Geo Therm - Thermal Imaging Services

Geo Therm Ltd is a thermal infrared imaging and diagnoses service company providing invaluable information on temperature anomalies in the offshore drilling and production industry. The versatility of thermal imaging could not be more suited to the environs of the offshore industry. The temperature evaluation of operating electrical rotating and reciprocating plant can provide invaluable and immediate data to alert maintenance crews of abnormal heating patterns before equipment failure and downtime occurs.

HAND HELD THERMAL IMAGING CAMERAS

Serving as a first level inspection tool our hand held thermal imaging cameras can non-invasively detect temperatures ranging from -40ºC to 1500ºC with minimal interference to on-going operations. Our cameras have saved service crews, drilling and production companies many hundreds of thousands of pounds with each survey. Some examples of previous offshore IR surveys include:

• Identifying loose busbar bolts and faulty SCR units
• Temperature evaluation and monitoring of National mud pumps and mud flow lines, (second image)
• Evaluating shaker room mud motor temperatures
• Detecting hydrate formation in flow lines
• Monitoring electrical panels and cable terminations
• Identifying faulty crane SCR units, (third image)
• Bearing and drive shaft monitoring
• Installation of thermal infrared 'windows' for safe visual and thermal inspections in electrical panels
• Monitoring fin-fan efficiency in water cooled systems
• Identifying passing valves in process piping
• Determining insulation degradation on pipe and duct systems
• Monitoring liquid levels in tanks and scale build up in process piping

OFFSHORE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE

Geo Therm's thermal imaging services are an asset to any offshore preventative maintenance department helping to amplify equpiment and facility maintenance priorites. Our exception based reporting ensures a rapid turnaround of information with minimal downtime, cost and LTi'S to you and your facility.

PIPE AND PROCESS - THERMAL INFRARED INSPECTIONS

Within the pipe and process industries thermal infrared inspections are used as a condition monitoring tool and process evaluation technique, remotely gathering thermal information for monitoring the condition of virtually any component or process operation. The differences in physical properties and or defects of various materials will result in temperature variations upon the surface of the body or within the process. By monitoring the operating condition of the object, process or facility time efficient proactive rather than reactive decisions can be made.

If the object is in good operating condition a 'normal' thermal pattern or signature is displayed however, thermal properties change with corrosion, cracking, erosion, leaks blockages, varying fluid levels, coking, scale build up, flow restrictions, blockages, channelling, leaks, lubricant deficiencies, deposit formations, and thinning. When many process facilities operate around the clock, production losses from any one of the above reasons can never be made up.

INFRARED THERMOGRAPHY FOR OFFSHORE ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS

Many problems in electrical systems are caused by abnormal heating associated with high resistance (poor contact) or excessive current flow. Infrared thermography allows us to see this elevated temperature before the component 'glows' in the visible spectrum and contributes to fire ignition. By using our thermographic services we will quickly locate abnormal thermal signatures, pinpointing problems among the hundreds of thousands of electrical connections aboard your rig or process facility, saving downtime, LTi's and encouraging better electrical PM and operational safety. A properly instituted electrical IR inspection program will help indicate:

• Phase imbalances, broken insulation and inductive heating
• Hot spots in bushings, breakers and busbar retaining bolts
• High resistance/poor connections in low and high voltage switch gear, fuses and knife blade connects
• Overloads in power systems, breakers, lighting panels and SCR units
• Detect mud-pump and draw-work brush problems