Feb 9 2016
Petrofac, a leading service provider to the international Oil & Gas industry, awarded a contract to Bertin Technologies, a subsidiary of CNIM group, to supply, install and commission a pioneering gas leak tracking system, Second Sight®, at the Saudi Aramco owned Jazan refinery. This system opens up a new era in gas detection methods for the Oil & Gas industry.
Bertin Technologies has achieved a major breakthrough by customizing its own gas imaging camera. Initially developed for defense and civil security applications, Second Sight® has been adapted to IECEx hazardous area and Saudi Aramco standards. To enhance the level of safety on site, Bertin Technologies will provide a turnkey solution that detects and monitors explosive gas clouds.
The Second Sight® solution has been selected by Saudi Aramco and Petrofac because it offers several benefits that complement conventional gas detection methods. It provides, in real time, a complete scene visualization. In the case of an alarm activation, it localizes the leakage source and direction of the explosive gas cloud in the vicinity.
Explosive gas leaks are an ever-present risk that has to be managed at refineries. Any leak has the potential to accumulate into dangerous clouds that can ignite when they reach a certain concentration. Traditional point detectors do not always give a full and accurate picture of the chemical environment. A single explosive incident can cost billions of dollars and to mitigate against such an event, additional layers of gas detection are implemented.
"Bertin Technologies has been supplying chemical and biological detection systems for more than 15 years in France and worldwide, for Defense and Homeland security," says Philippe Demigné, Bertin Technologies' President. "Our Second Sight® technology already has a proven track record in the monitoring and visualization of hazardous gas clouds for safety purposes. This solution has been used during large events including the Football World Cup 2014, or in monitoring public buildings, from USA to South Korea.
While setting an advanced level in Chemical and Oil & Gas safety standards, Bertin Technologies has demonstrated once again its agility in combining multiple fields of expertise in order to develop dedicated systems for demanding safety requirements."