Petrofac awarded a contract to Bertin Instruments to supply, install and commission a pioneering gas leak tracking system, Second Sight, at the Saudi Aramco-owned Jazan refinery to enhance the level of safety on site.

Bertin Instruments 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. Second Sight solution has been selected by Saudi Aramco and Petrofac, a leading service provider to the international oil and gas industry, because it offers several benefits that complement conventional gas detection methods.

It provides, in real time, a complete scene visualization. In the event of an alarm activation, it localizes the leakage source and the 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. While setting an advanced level in chemical and oil & gas safety standards, Bertin Instruments has demonstrated once again its agility in combining multiple fields of expertise in order to develop dedicated systems for demanding requirements.