Safe rig inspection

Instrument rental ensures safety during rig inspection

Hired mercury analysers from instrumentation specialist Ashtead Technology have helped to ensure the fast, effective safety inspection of an oil and gas platform 150 miles off the coast of Scotland.

Inspection and servicing company MS Industrial Services, based in Invergordon (GB), contacted the company to hire a pair of Jerome J405 Mercury Analysers to monitor conditions on the rig prior to a shutdown and a month-long safety inspection.

According to Graham Holloway, Contracts Manager at MSIS, the J405 Analysers, which use proven technology to provide high levels of accuracy and usability for toxic vapour and gas detection, were deployed during the preliminary atmospheric testing process.

He said: “In conjunction with other gas detection work on the rig, the J405s helped us to establish a clear picture of the potential occupational exposure for our operatives during the shutdown. This enabled us to deploy the correct personal and respiratory protective equipment, such as full face respirators. “We have received positive feedback from our operatives and our client on the performance of the J405s and we would certainly utilise Ashtead Technology for the provision of this specialist equipment for future contracts.”
Key features of the J405 include improved ergonomics, a larger display as well as improved data storage, retrieval and communications. It can be used across a wide range of mercury-related applications, including mercury spill response, facility monitoring and hazardous waste analysis.

Alan Hasson, Ashtead Technology’s General Manager, added: “This application highlights the many benefits of instrument rental. The instruments were delivered tested and ready for immediate deployment, which meant that MSIS was able to utilise the latest version of these monitors without having to tie up capital and resources. At the end of the hire period, instruments are simply returned to us, so there are no ongoing maintenance, storage or write-off costs. "Ashtead Technology's instrument hire business has grown rapidly in recent years as more companies switch from ownership to rental in order to reduce costs whilst maintaining access to the latest technology.”