ProShield+ not only extends asset lifespans and reduces maintenance costs, it is also being applied to national infrastructure projects.
AS GLOBAL demand for energy security, affordability, and sustainability grows alongside expanding populations and economies, the need for innovative solutions has never been more critical.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2024 clearly illustrates this urgency, projecting significant shifts in global energy demand and emphasising the accelerated deployment of clean energy technologies required to meet climate goals.
In the energy industry, a dynamic shift to diversify portfolio mix while keeping a sharp focus on reducing emissions is key to business resilience – especially for PETRONAS, which plays the dual role of Malaysia’s hydrocarbon custodian and a global energy partner.
As part of this journey, the energy company continues to harness innovation and technology to enhance operational resilience, address key challenges across its value chain, and contribute to national and global sustainability goals.
This relentless pursuit of technological excellence is anchored in the enterprise’s purpose to enrich lives for a sustainable future. It includes empowering the workforce with a conducive ecosystem for innovation, improving working environments, and continuously upskilling them to meet current and future demands, in addition to leveraging technologies to benefit the industry and beyond.
This commitment is a key accelerator for PETRONAS’ bold transformation into an Energy Superstore by 2035, an integrated energy company delivering value-adding energy products and solutions aligned with evolving customer needs.
These efforts have led to the development of practical, homegrown technologies that address operational challenges and open doors for industry collaboration.
As a Fortune 500 company, PETRONAS is now extending these benefits to partners and potential users through commercialisation.
Examples of these commercialised technologies include ProShield+, designed to enhance asset longevity and VOLANT, a game-changer in digital connectivity.
These advancements reinforce the company’s commitment to continuous innovation and sustainable business growth through portfolio diversification.
“By leveraging our expertise in technology and digital solutions, we are unlocking new pathways for like-minded partners to collectively pursue sustainability and operational resilience amid an accelerated energy transition, working towards securing a sustainable tomorrow together, for all,” said PETRONAS Group Technology and Commercialisation vice president Izwan Ismail.
While originally designed for oil and gas environment, VOLANT has demonstrated its reliability in other mission-critical settings, such as data centres and educational institutions.
Advancing coating solutions
PETRONAS is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that not only tackle industrial challenges, but also drive progress for business partners and the nation.
Central to this commitment is the PETRONAS ProShield+ masterbrand, which exemplifies a focus on innovation and quality.
ProShield+ includes four advanced coating solutions with graphene additives to enhance paint performance and durability:
> ProShield+: Enhances liquid coatings for infrastructure like oil and gas structures, doubling the lifespan to up to 16 years without altering the application process.
> ProShield+ Endura: Applied to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders, offering superior protection and longevity.
> ProShield+ Lumina: Enhances quality and protection in auto-detailing products.
> ProShield+ Neutra: Provides a quick-fix rust conversion solution for various industries.
ProShield+ has been adopted across selected applications within PETRONAS operations and by industry partners, reflecting growing confidence in its capabilities.
Notable deployments include Kasawari Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) structure, Bumi Alpha Platform Maintenance project, and Utilities Kerteh Plant Maintenance project, as well as external use by Royal Malaysian Air Force (TUDM) and Carigali Hess Operating Company Sdn Bhd.
“ProShield+ has undeniably become a valuable asset to PETRONAS with significant potential as an emerging leader in the energy sector,” said researcher Dr M Shamsul Farid.
“ProShield Plus has become a valuable asset to PETRONAS with significant potential as an emerging leader in coating solutions for the energy sector, and beyond,” says Dr M Shamsul.
“By enhancing coating integrity, this solution extends painting cycles from five to 15 years, leading to a substantial reduction in operational downtime.
“Furthermore, it improves safety by facilitating the use of drones for applications at height, minimising human exposure to hazardous environments.
“Its integrated solutions, particularly on essential infrastructure like the Kasawari CCS platform, have not only improved our operational efficiency but also enhanced safety protocols.
The widespread confidence in its capabilities across the industry reflects its reliable performance.”
Not only does ProShield+ extend asset lifespans and reduce maintenance costs, its application is also expanding to national infrastructure projects.
An upcoming initiative will see ProShield+ applied to+ Highway road rails in partnership with local company Altrada, exemplifying PETRONAS’ efforts to improve national assets and extend its impact beyond the energy sector.
By partnering with Kossan Paint, Altrada and IGL Coatings, PETRONAS is fostering a collaborative ecosystem that supports local innovation, strengthens small and medium-sized enterprises’ capabilities and enables Malaysian businesses to scale and compete in broader markets.
This collaboration has been impactful, with IGL Coatings leveraging ProShield+ Lumina to achieve exceptional performance enhancements across all specifications in their ceramic coatings.
Following this, they have successfully launched two products globally, Arcane and Trim, which garnered outstanding results, including winning an industry award for marketability.
Transforming internet connectivity
In its ongoing pursuit of technological advancement, PETRONAS continues to push boundaries with VOLANT, a cutting-edge connectivity technology designed to overcome the limitations of traditional network infrastructures.
Short for Virtual Optics Long-haul Asynchronous Network Technology, VOLANT was born from necessity and refined through innovation.
It embodies PETRONAS’ dedication to creating practical, high-impact solutions for both industrial and broader applications.
The brainchild of PETRONAS staff researcher Dr Mazlaini Yahya, VOLANT is a patented advanced connectivity technology that uses a unique algorithm to combine different network links.
It delivers gigabit speeds with minimal latency, so users can seamlessly share and access data, live stream video feeds, or make internet-based voice calls without a hitch.
“Whether users have high-speed cable, limited cable, cellular, or even satellite connections because of their remote
locations, VOLANT’s network bonding keeps internet speeds high regardless of network fluctuations,” says Dr Mazlaini.
Dr Mazlaini believes VOLANT’s flexible design allows it to adapt and potentially work with future 6G and 7G technologies.
“Essentially, it integrates multiple physical internet paths into a single, larger virtual channel, significantly boosting data speeds.”
The idea for the patented technology came to Dr Mazlaini in 2020, while adapting to remote work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Mazlaini – like many others – experienced the challenges of slow internet connectivity.
The surge in internet usage during this time caused severe congestion, making it challenging to maintain a stable connection for work.
Dr Mazlaini, who holds a doctoral degree in wireless communication technology, saw an opportunity.
Together with his team, they began working on a solution to enhance internet performance.
Their creation proved to not only provide a stronger, more stable internet for personal use but also possibly serve an entire neighbourhood.
Most solutions get high-speed internet connection through traffic management, where multiple connections are managed by software to prioritise the fastest or most stable line.
VOLANT, on the other hand, bonds multiple connections – such as Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, Long-term Evolution (LTE) and broadband – so that users get the combined speed. This bonding improves data rates.
VOLANT can also integrate with Digital Microwave Radio (DMR) systems, enabling the bonded connection to be extended over long distances when required.
The development of VOLANT was not without challenges. On top of the disruptions of Covid-19, the team initially faced hurdles using older hardware for crucial testing and algorithm development.
Undeterred, their collective determination led them to secure second-hand equipment online. This allowed them to overcome early technical constraints and advance their work.
“In a little over six months, driven by determination and passion, the team managed to develop a prototype.
“This helped us secure funding for research and development from PETRONAS to support further advancements, including the creation of additional prototypes and conducting physical trials in rural areas for application and performance testing,” said Dr Mazlaini.
Following this, in 2022, VOLANT was patented in Malaysia and trademarked.
The team is also applying for patents in six other countries.
They ensure compliance and certification by collaborating with vendors and following regional regulations.
Connecting the dots through innovation
VOLANT saw an opportunity to address connectivity challenges, such as those faced by Petroleum Arrangement Contractors (PACs) operating at remote offshore platforms.
The breakthrough came during VOLANT’s first proof of concept (POC), where its advanced network bonding capabilities were used to aggregate DMR links between Gunung Raya, Langkawi, and Sungai Yan, Kedah.
By intelligently bonding the available DMR connections, VOLANT enabled the seamless transfer of more than 1Gbps of bandwidth over the existing infrastructure – demonstrating its potential to boost capacity and reliability in long-range deployments.
VOLANT was subsequently deployed to selected offshore platforms where it demonstrated its transformative potential to enhance connectivity.
In one of the deployments, reported speeds improved from around 10Mbps to an impressive 300Mbps, significantly strengthening communication not just for operational needs, but also for connecting personnel with their families onshore.
Today, VOLANT has four PAC clients on offshore platforms. Among VOLANT’s key clients is Vestigo Petroleum (Vestigo), a subsidiary of PETRONAS specialising in the development of small and marginal oil fields.
By deploying VOLANT’s technology, Vestigo has been able to significantly enhance its connectivity, ensuring stable data transfers, real-time monitoring, and improved communication between its offshore platforms and onshore facilities.
In fact, Vestigo believes that empowering the future of digital connectivity unlocks the full potential of its assets and people.
It highlights that VOLANT’s innovative solutions enable its business to stay ahead in a hyper-connected world, attributing its enhanced operational performance, productivity, and agility to VOLANT’s support for cutting-edge applications.
While originally designed for the oil and gas environment, VOLANT has also demonstrated its reliability in other mission-critical settings, such as data centres and educational institutions.
This proven adaptability highlights VOLANT’s potential to deliver value in commercial and community applications.
Among these, sectors like maritime, hospitality, and rural communities stand to benefit significantly from VOLANT’s capabilities.
In the maritime and hospitality sectors, VOLANT’s capability to support stable, high-speed connectivity can enhance operational efficiency and enable better user experiences – whether through vessels onboard communications or across service-driven facilities.
Meanwhile, in rural and remote areas, VOLANT holds the potential to close the digital divide by overcoming persistent connectivity challenges – empowering communities with access to digital services and opportunities.
Dr Mazlaini believes that VOLANT’s flexible design allows it to adapt and potentially work with future 6G and 7G technologies.
“With stronger internet performance, businesses and individuals can leverage more online applications and transactions, effectively surpassing the traditional physical constraints of internet connectivity,” he mentioned.
With the commercialisation of its technologies, PETRONAS is demonstrating a commitment to innovation-driven sustainable growth.
By leveraging proprietary solutions like ProShield+ and VOLANT, the company is not only enhancing operational efficiency but also paving the way for future market expansion, solidifying its position as a forward-thinking leader in the energy sector.
ProShield+ and VOLANT are available for commercial orders. Connect with the respective teams at advanced.materials@petronas.com.my or support@virtus-ip.com for further information.
