Australian Oil & Gas Thermal Imaging Services

Oil & Gas Thermal Imaging Applications

Thermal imaging is widely used in the oil and gas industry to identify potential problems that the human eye simply cannot detect. The non-invasive, non-destructive inspection method has proven to significantly increase asset safety, saving onshore and offshore oil and gas companies millions of dollars in rig and installation production downtime. Thermal imaging technology is used throughout the oil and gas industry in a diverse range of applications for both predictive maintenance and condition monitoring (CM) including:

• Sand level evaluation in tanks and vessels
• Gas leak detection
• Pipe integrity
• Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) inspections
• Flare header line inspections
• Insulation inspections on LPG/LNG holding tanks
• Cathode protection assessments
• Optical gas imaging
• Electrical thermography
• Moisture ingress in pipe lagging

Why Use Us For Your Thermal Imaging Needs?

• Save time by using an inspection method that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time
• Save significant time in plant or production downtime
• Save resources
• We are ITC professionally trained Thermographers with many years experience in the oil and gas industry
• We do not compromise safety!

Non-invasive, non-destructive, and carried out while the asset stays in service — the inspection does not cost you production.

Sand Level Vessel & Tank Inspections

Certain tanks and vessels suffer from the build-up of sand deposits which sometimes makes it challenging, not knowing when to shut the system down and open up the vessel for cleaning. Using infrared technology, our experienced thermographers can evaluate the sand deposit level quickly and easily with higher accuracy than any other non-invasive method. Trending reports from periodic inspections are then generated and tracked over time. Each of the thermographic reports supplied will include 4 of the previously imaged inspection points, allowing your process engineers to quickly understand the problem and organise sand and sediment removal in the next planned shut down window.

Benefits of Sand Level Inspections

• High thermal resolution 640x480 pixel images (1280x960px using Ultramax)
• 45 degree germanium lens used to capture a large footprint in one image
• ITC certified thermographers with real oil and gas experience
• Laser range-finder measurements used to aid in consistent and accurate thermal images
• Comprehensive reporting and trending of sand/sludge levels between inspections
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis with 48hr report turn-arounds

The same technique reads product level, interface level and sludge in separators, knock-out drums and storage tanks — no gauge, no isolation, no vessel entry.

Oil & Gas Thermographic Surveys

As a rule of thumb, electrical and mechanical thermographic surveys are best undertaken while plant or equipment is operational at a 40% minimum load. Examples of historical thermographic surveys include:

• Live inspection detecting loose bus-bar fittings
• Identifying load imbalances, failing fuses and loose terminal block connections
• Evaluate equipment experiencing misaligned drive shaft issues
• Identification of passing valves in high pressure process pipework
• Identification of poorly fitted bolts on pipe flanges
• Monitor bearing temperature on mud pump shafts during high pressure pumping

Switchrooms, MCCs and distribution boards on a facility are surveyed to the same criteria we apply on shore — see electrical thermal imaging →

Hydrocarbon leak detection & fugitive emission surveys

Highpoint Solutions conduct fugitive emissions surveys for industrial clients throughout Australia. Using FLIR optical gas imaging (OGI) cameras, our inspectors can quickly, accurately and safely detect hundreds of industrial gas types, even in hard to access areas. Avoid regulatory violations, fines and lost revenue. Save gas, save money, and save lives through regular fugitive emissions surveys at your facility.

Optical gas imaging visualises an escaping hydrocarbon as a plume on screen, from a safe distance and without shutting anything down. A FLIR GFx320 — an intrinsically safe OGI camera rated for use in classified areas — lets the survey be carried out inside the hazardous zone rather than from the fence line, so flanges, valve stems, seals, connectors, open-ended lines and relief devices are all inspectable in a single pass. Findings are recorded as video with the component tagged, ready for an LDAR register.

Types of Gas Leaks Detectable

Compressed air, inert gas and vacuum leaks that carry no infrared signature are found instead by airborne ultrasound — see ultrasonic surveys →

Process Pipe Integrity

Thermal patterns along a line tell you what is happening inside it. Flow, no-flow, partial blockage, scale, wall loss and a passing valve each present differently, and all of them are visible from outside the pipe while it is in service.

• Weld integrity and qualitative assessment
• Detect metal fatigue and pipe wall thickness
• Identify scale buildup
• Corrosion detection
• Protecting oil and gas infrastructure
• Understanding why pipes fail and blockages
• Data visualization

Where a thermal indication needs a number behind it, we follow up with ultrasonic thickness testing on the same visit to quantify remaining wall — see inspection & NDT →

Flare, refractory & insulation

Flare header lines are inspected thermally to confirm the line is clear, to find liquid hold-up and to check that knock-out and purge arrangements are behaving as designed. On fired equipment the same imaging shows refractory breakdown and hot-face damage as a hot spot on the outer casing, and identifies missing, wet or degraded insulation on LPG and LNG holding tanks long before it shows on a walk-around.

Thermal Imaging for Corrosion Under Insulation

Corrosion Under Insulation Inspections

Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) can be extremely hazardous in the oil and gas industry. Tanks, vessels and pipework contain highly volatile gases and liquids which if leaked could trigger a catastrophic event.

Utilising thermal imaging to locate potential areas of corrosion under insulation, we can bring to attention areas where CUI is likely to form. Highpoint Solutions provides world-class thermographic solutions for pipeline condition monitoring, along with detailed testing and inspections to evaluate the integrity of insulated pipelines, vessels and storage tanks.

CUI screening works because wet insulation conducts heat differently to dry insulation. The trapped water is what drives the corrosion, and it is the trapped water the camera sees — so the survey narrows thousands of metres of line down to the specific spools worth stripping and gauging, instead of removing lagging at random.

Reading conditions, not just colours

Timing decides whether a CUI survey works at all. This lagged pipe on an offshore facility was imaged after sunset, once solar loading had dissipated: the outer lagging cooled quickly in the transient conditions while the water trapped underneath held its heat, showing as the warm band along the bottom of the pipe. Imaged at midday, sun-loaded lagging would have hidden it completely.

Pipeline Applications for CUI Inspections

• Internal corrosion
• Weld-line identification
• External corrosion
• Heat affected (HAZ) corrosion
• Changes in pipe schedule
• Pipe blockages
• Wet insulation
• Determination of product level in piping

Elevated and hard-to-reach sections are surveyed by our own IRATA rope access teams, so no scaffold is built for the inspection — see industrial rope access →

Our Thermography Equipment Specifications

Infrared Camera: FLIR T660. The FLIR T660 is one of the most extensive and advanced thermal imaging cameras available with several convenient features such as a tillable lens, wi-fi connectivity and much more.

Common questions

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