INDUSTRIAL OPTICAL GAS IMAGING INSPECTIONS

Having worked for a decade supplying the Oil & Gas industry with thermographic solutions, we have built up strong expertise in this sector. We are committed to offering the best service to meet our client’s needs in electrical, mechanical, process and particular sand/sludge level measurement and trending in separators or vessels. We have been involved with developing OGI for one of our leading clients in the oil and gas sector which included the supply of equipment and training for a significant number of their leading technical engineers. Due to this intricate involvement, we are supporting OGI consultancy in-house to our usual high standards and protocols utilising world-renowned OGI Thermal Imaging Cameras. Our leading operative is at an advanced instructor level with the ability to train and offer OGI certifications following the technician’s successful completion of the OGI training course. In addition, we have further staff trained in the use of OGI. Our bespoke software packages TICOR™ and WEBCOR™ enable incredibly high-quality reports which offer exceptional clarity and make the data being displayed from the engineer’s findings easy to use, interpret and understand.

There are a number of areas in this industry where we can bring you useful thermography to help identify some of the commonly found problems and obstacles. Some of these inspections require specific procedures which require specialist permits to work.

What Services do we offer the Oil & Gas Industry?

• Offshore Thermographic Surveys
• Thermal Imaging – Petrochemical Testing
• Pipe Integrity
• Flare Header Line Inspection – Petrochem
• Cathode Protection Assessments

Thermal imaging is a non-invasive non-destructive method used to identify potential problems that the human eye cannot detect. Our thermal imaging services have been a proven method to increase asset safety and save offshore companies thousands of pounds a year in rig and installation downtime by the early detection and prevention of electrical and mechanical incidents.
Our offshore thermographic surveys are best undertaken while equipment is operational at a minimum of 40% load. Some examples of previous offshore thermographic surveys include:
• Non-invasively detecting loose bus-bar bolts and faulty SCR units as part of your rigs’ annual PM requirement
• Identifying loose terminal block connections, failing fuses and load imbalances to reduce accidental shut down and fire risk through wire insulation ignition
• Monitor bearing temperature at mud pump shafts during high-pressure pumping
• Assess connections in mud pump and draw work terminal boxes
• Determine equipment suffering from drive shaft misalignment problems
• Identify passing valves in high-pressure process piping and poorly torqued bolts at pipe flanges
• Define loose or incorrectly tensioned mud pump motor brushes

Sample Electrical Load Correction Video For Electrical Testing Within Oil & Gas Applications

THERMAL IMAGING PETROCHEMICAL TESTING

Our thermal imaging services have been a proven method to increase asset safety and save offshore companies thousands of pounds a year in rig and installation downtime by the early detection and prevention of electrical and mechanical incidents.
Thermal imaging petrochemical testing help to avoid costly and dangerous emissions. That’s why infrared thermography is important to predictive maintenance programs around the world.
Thermal Imaging for Natural Gas Detection
The oil and gas industry depends on thermography to avoid costly and dangerous emissions. Infrared cameras help pinpoint gas leaks and is widely used in predictive maintenance programs around the world because it is a non-invasive and non-destructive way of testing.

PIPE INTEGRITY

Using basic thermographic principles it is possible for us to show areas of scale build–up, decreasing pipe wall thicknesses and weld discrepancies.

- Benefits of Thermal Imaging For Pipe Work In The Oil & Gas Industry:
  • Weld Integrity and qualitative assessment
  • Detect metal fatigue and pipe wall thickness
  • Identify scale build-up
  • Corrosion detection
  • Protecting Oil and Gas Infrastructure
  • Understanding why pipes fail and blockages
  • Data visualization
Thermographic Inspection Specifications:
• IR camera: 640×480
• Software: Reporter 8.0
• Thermographer: ITC Level II-III
• Extech Instruments for humidity/wind speed etc
• Leico laser distance measurements

Thermographic Inspection Specifications:
• Initial visual inspection of the site order to familiarize with any irregularities or access problems
• Images will then be captured comprehensively recording all data which may benefit from temperature analysis

FLARE HEADER LINE INSPECTION – PETROCHEM

This inspection is designed to assess the flare header line in order to look for pockets of liquid held in eddy currents around the line elbow joints.

CATHODE PROTECTION ASSESSMENTS

Where sacrificial anodes/cathodes are used we can quickly and easily detect areas where there may be a break/short in the circuits.
The above images were taken at varying distances of the same target. They show an area where the Cathodic titanium mesh is broken and is arcing due to the electrical current passing through. This area is very small at less than 2″ diameter
A short circuit from a break in the Cathodic mesh forms a thermal anomaly visible on the outer concrete layer itself removing the need to strip it all away. Savings on this application can be extremely significant.

SAND LEVEL TANK INSPECTION

Certain vessels suffer from a build up of sand deposits inside and it is sometimes difficult to know when to open the vessel and remove the deposits. Thermal imaging provides a quick and easy method of clearly identifying these levels.
The survey that we provide is unique in that we offer three very important details:
- • We have the ability to measure where the sand level is on the separator.
- • We offer trending between periodic inspections so that the differences between inspections can be easily tracked. Each report will contain up to 4 of the latest thermographic images taken for that area of the separator
- • We offer summary reports with our interpretations of sand level onto separator specific drawings so that the process engineers have a clear and quick understanding of the problem

- Benefits Of Sand Level Inspections:
- • Large format 640×480 resolution cameras
  • Utilising 45-degree lens in order to view significant sections of the separator in one image
  • Advanced level II thermographers with 1000s of scan hours of separators around the world
  • Laser distance measurements taken between the lens and the side of the separator
  • Bespoke reporting and inspection procedures to build and maintain trending of sand/sludge levels between inspections
  • Direct measurements captures from the thermogram using formulas to enable pixel counting technology
  • Levels interpreted onto specific GA drawings and built into a snapshot summary of levels and changes between inspections for faster delivery of results
  • Same day report turnaround
  • Online ‘WEBCOR’ hosting for results sharing quickly and easily with multi-user logins