From onshore pipelines, refineries and office buildings to offshore platforms and vessels, the oil and gas industry has a range of expensive and critical assets which require protection from unwanted damage or intrusion.
Operators commonly use a range of security measures including closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to safeguard their sites.
For oil and gas facilities, operators may employ intrusion detection which uses a variety of technologies, such as active fences equipped with fibre-optic and microphonic cable to detect vibrations and sound; infrared and micro-wave barriers; and CCTV for motion detection and access control.
Airborne or ground-based radar can also monitor the position of any aircraft or ground vehicles, and an alert is issued if an intruder enters an unauthorised area. For offshore assets, over and underwater intruders can be isolated and tracked using radar and sonar sensors.
Surveillance on-site
CCTV cameras are essential for monitoring and recording areas of critical importance and may be a deterrent against unwanted intruders. The cameras must be able to withstand the industry’s harsh and hazardous elements, which is why explosion-proof systems are ideally suited for the sector. Explosion-proof cameras typically feature a stainless steel housing which is certified for hazardous areas according to IECEx certification, the internationally recognised regulation.
Petroleos Mexicanos’ (Pemex) is the largest oil and gas company in Mexico which transports and distributes natural gas, liquid hydrocarbons and basic petrochemicals.
The company’s ‘Cactus’ processing and extraction facility covers approximately 480 acres and was established to support activities following the discovery of oil in Mexico’s Tabasco-Chiapas region in 1972.
Due to the potentially harmful nature of the facility’s processes and products, and to provide enhanced security for the vast site, its employees and visitors, it was equipped with a continuous video surveillance system. The system allows Pemex to monitor operations in real-time, record events and to assist with preventive maintenance.
The system includes several explosion-proof integrated cameras with fibre optics connectivity that are linked to servers. The cameras have been placed at strategic locations throughout the facility to capture all the critical areas on the site. The system features powerful zoom lens capabilities which enable equipment and events to be evaluated prior to personnel having to attend the site.
The system allows Pemex to ensure the security of thousands of people and the protection of critical infrastructure. Various communication systems also enhance operational efficiency and living conditions through CCTV, public address and general alarm (PA/GA) and access control.
UAVs for an aerial view
While UAVs are most commonly used for remote monitoring, advancements in sensing and imaging technologies are now enabling them to be deployed in numerous other applications, including surveillance.
Oil and gas facilities are considered high-value targets because they are vital to the economy. Disruption of service to these facilities could have a catastrophic national impact.
UAVs can provide seamless awareness on possible emergency situations such as oil spills, shipping incidents, industrial accidents, acts of terrorism, and so forth.
UAVs can provide situational awareness beyond the rig by enabling operators to gain broad-area, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capability, to help detect and avoid ‘non-cooperative’ traffic.
By incorporating radio over internet protocol (ROIP), it also expands the ability to communicate with air traffic control and local traffic in the operations area.
UAVs also assist operators to see real-time information about the local airspace and can provide real-time alerting which will give operators the opportunity to act depending on what is detected.