From plastics and asphalt to the gas we put in our cars, oil plays a huge role in almost everyone's day to day life. With the economy returning back to pre-pandemic levels, consumer use of oil has increased as well, with oil suppliers eager to match this demand. Although many industries like aviation are still seeing low oil use (due to not as many planes being flown), the increase in oil supply to the US could become even higher once the aviation industry returns back to normal.
Increased demand for oil means that both domestically and internationally, current facilities need to operate smoothly, and new oil rigs and oil production plants may be built to match demand. Not only is it important that these plants operate well to ensure consistent supply, but they also need to be operated safely for employees. Acoustic Ultrasound could help achieve both of these goals.
CTRL Systems’ UL101 is an ultrasound leak detector used across a large variety of oil and gas refineries. The UL101 can be used to detect problems like motor deterioration, partial discharge from electrical failure, or gas leaks within the facility. In one refinery that uses CTRL Systems products, the UL101 was able to scan over 3500 flanges during a shutdown week, all without having to remove any parts of the building or insulation. Other users like Shell and Exxon mobil reported a 10x increase in gas leak detection speed once they fully converted to acoustic ultrasound detection. Safety is also a big concern in oil facilities, where toxic gas leaks and electrical discharge can occur. If not properly dealt with, they can result in employee injury. The UL101 can be used to find the location of these leaks and discharge with extreme accuracy, keeping employees safe and decreasing the amount of time spent scanning for them.
As demand for oil likely increases into 2022, it is important to not cut corners during refinery operation and construction. Therefore, by taking preventative maintenance measures to ensure safe operation, outages will be better avoided which saves time and money, and employees will be able to work safely in their environment.
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