This, however, would also create regulatory issues as no regulations were currently in place for such technologies.
Palmer recalled that the first subsea concept was to put the platform on the seabed, with a dome over the top as seen in science fiction films of decades past.
"Of course, today that seems crazy, but won't it also in the future seem crazy that we ever put people on vessels and exposed them to that risk? We'll be saying ‘what were they thinking'?'" Palmer told
DNV also found that building an unmanned FLNG - a concept the firm calls Solitude - would be about 5% more expensive to build but 19% cheaper per year to run, "so you quickly recoup that cost".
"Risk is part of that investment decision, so this way you remove an awful lot of that risk," Palmer said.
He said DNV GL had chosen FLNG as its topic of special trend of focus for 2015 and had proposed using robotics and "big data" to remove people from routine operations, which removed the accommodation, enabled facilities to be placed closer together and meant they could be smaller to construct.
While this could reduce employment, he said replacing people with robots was a "natural progression", with big data doing more analysis and removing control centres onshore.
"It's not about reducing jobs, it's about increasing safety," Palmer told Energy News.
"All the data will be controlled from onshore, which will also give operators better alignment, while maintenance efforts will also improve markedly.
"We're talking about streamlining the process. Prelude, for example, has complicated systems on board around the refrigerant for cooling, but because there are a significant number of people on board the vessel needs to be a lot larger - firstly to include accommodation but also to include blast separation so people remain safe.
"Prelude's offshore installation is mainly unmanned, with staff going on board for routine maintenance, but why can't robots do the routine maintenance?
"So by taking people away you can make them smaller, and by simplifying the process plant, it reduces the costs and makes it better for marginal fields."
DNV GL oil and gas CEO Elisabeth Torstad said Solitude was developed with maintainability foremost in mind.
"By changing the focus from maximum efficiency to maximum reliability, and selecting robust processing options with built-in redundancy, we were able to develop a solution that ensures production levels and boosts the economic viability of FLNG projects," she said.
Under the concept, power that would otherwise be generated by high-maintenance gas turbines could be generated by fuel cells. This improves power generation reliability and reduces the unit's environmental footprint.
Equipment throughout the FLNG is modularised and monitored from shore with much of the routine maintenance and fault correction carried out by self-programming autonomous inspection and maintenance units (robots). The topside has a system of rails that run along each process train, providing these robots with access to all the equipment.
Wireless sensor networks act as eyes, ears and noses, feeding information to a condition monitoring system that overseas fault detection, proactive maintenance and repair planning.
As there will be no one living on board or working on the topside during normal operation, the associated personal safety risks are eliminated. When people enter for large maintenance campaigns, the topside would be prepared for a safe working environment. A new support and accommodation vessel concept and its associated docking system on the FLNG further boost the safety of interventions.
"Existing frontier oil and gas projects have resulted in tremendous technological developments, particularly in the subsea realm, and Solitude draws on this," Torstad said.
"Operators are already controlling subsea installations and simple, fixed offshore installations from shore. Given the on-going advances in autonomous systems and remote operations, unmanned offshore installations are a natural development over the next few decades."
"While Solitude is a holistic concept, many of its solutions can be implemented independently - and some are already available today. These projects are our way of thinking out loud. Our aim is to present high-level concepts that can form a basis for discussion and be further developed in collaboration with the industry. We see Solitude as a new opportunity for the future."
