Shell stays safe with tough gas detectors

Engineering and production staff at the Shell UK Stanlow manufacturing complex are protected against gas risks by portable detectors from Crowcon, proved on site for over a decade

Engineering and production staff at the Shell UK Stanlow manufacturing complex are protected against gas risks by portable detectors from Crowcon.

Chosen for their durability, more than 300 monitors are used at the vast site in northwest England, which produces fuels, lubricants and specialty chemicals.

According to Senior Analyser Technician Neil Roberts, ruggedness was a key factor in the Shell UK choice of gas detector supplier.

"We issue the instruments to off-site contractors as well as Shell personnel, which means they pass through many pairs of hands in a short space of time," he explains.

"Without a sense of ownership on the part of the user, they can get some pretty rough treatment." Neil also attributes the success of the Shell relationship with Crowcon, whose products have been used on site for more than a decade, to the level of technical support offered by the company.

Crowcon engineers visit Stanlow for six days in every month to service and calibrate the monitors used at each of the six Production Units in the complex.

Where only one hazard is to be monitored, personnel are issued with Gasman II single-gas detectors, of which there are some 200 on site.

Several sensor types are kept for different applications, including flammable gas, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide.

For applications involving multiple gas risks, such as confined space work in storage tanks or culverts, Triple Plus four-channel instruments are carried.

These units are also used for sampling gas from vessels and pipework.

In addition, the company uses the Crowcon freestanding monitor, Detective, which has a rigid integral tripod to keep the sensors lifted clear of contaminants on the ground.

Several units can be linked to form a detection and alarm network around a temporary hazard.

According to Neil Roberts, this system ensures localised area protection wherever it is needed, without relying on permanently installed monitoring equipment.

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