Transocean order ir cameras
December 1st 2006 As the world's largest drilling company, Transocean has 83 mobile offshore drilling units,53 semi-submersibles and drillships and 28 rigs capable of drilling in more than 4,500 feet of water. With such resources it can be difficult to ensure infrared cameras are in the right place at the right time. Until recently, two high-end ThermaCAM thermal imaging cameras supplemented by a third party inspection service have been available for infrared surveying but Transocean needed this facility to be instantly accessible. "Being able to identify hot spots before temperatures increase to ignition levels is vital in the petrochemical industry,"explains Transocean's technical superintendent – maintenance, Michael Clarke."Switchboards need to be inspected under high electrical loads. Currently it's not always possible to arrange this so the survey ends up being conducted under light electrical loads which is less than satisfactory." The answer for Transocean has been to equip its key sites with its own ThermaCAM thermal imaging camera. This has become a viable option as developments in detector technology, infrared camera performance and price have enabled many more assets to take advantage of this torch-style camera. Transocean will soon take delivery of over 30 ThermaCAM E45 infrared cameras, from FLIR systems, a model that has been designed for those in need of instant infrared troubleshooting and general thermal analysis. It is a rugged, ultra-light, easy-to-use infrared camera that produces fully radiometric images allowing the operator to measure the temperature of objects accurately. This ThermaCAM captures images at a speed of 50Hz making it also possible to scan moving targets. "This investment will allow us to move away from traditional timebased overhauls in favour of condition-based monitoring for the main electrical switchboards and other plant," Michael Clarke concludes. "We also plan to use our cameras to monitor pumps,motors and tank levels and to check the integrity of pipework insulation to minimise energy loss." More articles from Flir Systems Ltd: | 
