Chris Payne details how fixed solutions for safeguarding people and assets can benefit the oil and gas sector
Fixed monitoring solutions can help prevent injury, protect the environment and improve safety conditions for those working in the oil and gas industry. Using advanced PID (photoionisation detection) technology and dedicated instrumentation, several solutions from ION Science are helping to keep workers in the field safe and protecting environmental health.
Fixed solutions are ideal for monitoring in oil and gas applications. These sites can be large, difficult to access, are not necessarily staffed full time and often have bulk storage tanks and pipelines that are spread out. Installing fixed units means reliable, accurate detection of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be carried out regardless of location or staffing. Regular air-intake sampling for VOC concentrations and site-wide networking means results can quickly be reported back for continuous monitoring of an area. As many of the VOCs present within oil and gas plants and sites pose a risk to human and environmental health, monitoring them is required under legal compliance and as part of operating a socially responsible business.
ION Science offers two fixed units for monitoring: the Falco and the Titan. The Falco fixed unit provides continuous, fast and reliable detection of VOCs. It delivers excellent, accurate detection in challenging environments thanks to the company’s innovative Typhoon technology. This allows the Falco fixed gas detectors to be deployed in any environment, inside or out, and makes them able to withstand harsh weathers, such as wet conditions or extreme temperatures (-40 to 50°C), and 0-100% relative humidity and condensing humidity.
This kind of robustness means the detector can be fitted to oil and gas processing equipment, storage plants or loading gantries with confidence. If there are any leaks or unexpected surges in VOC levels, the Falco can immediately detect this, and the data submitted back for analysis to the occupational hygienist or health and safety officer. Lone workers or site inspectors can rely on the Falco to protect the spaces they need to enter and alert them of changes at both a ppm and ppb level.
Benzene Monitoring
The Titan has been developed specifically to offer continuous benzene monitoring. As benzene is prevalent in crude oil and therefore, refineries, the Titan has a critical role to play when it comes to protecting workers and the environment. With minute-to-minute sampling, the detector provides continuous, real-time data on benzene concentrations and can detect to as low as 0.1 ppm.
Sitewide, continuous protection for oil and gas industry applications is ultimately what ION Science’s range of fixed gas detection instruments is designed for.
Chris Payne is with ION Science
