A couple weeks ago we talked about the extreme growth in the U.S. oil and gas industry due to the fracking revolution that unearthed a plethora of natural gas and shale oil across North America and how it gave rise to some little known players in the industry falling under the midstream sector umbrella. The increase gave way to constrained infrastructure problems (how do we transport all this fracked energy??) which has forced refiners to think outside the box…in other words, the barge is back! 

After the shale oil and natural gas have been refined, inland barges are used to transport these refined products, so what happens after a shipment has been unloaded?

The tank barge must be degassed of any leftover gases or vapors. These gases and vapors are purged and sent to an enclosed flare for destruction. This is where a monitoring system is crucial. The BTU content of the waste gas stream going to the flare needs to be measured and then controlled with assist gas to keep the BTU content above 300 BTU/SCF. Since the barges often transport a large variety of chemicals and gases an analyzer that can handle this demand would be necessary, plus one with a fast response time to quickly respond and activate controls to adjust the assist gas (methane or propane).

To find out more details about how to monitor a tank barge read our Case History.

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