Ali Ghafari-Nejad on Tuesday (October 21) at the second national conference on data governance and artificial intelligence held at the University of Tehran emphasized the necessity of utilizing data-driven capacities to enhance productivity and create economic value in the oil refining and distribution industry. He stated that various aspects of daily life, from personal and road transportation to energy supply and electricity generation, depend on oil products, highlighting the strategic importance of the refining and distribution industry.
Changing the Approach to Asset Management in the Industry
Ghafari-Nejad emphasized the need to change the approach to asset management in this industry, stating: "The refining and distribution industry has historically been primarily reliant on physical assets, but data, as valuable non-physical assets, has significant potential for optimizing management and creating economic value." He described the goal in the field of information technology as transforming data into knowledge through the establishment of data governance and utilizing artificial intelligence to convert this knowledge into effective decisions and their implementation in the form of digital transformation projects.
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Establishing Secure Communication Between Operational Technology and Information Technology
The IT and Communications Manager of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company identified one of the company's important projects as establishing secure communication between Operational Technology (OT) and Information Technology (IT). Ghafari-Nejad stated that after incidents involving smart fuel systems, restrictions were imposed on communication between these two areas, while operational data has significant value-creating potential for managing and optimizing processes in the refining and distribution industry.
He also referred to collaboration with the country's Passive Defense Organization to design the necessary architecture for this communication. According to him, this collaboration led to the design of the necessary architecture for establishing communication between the operational environment and information technology systems, which has so far been implemented in 7 out of the 10 targeted refineries, enabling real-time data transfer in these refineries.
Real-Time Monitoring of the Refining and Distribution Chain
Ghafari-Nejad considered the next step after developing data communications to be the implementation of a real-time monitoring project for the refining and distribution chain. This chain includes 37 regions of the National Oil Products Distribution Company, fuel stations, over 15,000 kilometers of pipelines, and export docks across the country. The goal of this project is to transfer real-time information from various parts of the chain to the monitoring and data analysis center of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company, enabling integrated oversight, optimal process management, and the identification of issues such as leaks and oil product smuggling.
The IT and Communications Manager of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company also emphasized the project's potential for utilizing artificial intelligence and new data analysis tools, stating: "Aggregating and analyzing information from various parts of the chain can create extensive opportunities for identifying anomalies, optimizing operations, and converting informational capacities into economic value."
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