From steel plants to hydrogen-cooled generators, FLIR optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras are helping the oil and gas industry locally and overseas detect methane, sulphur hexafluoride and many other industrial gases quickly, accurately and safely.

“Without the downtime that cuts into already under-pressure revenues, FLIR OGI cameras can cost-effectively scan broad sections of oil and gas pipelines and other industrial equipment in areas that are hard to reach with traditional contact measurement tools.”

That’s the word from Philip Smerkovitz, Managing Director of thermal imaging, instrumentation and automation specialist, TeleEye SA, who adds that FLIR OGI cameras available from his firm can safely detect gas leaks from a distance.

“Invisible gases are displayed as clouds of smoke which helps determine the seriousness of leaks early on when fast remedial action is critical to help prevent a more serious situation from developing,” says Mr Smerkovitz. Especially-susceptible sections of pipeline infrastructure include controlling valves, pig traps, receivers, meters and pressure gauges.

“Pipelines remain the safest mode of transporting the key materials that quite literally keep our society running. However, the occasional occurrence of unintended leaks cannot be avoided and for that reason, TeleEye SA provides the local oil and gas industry with the optical equipment it needs to prevent serious financial losses as well as damage to the environment and corporate reputations,” Mr Smerkovitz explains.

FLIR optical gas imaging equipment is outstanding. This world-leading robust hardware is capable of imaging gas that is half methane, half propane at a concentration of 10 000 ppm at a flow rate of ≤60g/hr from a quarter inch diameter orifice. This sensitivity is specified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the United States and FLIR optical gas imagers easily meet these targets in an efficient and affordable way.

“Sensitivity of gas imaging equipment is critical because leaks caused by everything from sabotage to the expansion and contraction caused by our harsh African climate usually start small and soon rapidly progress in the face of late detection,” says Mr Smerkovitz.

Conventional leak detection methods such as manned aerial and ground surveillance, he adds, are no longer good enough. Oil and gas operators simply must employ a multi-layered approach underpinned by the world’s best available technology or risk being called to task when an unfortunate incident unfolds.

FLIR OGI cameras are an effective answer to the oil and gas industry’s call for the development of better monitoring technologies at reasonable cost. FLIR gas leak detection solutions, as rolled-out in South Africa by TeleEye SA, are focused on detecting and alerting on small gas leaks within seconds.

The TeleEye SA oil and gas solution is fitted to a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) flight platform. This means overhead flight surveys can be conducted and leaks efficiently identified. If an alarm condition is determined, an instant notification with image and video can be transmitted to an operator for manual verification.

“OGI cameras are an efficient way to detect leaks early on that could become huge environmental disasters if allowed to progress. South African industrial history is littered with adverse environmental impacts that can now be consigned to another age as local oil and gas firms step up to the plate by implementing smart leak detection solutions,” says Mr Smerkovitz.

Monitoring the integrity of South Africa’s hundreds of kilometres of oil and gas pipelines may seem like a daunting task at first. Fortunately, world-class FLIR optical technology available from TeleEye SA can now effectively take over many of the labour-intensive gas leak monitoring, detection and verification tasks that were formerly-employed in this key economic sector.