Qatar’s RasGas Company became the first pilot site for GE’s cloud-based asset performance management (APM) solution catering to the liquified natural gas (LNG) sector.

The APM solution, which runs on GE’s cloud platform Predix, is expected to generate substantial savings for RasGas over a 10-year period.

APM solutions help monitor and extend the life of physical assets by capturing, integrating and analysing data in terms of their performance and output. This allows proactive maintenance, among others, which minimises unforeseen downtime, negative impact on productivity, wear and tear or even accidents.

While APM solutions are not new, GE’s cloud-based software, which the company says integrates big data and advanced analytics, promises to address a current gap in the LNG industry, primarily the disparate and isolated nature of data captured in various phases of LNG production and supply.

RasGas oversees seven LNG trains, two domestic gas production facilties, helium production facilties and shopping and global sales contracts. Its total LNG production capacity is at 37.1 million tonnes per annum, or about half of Qatar’s LNG production capacity.

A company statement said the solution will “capture and analyse the unique volume, velocity and variety of machine data within a highly secure, industrial-strength cloud environment, leading to higher reliability in operation.”

The announcement coincided with the recent visit of the GE’s Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt to the region, where he discussed the role that the new industrial internet will play in fostering operational efficiciency and how the Middle East could play a significant role in its development.

Industrial internet comprises, among others, connectivity between machines and devices, compared with its forerunner, which is now being called consumer internet.