An oily business Today we look at sensors that use contactless technology and are specially designed to be used in hazardous and difficult to access areas, like the oil and gas industry. The oil and gas industry uses a vast array of sensors for various applications at all stages of the drilling and mining process, all the way through to the refinery stage. Some of the environments in which these sensors must operate are hazardous and difficult to access, including subsea pipelines, and offshore oil rigs; where dive-trained engineers are required to carry out repairs. In processing plants high temperatures and pressures are present, as well as the obvious risk of fire from the flammable oil or gas.The sensors used must be able to function at low and high temperatures and in environments where there are a lot of vibrations. Using contactless position sensor technology addresses the vibration issue straight away, as there is no danger of the sensors being knocked out of alignment and therefore being unable to make contact to operate. The potential contaminants in the oil and gas industry, such as chemicals, dirt and moisture can also be a big problem for contact sensors, so by using a contactless solution instead this issue can be negated quickly.Positek's range of intrinsically safe sensors, use contactless technology and are specially designed to be used in these types of risky environment. The X100, for example, can operate at temperatures from -40°c to 80°c and has a measurement range of 5 to 800mm. They are called intrinsically safe because they are physically incapable of producing a spark that could ignite any flammable gases present, making them ideal for use where flammable materials are involved. The intrinsically safe sensors must be used with a galvanically isolated 3 port amplifier, which channels 5 volts to the sensor, directing the buffered excess current to a safe area, well away from any gas or oil fumes that could pose a fire risk.Position sensors are often used on off-shore rigs for monitoring the position of the rig as it moves with the ocean currents, with the feedback being used to keep the rig in the right place all the time. The drilling process needs to be precisely controlled with the bit in the right area in order to safely drill, so maintaining the position of the bit, as well as the rig above water is imperative.Sensors are also used to check on underwater pipelines, to ensure they are not damaged or suffered any ill effects from ocean floor movement or marine life. Contactless sensors are ideal for this application too, as their suitability for underwater use means they can function perfectly well even when sea plants or other marine life floats in the way.It is estimated that of the 30,000 data points on an oil rig, only 1% of that data is fed back to the top level, meaning that there is a wealth of information going unused which could lead to better efficiency and saving costs across the industry, perhaps even leading to a drop in the price of a barrel of oil. Management consultants McKinsey ;amp; Company conducted the research that revealed this statistic, and further study by Bain ;amp; Co. found that if this data were to be used, oil companies could be looking at an increase in production of up to 8%, all without employing anymore staff or drilling in more sites, but just from refining their techniques to be more efficient.McKinsey ;amp; Company also found that the average uptime of North Sea oil rigs was at 82%, a far cry from the 95% target that most oil firms have. This shortfall was due largely to unplanned maintenance and repairs and despite the real time data being used on site to inform on-the-spot decisions, nothing much is happening to this data afterwards; when it could be being used to inform longer term decision making and better planning of maintenance schedules and policies.Additionally, when data from sensors is used in the industry, it is often done so in a closed silo system, with separate departments being responsible for their own data and not sharing this with other parts of the organisation, where it could provide real insight into a problem that may have gone unnoticed by the people working with the raw data. There is a move towards better data analytics in the oil and gas industry, and the rising prices have forced this to happen more quickly than if it were left to develop organically. It is a good thing in the long run, as it will lead to better efficiency and lower environmental impact as well as lower prices for consumers.Positek's sensors are ideal for use in the oil and gas industry, and if there is a specific type of sensor that could make a difference to the data collected then we can produce this for you, as we love working on custom projects. Soon the data collected by the various sensors on an oil rig will be put to good use and greater efficiency will be achieved, which means for the average person the price at the pumps will be less heart stopping than it currently is. Article published on: 13/01/2017 Article last updated on: 13/01/2017