Gas and vapour release
The event that starts most process fires. It is invisible, it travels, and it needs very little to light.
Industries we protectFire Protection for
Fire Protection for
Oil, Gas and Chemicals
Flammable gas and vapour, outdoor process areas and tank farms. Smoke detection is the wrong tool here. We design, install and maintain the gas and flame detection that works in these conditions.
Industry overview
Fire and Gas Safety on Process Plants
On a process plant the fire you are trying to prevent usually starts as a release. Gas or vapour escapes, finds an ignition source, and what follows happens in seconds. By the time there is smoke to detect, you are already dealing with the consequence rather than the cause.
So the detection here is different. Gas detectors watch for the release itself, before anything ignites. Flame detectors read the fire directly rather than waiting for smoke, which matters outdoors where smoke simply blows away. And where an area is classified as hazardous, the equipment has to be rated for it — that is not optional.
We work across refineries and terminals, chemical and petrochemical plants, LNG and gas handling, tank farms and loading gantries, and the lubricant and specialty chemical sites that sit alongside them.
- One contractor, start to finish Survey, design, supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance, all by us.
- Equipment rated for the area Detection selected against the area classification, not fitted and hoped for.
- Detection chosen per gas Sensors picked for the gases actually present on your plant and placed where a release would travel.
- Calibration and records Gas detection only works if it is calibrated. We do that on schedule and keep the record.
Risk profile
Key Fire and Safety Considerations
The six points we look at most closely when we survey a process site.
Outdoors, where smoke blows away
Smoke detection is close to useless in open process areas. The fire has to be read directly.
Tank farms and loading gantries
Large inventories and transfer operations, which is when most releases actually happen.
Ignition sources everywhere
Motors, switchgear and hot work in the same plant as the flammable inventory.
Detectors nobody calibrates
A gas detector that has not been calibrated is a light on a panel, not a safety system.
Consequence, not just loss
On these sites an event reaches past the plant, which is why the standards and the scrutiny are what they are.
Recommended solutions
Recommended Fire and Gas Solutions
Most plants end up with a mix of these. What goes where follows the hazard, the area classification and the gases actually present.
Fixed Gas Detection Systems
Know a concentration is rising while it is still a ventilation problem — fixed toxic and…
Solution detail
Flame Detection Systems
See the fire itself, in seconds — for fuel handling, process areas and outdoor zones where a…
Solution detail
Addressable Fire Alarm Systems
The system everything else waits on — addressable panels, detectors and notification devices…
Solution detail
Sprinkler and Deluge Systems
The layer that works with nobody present — wet, pre-action and deluge systems designed to your…
Solution detail
Linear Heat Detection Systems
Make the cable the detector — continuous heat sensing along conveyors, cable trays, tunnels and…
Solution detail
Electrical Panel Fire Protection
Deal with the fire inside the cabinet, in the first seconds — tube-based suppression that needs…
Solution detailProducts & technologies
Products and Technologies We Supply
Supplied and commissioned by us, from the manufacturers we are partnered with. Each page carries that manufacturer's own product information and datasheets.
Oldham Fixed Gas Detection
Controllers and fixed detectors for toxic and combustible gases — selected per gas, placed by…
Product detail
FFE Talentum Flame Detection
Flame detectors that read the fire itself — for fuel handling, process areas and outdoor zones…
Product detail
Thermocable ProReact Linear Heat Detection
Heat-sensing cable that makes the whole run the detector — for conveyors, cable trays, tunnels…
Product detail
Simplex Fire Alarm & Detection Systems
Intelligent fire detection and alarm solutions for modern buildings — addressable control…
Product detail
Kentec Gas Release Control Panels
Dedicated extinguishant release control — supervised actuator circuits, abort and manual…
Product detail
Firetrace Panel and Enclosure Suppression
Tube-based suppression that deals with the fire inside the cabinet, in the first seconds, with…
Product detailApplications by area
Protection by Plant Area
These are the things we weigh up in each area.
Process units
Fixed gas detection placed where a release would actually travel, with flame detection covering the areas that could light quickly.
Tank farms
Flame detection over the bunds, linear heat on the tank shells, and deluge protection sized to the inventory.
Loading gantries
Gas detection at the transfer points, because that is where most releases happen, with flame detection covering the bay.
Compressor and pump houses
Enclosed spaces where a release concentrates rather than disperses, so detection has to be inside them.
Control rooms
Air-sampling detection with clean agent or inert gas suppression, so the room stays usable.
Electrical substations
Detection inside the panel and suppression in the cabinet, with equipment rated for the area it sits in.
Our clients
Clients We Protect in This Sector
Our expertise
Our Areas of Expertise
The parts of a fire and gas project that need the most care, and how we handle them.
Detectors placed where gas goes
Siting worked out from where a release would travel and settle, rather than spaced evenly on a drawing.
Sensors chosen per gas
Detection selected for the gases actually present on your plant, because one sensor does not read them all.
Flame detection that reads the fire
Detectors that see the fire itself rather than waiting for smoke, which is what outdoor areas need.
Equipment rated for the area
Selection against the area classification, so what is installed is legal as well as effective.
Calibration on schedule
Gas detection is only as good as its last calibration. We do it to schedule and keep the record.
Keeping it working afterwards
Scheduled servicing and testing under an AMC, with a record of every visit and the same engineers coming back.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions process safety and EHS teams ask us first.
Still have a question?
Speak directly with one of our fire safety engineers.
Call +91 88795 33000Why is smoke detection not enough on a process plant?
Because outdoors there is nothing to hold the smoke. It disperses before it reaches a detector, and by the time there is enough of it to register you are well past the point where early warning helps. Gas detection catches the release before ignition, and flame detection reads the fire itself.
How do you decide where gas detectors go?
From where a release would actually travel. That depends on what the gas is — heavier than air settles, lighter rises — where the likely release points are, and how the area is ventilated. Even spacing on a drawing is the commonest mistake we see.
Does equipment have to be certified for hazardous areas?
Where an area is classified, yes. The equipment has to be rated for that classification, and installed accordingly. We confirm the rating of the specific models proposed against your area classification drawings rather than assuming it.
How often does gas detection need calibrating?
It depends on the sensor type, the gas and the conditions, and the manufacturer sets the interval. The important part is that it happens on schedule and gets recorded — an uncalibrated detector gives you a false sense of safety, which is worse than none.
Can you install while we keep operating?
Usually, yes. The work is phased around your hours, area by area. If a short shutdown is genuinely unavoidable we tell you at design stage so you can plan for it, rather than you finding out on the day.
Can we extend what we already have instead of replacing it?
Often you can. It depends on the panel you have, whether it has spare capacity and whether the equipment is still supported by its manufacturer. We check that on site before we propose anything, and we will say plainly if extending it is the wrong call.
What does a site assessment involve?
An engineer comes out, walks the site with you and looks at each area. You get a written view of where the gaps are and what we would recommend, with the reasoning behind it. There is no charge and no obligation.
Contact our industry experts
Get a Fire and Gas Safety Plan
Tell us what you handle, where the release points are and how the areas are classified, and an engineer will come and walk the plant.