by Emily Newton
Leaks and spills of chemicals, flammable liquids and other materials could become catastrophic at worst and costly at best. Industrial liquid spill detection systems have become popular for preventing problems and allowing people to respond much faster if they occur.
Many people are interested in how automated solutions might fit into their workflows. What benefits can they expect from such approaches? Knowing about the well-established perks can make it easier for officials to decide whether to start using automation in their industrial environments.
1. Offering better accident prevention and trend monitoring
The yellow, triangular wet-floor signs seen in public-facing areas are simple yet effective ways to warn people to watch their step and not walk too quickly across surfaces that could still be slick from recent spills. People can see those visible indicators from a distance and adjust their strides to stay safe rather than potentially suffering slip-and-fall injuries. However, some decision-makers want to take things to the next level and automatically detect specific hazards that could cause passersby to lose their balance.
One solution relies on computer vision to spot liquid spills in real time and notify workers to clean them before accidents happen. Additionally, people can employ this option without making infrastructural changes that might otherwise discourage them or slow their technological deployments. Instead, it works with existing CCTV cameras.
Besides alerting people to the presence of spills, this automated solution generates useful data for safety managers or other authorities to analyze. For example, it determines the number of accidents per location or the average time required to address each one.
People can change their mitigation or cleaning strategies based on the results. Perhaps the insights show that spills happen more often during a particular time of day or in a certain area. That knowledge could encourage individuals to staff more cleaners around problematic places or move items to different locations where they are less likely to spill.
Users can also track how trends evolve, seeing whether specific changes they have made helped. Verifying positive differences in accident prevention efforts can keep motivation high by showing how companies’ efforts have paid off.
2. Improving people’s awareness
Connected sensors have become instrumental in gathering data to show what happens to goods moving through the world’s supply chains. For example, parties use up to 25 million dry containers annually worldwide. Now, designated company representatives can receive instant notifications when products are outside optimal ranges or handling partners drop them.
Industrial liquid spill detection works similarly. Automated tank gauge sensors are good examples. They warn users of overfilled vessels, which could cause spills. Additionally, they can detect if tanks have defects that cause them to leak.
Besides alerting people to problems, these sensors contribute to inventory management decisions, helping the responsible individuals determine when to restock the contents. Such details are critical in environments such as manufacturing facilities or airports because running out of liquid supplies sooner than intended could halt or slow operations.
Industries use liquids and gases in various quantities, so the associated vessels must be different sizes and shapes — or have specific temperature and pressure ratings — depending on the desired application. Additionally, many users have custom vessels designed for the volumes people must store. Customized containers can significantly reduce spills, but other factors, including user mistakes, can still cause them to occur. That is why sensors that automatically notice problems are ideal for helping people control and respond to spillage.
The sooner people know a spill has happened, the faster they can begin cleanup. However, unaddressed issues that persist for days, weeks or longer can pose environmental threats and health hazards while elevating companies’ costs.
3. Enhancing inspection methods for liquid-holding infrastructure
Some parties assert that modern pipelines and offshore wells need timelier checks, mentioning they would prevent oil spills that can destroy ecosystems and necessitate time-consuming and labor-intensive responses. Inspections currently require trained divers and are extremely costly, and the challenges increase when people must inspect assets located at significant depths.
These issues have motivated a university team to develop autonomous robots that could find pipeline leaks or structural abnormalities, helping people address problems before they get out of control. Those involved with this project say corrosion causes most small leaks, which can be environmentally devastating. Similarly, damaged pipes that leak toxic or harsh fluids cause substantial pollution.
This autonomous solution is in the early stages, but it consists of remote-operated vehicles that include several stress wave-based sensors, video cameras and scanning sonars. These robots swim along pipeline routes to check flange bolts. These small but crucial components connect segments, and their failure can make pipeline accidents — including leaks — more likely.
People have also explored other inspection methods, including those that use ultrasonic waves and machine learning. Since pipelines stretch over tremendous distances, finding effective ways to check them is important for accident prevention. Ideally, if these inspections happen frequently, autonomous robots or similar options could warn people of the infrastructure that needs urgent attention to prevent impending problems.
The alternative is that officials are alerted to issues once leaks and spills have started, meaning they must work quickly to curb the damage. It is far better for automation to detect abnormalities that will soon become problems. Then, authorities have more opportunities to be proactive rather than reactive.
Is it time to use industrial liquid spill detection?
These advantages of industrial liquid spill detection technologies could make decision-makers more willing to try them. However, before proceeding, leaders should consider the number of areas or containers that need monitoring and whether inadequate oversight has previously caused accidents.
Additionally, it is essential to train team members on how to use installed technologies, including recognizing when problems arise and knowing how to react. If people are alerted to issues but do not respond in time, the aftermath could be nearly as severe as if they did nothing. Industrial liquid spill detection does not fix all shortcomings, but it could be ideal in environments where workers already follow best practices but desire better awareness.
