15-02-2022
Combating corrosion at a major South African refinery
Remote monitoring specialist Omniflex is supplying next-generation cathodic protection (CP) technology to Engen, a major South African energy company, as it goes through a period of restructuring to shape the future of it’s Southern African fuel supply operations. Omniflex is providing impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) technology with remote monitoring and control for Engen’s CP requirements. This ensures ongoing asset protection and tank integrity across its bulk storage facilities as it makes the switch from a refinery to a terminal function.
Engen, a major Southern African energy company with bulk storage based in Durban, announced last year that it is proceeding with its Refinery-to-Terminal (RTT) conversion initiative as part of its wider business sustainability strategy. Essentially, this means the refinery will be repurposed for tank terminal storage instead of refining crude. The initiative also will deliver significant reductions in electricity and water consumption across the site, as well as lowering emissions and the overall carbon footprint.
A key part of the initiative is the tank refurbishment program, which will see old tank equipment replaced with new equipment that meets the latest standards. This is where Omniflex comes in, providing remote monitoring and control systems in the shape of three PowerView CP control system panels, each one able to individually manage twelve bulk storage tanks, 24/7. These enable better management and surveillance of the tank protection system and increased site-wide monitoring and control.
“Traditionally, CP engineers relied on physical site inspections to monitor corrosion levels and system performance,” explained Ian Loudon, international sales and marketing manager at Omniflex. “However, as regulations and standards continue to evolve, there is a growing need for data accessibility and transparency to meet reporting targets. This means engineers face the prospect of visiting sites to inspect difficult-to-access systems more often, something with is costly and disruptive.
“Engen has 36 oil tanks spread across a large geographical location, so it is time consuming for engineers to physically inspect and tabulate CP system parameters. In situations like these, taking advantage of remote monitoring for CP systems is a no brainer, since it saves the customer time and money in the long run and provides ongoing data integrity that guarantees corrosion is controlled.
“The new ICCP systems have been fitted to the existing refurbished tanks, minimising disruption caused by the system installation,” continued Loudon. “The solution offers several key advantages over the old system, such as alarm condition alerts via SMS and email in the event of a problem, and access to a repository of real-time and historical data for improved management of tank assets.”
News Category:
-
Beyond processbook & PI vision: Exploring today’s industrial analytics tools
(Webinar) - In the Manufacturing 4.0 era, industrial organizations have more data at their fingertips than ever, offering the promise of higher production rates, more ...
04-06-2024
-
Sasol provides state of the art catalysts to INERATEC for the production of sustainable e-fuels
The catalysts will be used, among others, in the first large-scale industrial Power-to-Liquid (PtL) plant that INERATEC is currently building in Frankfurt, Germany, which ...
24-04-2024
-
Baker Hughes to supply 17 centrifugal compressors to Saudi Master Gas System project
Baker Hughes, an energy technology company, announced Tuesday that it has received an order by Worley, for and on behalf of Aramco, to supply gas technology equipment ...
23-04-2024
-
SABIC Fujian Petrochemicals select Phenol yechnology from KBR
KBR announced today it has been awarded a contract by SABIC Fujian Petrochemicals to license KBR's market-leading phenol technology in China. Under the terms of the ...
22-04-2024
-
Lummus Expands R&D capabilities to enhance innovation and water and wastewater technologies
Lummus Technology, a global provider of process technologies and value-driven energy solutions, announced the opening of its cutting-edge research and development (R&D) ...
17-04-2024
-
Clariant launches new CATOFIN® 312 propane dehydrogenation catalyst
Clariant, a sustainability-focused specialty chemical company, today announced the launch of CATOFIN 312, its latest propane dehydrogenation catalyst. The new catalyst ...
16-04-2024
-
Yokogawa and GridBeyond conclude investment and strategic partnership agreements
Yokogawa Electric Corporation and energy IT solutions provider GridBeyond of Ireland announce that they have concluded a strategic partnership agreement. Furthermore, ...
16-04-2024
-
Heraeus Precious Metals launches Circlear
Heraeus Precious Metals, a globally leading company in the precious metals industry and one of the largest recyclers of precious metals, has introduced its new offering ...
16-04-2024
-
EMA and JERA to cooperate on LNG procurement and supply chains
The Energy Market Authority and JERA Co Inc, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on mutually beneficial areas in liquefied natural gas procurement ...
16-04-2024
-
Hexagon and Dragos unveil technical partnership to strengthen industrial cybersecurity
Hexagon’s Asset Lifecycle Intelligence division today announced a strategic partnership with Dragos, a global leader in cybersecurity for operational technology (OT). ...
16-04-2024