Industrial Surveillance for detecting Oil-Gas leakages
Many chemical compounds and gases are invisible to the naked eye. Yet many companies work intensively with these substances before, during and after their production processes.
We use 'Toxic Vapour Analyzer' (TVA) or 'sniffer technology'. When searching for potential gas leaks, we check all systems at points that may or may not have been identified beforehand. These checks are carried out regularly, and are particularly important following a shutdown.
At a refineries , this means carrying out tens of thousands tests on piping, stopcocks, seals, valves, torches, etc. We use thermal imaging camera GasDetector and control panel GasMonitor using the TVA to send data through a IP Network. This data is then put on a cloud and can be viewed by the engineers. We can carry out around five hundred inspections per day.
The key success factors for businesses today are safety, efficiency and profitability. When carrying out maintenance, it is of vital importance that maintenance engineers are able to obtain as complete a picture as possible of the condition of the plant. A thermal imaging system is an extremely important tool for tracing potential faults. Experience shows that up to 84 percent of leaks occur in less than 1 percent of the plant. This means that 99 percent of what are expensive, time-consuming inspection tools are being used to scan safe, leak-free components.
Read moreUsing the GasDetector in this sector allows us to achieve enormous savings in terms of time and personnel. The technologies currently in use may expose inspectors to invisible and potentially harmful chemicals, and do not allow for wind and weather factors that can produce inaccurate measurements. In addition, they can only tell us something about the test points that have been identified beforehand and only give readings within the immediate vicinity of the inspector.
The infrared technology used by the GasDetector shows gas emissions as a plume of smoke. When a leak has been identified from a safe distance using the device, the Toxic Vapour Analyzer can be used to determine the concentration percentage of the substance. This detector produces clear images with a high level of detail.
The camera, which weighs only 2.5 kg, has been designed for use in harsh industrial environments and operates within a wide temperature range of -15° C to +50° C. It produces infrared images in real-time in the widely used PAL format. It has an industrial shock rating of 40G. The camera can detect twenty different types of gas in real-time; these appear on the screen as 'black smoke'. These characteristics mean that miles of piping can be scanned from a safe distance.
Using thermal imaging techniques' in the field' can place high demands on the equipment and the user: often a safe distance has to be maintained from the object being tested or, in other cases, the problem might be how to get close enough. Then you have to remember that the work may involve climbing, or hours at a time spent inspecting a major plant. Therefore, the size and weight of the equipment that inspectors have to carry around with them are important factors.
The GasDetector contributes to the safety and the effective operation of our plants. It provides direct, tangible results and gives peace of mind to the client. It's particularly useful when inspecting high pressure systems, as these are at the greatest risk of developing leaks. Here, the camera has become virtually indispensable. The camera can be used in a number of different ways to inspect plant safely.
There are several major benefits to using thermal imaging techniques. These include the fact that systems do not have to be shut down during the inspection, measurements can be carried out remotely, rapidly and at relatively low cost and most important of all – problems can be identified at an early stage. The most important reason for using the system is to minimise discharges of gas and other volatile organic substances from our pipe work.
