Technology of avant-garde for extremar the hygiene in the operations of the energetic industry in the mar
Repsol and Indra have developed an only system in the world for the early detection of escapes of hydrocarbons in the half aquatic that will contribute to increase still in elder measured the hygiene of the installations of the energetic company.
The system, designated HEADS (Hydrocarbon Early and Automatic Detection System), supposes a big world-wide advance in the mechanisms of early detection of hydrocarbons and has finalised successfully the phase of proofs in the Industrial Complex of Repsol in Tarragona, included the platform Casablanca.
HEADS Uses of different combined way sensors of detection, adding the automatic interpretation of the images of infrared and radar, as well as the launching of alarms without the human intervention. The utilisation combined of infrared images and radars allows maximizar the degree of reliability and the automation of the process allows to have of a continuous monitoring without the intervention of an operator, what minimises the risk of human error. The detection by radar is based in the difference of rugosidad in the surface of the water when there is presence of a hydrocarbon. The camera of infrared allows to detect the variations of temperature between water and hydrocarbon that originate by the differences between the properties caloríficas of both elements.
The system has of a console situated in a room of control, where monitor different operations such as perforación, production, load or hygiene. When HEADS detects an incident, in addition to activating the alarm of automatic form, is able to collect all the information associated and to register and analyse all the parameters related
Another important characteristic of HEADS is his capacity to identify ships in the vicinities by means of AIS (Automatic Identification System). The fundamental aim of the system AIS is to allow to the fuselages communicate his position and other notable informations so that other fuselages or stations can know it and avoid possible incidents. Of this form, if it produces an incident caused by a ship inside his radio of action, HEADS is able to register his ‘matrícula' and monitor the event.
In addition to increasing notably the level of reliability of detection in front of any type of incidence that suceda in the aquatic surface, so much of day as of night, even with adverse climatic conditions of rain or fog, HEADS has a time of inferior answer to two minutes, what allows to minimise the impact and act with greater rapidity to solve it.
In the project, that set up to finals of 2011, has participated a multidisciplinary team formed by more than twenty experts and researchers of high qualification in the oil sector, physical, chemical, radars, algoritmia and integration of software.
Repsol has put to disposal of the project HEADS his wide knowledge of the relative physical phenomena to the hydrocarbons and the half marine, and his experience in the exploration and production of crude in the most demanding zones of the planet. The company has contributed also all the technology of his Centre of Technology Repsol, that has an able laboratory to reproduce the climatological conditions that give on the high seas.
Indra, by his part, has contributed his knowledge in algorithms of interpretation of images and his experience in the development of treatment of data in real time, construction and utilisation of radars and cameras of infrared and consoles of control and control. The multinational possesses besides a wide experience in the development and implantation of technological solutions for the sector of hydrocarbons, in which it is present to world-wide level with 1.500 professionals and projects in the five continents.
Both companies have inscribed the patent by means of an application of type PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty), an only procedure that allows to have of a register in more than 147 countries.