INTEGRITY management system company Atemco and global technical services provider Furmanite have joined forces to provide a comprehensive leak and emissions detection and sealing service for one of Australia’s major oil refineries.
The alliance combines Atmeco’s component integrity management service (with its focus on leak detection and associated systems and support technologies) with Furmanite’s specialist pressure leak sealing expertise.
By identifying and fixing any hydrocarbon leaks, the service assists the refinery in meeting high plant safety and healthy working environment demands, and complying with growing global requirements and legislation to reduce environmental emissions, as well as helping to optimise plant performance.
Atmeco director Russell Colman said that a typical refinery will have between 50,000 and 250,000 components that could leak, not even including flanges.
“Keeping track of the monitoring of these components and the remedial response actions is a major task in itself,” Colman commented.
By working together, the two companies hope to maximise operational efficiencies to deliver an optimal service to the refinery operator that sees any leaks sealed more quickly and efficiently, while minimising demand on the in-house maintenance team.
“Furmanite has access to Atmeco’s web-based system, enabling their field crew and management to log-on for remote access to assess quickly the site job status at any time.
“Accessing this system provides Furmanite with real-time information on the current number of leaks, and those approved for repair.
“The Furmanite team can then identify the leak sealing jobs to be done, knowing that all permits and support will be planned and ready.
“Once the work is completed, Furmanite can then log on, record actions and outcomes, and clear the component for final testing by Atmeco and inclusion in the invoicing schedule.”
A further development could see a leak sealing clamp database built up by the alliance, logging all boxes and clamps with details of where and when fitted, and monitoring the number of subsequent injections performed, ensuring their planned removal within outage schedules.
The alliance is said to provide multiple advantages. The refinery operator benefits from early identification of leaks and minimised delays in sealing, in turn avoiding the chance of it becoming a larger and more serious problem.
Compliance with strict environmental regulations is also said to become easier to manage. Additionally, the refinery workforce welcomes the measures to minimise exposure to harmful emissions from process streams.
For more information contact:
Atemco
W – www.atmeco.com
E – contact@atmeco.com
Furmanite
W – www.furmanite.com
E – deichstadt@furmanite.com
