Shell taps Permasense units at Singapore refinery

Permasense has secured a milestone order from Shell’s Pulau Bukom refinery in Singapore. The application will see Permasense deliver its 10,000th permanently installed corrosion and erosion sensor in its largest single installation in Asia to date, according to company representatives.

Following an initial order of 25 sensors last year, installed to extract thickness data from inaccessible locations, Shell will expand its monitoring system in August 2015 to include an additional 128 sensors spread across three of the Pulau Bukom refinery’s units.

“The continuous stream of actionable data from Permasense’s sensors has brought real benefits by enabling better-informed, evidence-based operational decision making," said Xuan-Thang (Victor) Doan, inspection engineer at the Pulau Bukom refinery. "The expansion of our integrity monitoring system will give us increased visibility into the refinery’s corrosion activity, allowing us to see the impact of crude slate variations.”

The company said it sees considerable value in having real-time pipe wall thickness measurements delivered directly to desk, enabling continuous visibility into corrosion activity. The initial installation enabled an enhanced understanding of the impact of changes in crude slate on asset integrity, prompting Shell to install a wider distribution of sensors that will provide a more complete image of the corrosion status of the refinery.

“We’re immensely proud to be delivering our 10,000th sensor to Shell’s Pulau Bukom, having proved the value of our technology at this refinery and other Shell business units around the world," said Peter Collins, CEO of Permasense. 

"Our cost-effective corrosion and erosion monitoring systems deliver real-time measurements directly to the desks of decision makers who use the enhanced quality and frequency of data to operate their facilities more profitably and safely," he added. "Shell have actively embraced our technology from its commercial introduction as a means to optimize their operations.”