Process safety is a framework for managing asset integrity in order to avert unplanned incidents. In the oil and gas industry, process safety management aims to limit risk by preventing the release of gases that could ignite combustible environments. Ensuring safer operations not only benefits the personnel involved, but it also promotes increased efficiency and productivity.
Communication is the key to safety in hazardous environments such as oil and gas operations. Clear, precise and timely information allows teams to make the best decisions possible, ensuring processes meet regulatory requirements and are carried out in the safest manner possible, while also driving improved performance. Accurate and real-time communication in these potentially combustible environments is only possible with the right equipment. With intrinsically safe (IS) certified communications hardware, such as IS tablets and IoT sensors, oil and gas teams can capture and share real-time information in Zone 1 and Division 1 hazardous areas, allowing them to manage processes more efficiently and safely.
The NexVu IoT Solution by Aegex Technologies is an intrinsically safe, modular sensor array that enables organizations to mix and match more than 40 sensors in thousands of combinations to monitor their conditions of choice, including dozens of potentially explosive gases. Battery-powered and Wi-Fi or LTE operated, NexVu is a versatile means of collecting the best data possible surrounding oil and gas or other hazardous operations in order to ensure processes are functioning in the safest, most optimal manner.
NexVu allows organizations to see data in context. If temperature changes suddenly in an offshore operation, for example, it may not necessarily indicate a problem. But if an extreme change in temperature is detected simultaneous to a drastic pressure change along with an increase in oxygen, that combination could mean a potential disaster. NexVu’s detection of myriad combinations of data points, configurable against bespoke thresholds, can help oil and gas companies mitigate issues before they become disasters or even prevent problems from occurring in the first place. NexVu can also integrate legacy sensors and equipment into its reporting, monitoring their data in context with other conditional data and resulting in a broader picture of operational processes.
Sharing this type of contextual data onsite in hazardous areas is crucial to alerting teams to prevent an incident or take action in the event of an emergency. With aegex10 Intrinsically Safe Tablets that are globally certified for use in ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 and Class I Division 1 hazardous locations, oil and gas personnel can safely communicate and view NexVu or other sensor data, plus operate their industry applications, in real time. The ability to immediately share digital information onsite helps to improve safety in hazardous operations.
Some examples of improved process safety from incorporating NexVu and Aegex10 into operations include:
