quality fuels.
From Manual Control to Predictive Intelligence
The plant’s main point of pride is its unified control room. Here, all production parameters are displayed in real time on a massive video wall. Workstations are arranged in a semicircle facing the screens, allowing operators to monitor every stage of the process. In effect, this is a digital twin of the physical production line. As plant representatives note, such a management system – shifting from manual control to predictive intelligence – is the foundation of a modern industrial enterprise.
From a “Metal Skyscraper” to an Automated Chamber
Oil begins its journey in what engineers call a “metal skyscraper” – the CDU–VDU processing complex. At this stage, crude oil is purified and separated into fractions. The result is fuel that remains stable both in Arctic cold and in hot climates. During the deep refining stage, heavy fractions are converted into lighter petroleum products. All processes are automated. While some chambers carrying out complex chemical reactions are operating, others are cooling down, and the heat released is reused.
These technologies help increase the yield of valuable products from the same volume of raw material.
Earlier, we reported that Russian scientists had developed a technology that makes it possible to safely extract viscous Arctic oil without thawing permafrost. The solution is based on creating a virtual twin of a well that calculates heat distribution with high precision and delivers energy directly to the oil-bearing formation. As a result, the impact on permafrost is kept to a minimum.
