NORCO, LA—March 15, 2016—For five consecutive years, M S Benbow & Associates (MSB) has received the Safety Excellence Award for outstanding workforce safety performance at the Shell Norco Chemical Plant and Motiva Norco Refinery in St. Charles Parish, La. Continue reading
DIMS Group at Shell/Motiva Norco achieves 10,000+ hour safety record
NORCO, LA—June 6, 2013—M S Benbow & Associates (MSB) was recognized with the 2012 Safety Excellence Award for its workplace safety performance at the Shell Norco Chemical Plant and Motiva Norco Refinery in St. Charles Parish, La. Continue reading
THE CHALLENGE
A chemical refinery seeking to consolidate its system operators into a central control room away from pumps, heaters and valves located in hazardous areas needed a video surveillance system that could reliably monitor equipment in sensitive locations.The move would help the client limit exposure of its personnel to potentially dangerous areas, with a special focus on areas most likely to experience a failure or event.
With the presence of highly corrosive chemicals in the hazardous areas, the monitoring system would require intrinsically safe explosion-proof rated cameras and enclosures able to withstand exposure to corrosive materials.
THE SOLUTION
The ability to access accurate and timely information is critical to allow the plant to respond swiftly to incidents that could affect the quality and safety of its operations and overall security. A turnkey design and installation was provided to convert an analog video surveillance system to a digital CCTV system that would allow the operators to remotely monitor hazardous areas of the plant from a new central control room. The system was designed to support future expansion while being efficient with the use of fiber infrastructure.
The engineering team selected camera housings and mounts that are explosion-proof rated and resistant to corrosion, and high-resolution cameras to accommodate extreme lighting conditions.
The project team installed more than 36 CCTV cameras in five different units to provide video surveillance coverage of all of the facility’s critical operation areas. Camera placements were selected based on providing maximum coverage, with additional cameras mounted in areas that had experienced past incidents of fire or explosion. Monitors for each of the 36 video surveillance cameras were incorporated into control room consoles.
In some areas where traditional methods for camera mounting was an issue, the team configured a lens designed to allow the camera/housing to be mounted in safer areas, but still provide the field of vision needed to monitor the equipment.
THE OUTCOME
The new video surveillance system allowed the client to locate its employees to a central control room away from potentially dangerous equipment and chemical hazards.
The video system has already provided a return on the investment by allowing operators to discreetly manage key operations areas and respond rapidly to equipment failures. The rapid response to failures based on the surveillance systems has contributed to the overall safety of the plant.
MSB offers expertise in engineering, design and project management in all aspects of Oil & Gas, including Exploration & Production, Refining, and Pipeline…
For more than 20 years, M S Benbow & Associates (MSB) has helped oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) companies improve their communications and remote operations capabilities by utilizing the most advanced technologies. By enhancing offshore automation, MSB helps E&P companies gain more control of their offshore assets and reduce operating costs by having SMEs onshore.
Whether by developing technical architecture recommendations, assisting offshore communications support personnel with hardware upgrades and software implementations, or troubleshooting network connectivity issues, MSB can service any telecommunication or technology need. Our clients depend on our expertise in telecom and IT needs analysis; design, implementation, and monitoring of IT networks; and, RF analysis and performance design and modeling for wireless and telemetry solutions.
M S Benbow & Associates (MSB) provides a wide array of services to refineries and the petrochemical industry. Whether it’s new construction, replacement or turnaround operations, we can handle all of your design, engineering and project management needs. MSB has a strong specialty in refining telecommunications and electrical engineering working on projects ranging from fiber optic networks to control system installs and upgrades. Our project managers are engineers with real world experience and have earned the trust of refineries along the Gulf Coast by demonstrating professional discipline, vendor autonomy, and attention to detail.