GS Caltex drives digital transformation with automation, AI

An employee at GS Caltex’s Yeosu plant in Jeollanam-do is using a drone to inspect the facility. (GS Caltex)

GS Caltex Corp. is leading a digital transformation effort at its Yeosu plant on South Korea’s southern coast, using automation and unmanned systems to improve worker safety as well as operational efficiency.

Human presence at the sprawling 6-square-kilometer plant on Wednesday was minimal. It was drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras and ultrasonic technology that inspected hard-to-reach areas, such as the tops of crude oil storage tanks and between pipelines and transmitted real-time footage to monitoring screens.

The Yeosu facility also has 255 artificial intelligence-based closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that monitor the facility. These cameras transmit footage to control room monitors, where AI analyzes the images for anomalies such as fires or unauthorized entry. GS Caltex notes that it is the first Korean refinery to fully monitor operations with AI-powered CCTV.

The company’s digital transformation goes beyond safety, aiming to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and cut carbon emissions. GS Caltex has implemented scanning technology in heating furnaces, for example, which burn fuel to heat substances inside tubes, as maintaining consistent flame power is crucial for efficient crude oil refining and equipment longevity. Workers previously inspected the furnaces manually, making real-time monitoring difficult and causing energy losses. With digital scanning, GS Caltex now optimizes furnace operations via real-time data analysis and plans to expand this technology to over ten additional facilities.

With its digital transformation, GS Caltex is pursuing Lighthouse certification from the World Economic Forum, which is awarded to facilities that are leading manufacturing innovation by using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as AI.

The company also aims to be the first Korean refinery to implement crude oil to chemicals (COTC) technology, optimizing product yield and feedstock efficiency. It recently completed a mixed feed cracker (MFC) facility near its second Yeosu plant, the largest investment in the company’s history at 2.7 trillion won ($2 billion).