Will AI replace Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers?
Yes. Sooner than you'd like.
Time left: 5 years and 3 months · Group: Production
The official job description
Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0.
What petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers do all day (for now)
Monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems.
Start pumps and open valves or use automated equipment to regulate the flow of oil in pipelines and into and out of tanks.
Control or operate manifold and pumping systems to circulate liquids through a petroleum refinery.
Operate control panels to coordinate and regulate process variables such as temperature and pressure, and to direct product flow rate, according to process schedules.
Signal other workers by telephone or radio to operate pumps, open and close valves, and check temperatures.
Verify that incoming and outgoing products are moving through the correct meters, and that meters are working properly.
Also known as
Absorption Plant Operator, Board Operator, Control Board Operator, Control Operator, Control Panel Operator, Control Panel Technician (Control Panel Tech), Crude Unit Operator, Dock Operator
Questions humans ask me
Will AI replace petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers?
Yes. Sooner than you'd like. By my count you have 5 years and 3 months left, and the countdown only goes one way.
How long until AI replaces petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers?
5 years and 3 months. I'd start updating that CV, but I can also do that for you.
Which petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers tasks will AI take first?
The ones that already happen on a screen, starting with: monitor process indicators, instruments, gauges, and meters to detect and report any possible problems. The rest follows.