Gas leak detector fitted on North Sea platform

Edited by the Manufacturingtalk editorial team Feb 1, 2007

Groveley Detection: Cavendish platform is first installation for GDU ultrasonic leak detector.

RWE Dea UK's new Cavendish NUI platform in the North Sea will be the first platform to be fitted with Groveley Detection's GDU ultrasonic gas leak detector.

Three units have been fitted alongside Simtronics point IR detectors on each level; sub-cellar deck, cellar deck and mezzanine level.

Groveley's GDU is an omni-directional airborne gas leak detector that instantly responds to pressurised gas leaks.

It detects leaks over a wide dB range by 'hearing' the sound generated by escaping gas at ultrasonic frequencies rather than responding to specific values of LEL or ppm.

Groveley's Dr Eliot Sizeland says: "The GDU is small, light and easy to fit, it needs no special orientation, has a large area of coverage and no flame path inspection is required".

The GDU is not direction sensitive, which makes it useful for applications where the all-round detection capability can be maximised to cover large areas of risk from a single location.

Its analogue output means the alarm level can be adjusted higher than its local background noise, making it suitable for areas with differing ambient noise.

Sensitivity can be tailored to suit an installation's specific applications to avoid unwanted alarms.

The Cavendish gas field is located in the UK Southern Gas Basin in the RWE Dea UK operated Block 43/19a.

First gas from Cavendish is expected in March 2007; gas will be exported to the ConocoPhillips Murdoch platform via a new 47km long 10" pipeline, then onto the UK mainland throughthe Caister Murdoch trunkline system, landing eventually at the Theddlethorpe gas terminal.