Gas & Flame Detection in the Oil & Gas Industry
Posted by Claire Allcock on 14th Mar 2020
There are many aspects to the oil & gas industry; including drilling, production, transportation and storage. Gas safety risks are present across the industry, so what should you consider as part of your safety plan?
When the main focus of your industry is an inherently volatile substance, a robust safety protocol must be in place to protect personnel from the resulting gas hazards.
What Gas Hazards Are Present in the Oil & Gas Industry?
Not only do personnel have to avoid hazards like moving vehicles and high-pressure lines, but they also have to navigate the added complexity of gas hazards.
Producing and processing the substances found in refineries, oil rigs and other environments carry the ever-present risk of toxic gases. Working in confined spaces is a natural part of the job, with personnel regularly needing to work in spaces like petroleum storage tanks, reserve pits and sand containers. These confined spaces could contain anything from flammable gases to asphyxiants and toxic gases.
Hot works are also integral to the industry. In environments where blowtorches, cutting equipment and welding are used, careful monitoring for flammable gas and oxygen levels is required.
What Gas & Flame Detection Equipment is Needed in the Oil & Gas Industry?
Due to the highly dangerous nature of oil & gas environments, workers will usually be equipped with a personal gas detector. The working environment will also be covered with a fixed gas and flame detection system.
The type of detection equipment you will need for your workplace will depend on the hazards and risks that are present.
| Hazardous Application | Detection System Required |
| Petroleum refining | Ammonia Detectors |
| Incomplete combustion, conversion, coking, processing & leak detection | Carbon Monoxide Detectors |
| Conversion processes, isomerisation, leak detection, catalytic reforming and treatment processes | Flammable Gas Detectors |
| Refining process, general leak detection, treatment processes, crude separation and drilling rigs | Detectors for hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide |
| Confined spaces, tank-cleaning operations, enclosed buildings or structures | Oxygen Monitors |
| Refining process, process stream sampling collection and general plant operations | Volatile Organic Compound Detectors (PID) |
Integration & Automation
To give your workplace the comprehensive safety protocol that is required, you need to integrate gas and flame detectors into your system to cover every eventuality.
Centralised systems should be used to help alert workers as fast as possible to any hazard while initiating automatic safety actions such as opening air vents and sounding alarms.
In such a dangerous environment, it is important that safety systems can detect and manage minor events before they turn into major disasters. Understanding the hazards within your industry will help you to choose gas and flame detection that keeps your workforce safe and minimise incidents that disrupt your output.