Title: Future of WSNs and IoT technology in the oil and gas industry, through MEMS energy harvesters

Authors: Musaab Zarog

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering. Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 33, Al-Khoud, Muscat, 123, Sultanate of Oman

Abstract: Oil and natural gas represent 55% of energy sources and therefore they remain the main choice for fulfilling energy needs. For more efficiency, all machinery and equipment including thousands of kilometres of transporting pipelines need to be monitored continuously and in real-time. Any delay in detecting failures or degradation can result in a huge and serious impact on the environment, humans, and property. With the advancement of the internet of things (IoT), through wireless sensor nodes (WSNs), the response to any failure can be much faster and cost-effective. Microelectromechanical (MEMS) Energy harvesters provide a solution to power hundreds of WSNs. The objectives of this paper are to analyse the current role of WSNs and IoT in oil and gas operations, and to assess the impact of MEMS-based energy harvesters on the longevity and reliability of IoT and WSN deployments. [Received: November 24, 2021; Accepted: October 25, 2024]

Keywords: wireless networks sensors; micro-electro-mechanical systems; MEMS; energy scavenging; mechanical vibration; microsystems; ambient energy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2025.148737

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2025 Vol.38 No.3, pp.400 - 415

Accepted: 25 Oct 2024
Published online: 22 Sep 2025 *

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