New Flame and Gas Monitoring Technologies:
Air-Duct Gas Monitoring and Combined CCTV/IR3 Flame Detection

Mainly as a result of the "Piper Alfa" disaster in the North Sea, and also due to the ever increasing awareness of safety and environment concerns, the offshore oil and gas industry is reviewing the use of better performing and more reliable flame and gas explosion hazard detection systems.

Turbine enclosures and pump rooms on offshore installations, particularly air ducts and air intakes on FPSO vessels, are exposed to a high risk of explosion/fire should a vapor/gas fugitive emission enter these narrow ducts. The flammable vapor concentration in the ducts may rise and build up to an explosive atmosphere that upon exposure to a heat/ignition source may cause a major disaster.

Reliable and high performance novel methods of Flame and Gas Optical Spectral Analysis were developed to meet the specific flame and gas detection needs of the petrochemical industry.

The present paper describes two technologies and systems developed for offshore applications:

  1. Open Path Electro-Optical Gas Monitoring System specifically designed for in-situ on-line monitoring of flammable and toxic atmospheres in the petrochemical industry in general, and for air duct applications in particular.

  2. A new CCTV optical flame detector, combining optical infrared spectral analysis and miniature CCTV means within a small and compact explosion proof enclosure that withstands the harsh offshore environment and detects incipient fires in cluttered surroundings.

Both technologies and systems are described at length, including their performance criteria and engineering specifications, as well as current offshore installations.

 


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