Transpetro is a Brazilian company with global operations, a subsidiary of Petrobras, responsible for storing and transporting oil, oil by-products, biofuels, and natural gas throughout the Brazilian territory.
Annually, about 601 million m³ of fuels are transported through Transpetro’s terminals and pipelines, and another 58 million m³ are transported by sea. Additionally, 60 million m³ of natural gas are moved daily through gas pipelines.
Transpetro has 8.500 kilometers of pipelines in operation, of which 7.768 km are oil pipelines and 625 km are gas pipelines. Added to this total, the company also has 49 terminals, of which 21 are land terminals and 28 are waterway terminals. Regarding maritime transportation, Transpetro’s fleet currently has 36 vessels.
Understanding the importance of using advanced technologies to ensure the smooth running of activities, Transpetro chose Dynamox’s predictive remote vibration and temperature monitoring solution to supervise part of its fuel transportation pipeline system.
The pilot project for the application of the sensors occurred in the onshore terminal of Uberaba, Minas Gerais. Four HF+ model remote vibration and temperature monitoring sensors were installed in the terminal’s pipelines. Once the implementation stage was completed and after observing the results obtained, the company decided to expand the project by acquiring more sensors and applying them to other terminals.
With this expansion, twelve more sensors were installed in Uberaba, twenty sensors at the Ribeirão Preto terminal and another twelve in each of the following terminals: Uberlândia, Senador Canedo and Pirassununga. In all, about 90 Dynamox sensors were installed in the pipelines.
Victor Zoratti Ferreira, mechanical engineer at Transpetro and responsible for the project, mentioned some points that contributed to the choice of incorporating Dynamox’s vibration sensors in the pipeline monitoring operations. According to him, the ISOs for data security were a determining factor in the decision, since the ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 27018, and ISO 27701 certifications guarantee compliance with strict international quality and safety standards.
In addition, Dynamox sensors also have IP66, IP68 and IP69 degrees of protection, which certify that the product is dustproof and resistant against the effects of continuous immersion in water at a depth of 2 meters for 30 minutes, besides being protected against powerful high-pressure and high-temperature water jets.
When asked about the experience of implementing the solution, Victor evaluates positively and says: “Dynamox sensors and gateways are cost-effective and easy to install. The technical team is always available to support the installation and answer any questions. In addition, the company is constantly implementing platform and sensor improvements.”
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