Critical vessels are key process units in chemical and refinery operations.
They include gasifiers, steam methane reformers, reactors, distillation columns and pressurized storage tanks, among other vessels.
They typically handle high pressures, temperatures or hazardous materials, making their integrity essential to safe and reliable plant operations.
Monitoring these vessels plays an important role in the organization’s broader Asset Integrity Management strategy.
A comprehensive vessel monitoring system uses a range of tools, technologies, and approaches to detect abnormal operating conditions, structural issues or other potential failures.
Jon Lowenberg
Unfortunately, many of the traditional tools and approaches fail to provide comprehensive coverage of the entire vessel.
Without access to continuous temperature data, operators may not be able to detect the telltale signs of failure before it’s too late.
Thermocouples are point-based temperature sensors used to measure localized temperatures on or within process vessels.
They are common in chemical production facilities and refineries and are typically installed in thermowells or directly embedded in vessel walls.
Thermocouples offer useful localized temperature data but lack the coverage, resolution, and robustness needed for comprehensive vessel monitoring.
Jon Lowenberg
They cannot detect anomalies that occur between sensors, allowing minor issues to grow into more severe failures.
Further, because they come into contact with the vessel, they are subjected to vibration, heat and corrosion, making them prone to fatigue or failure.
Thermocouples are difficult to install and require frequent calibration, maintenance and repairs, all of which necessitate downtime so that technicians can safely access the vessel.
In contrast to thermocouples, fiber optic temperature sensing systems allow for distributed temperature measurement along the entire length of the fiber.
They measure how light signals change along the length of the optical fiber, allowing temperature data to be captured at many points.
This makes it possible for operators to detect temperature gradients, hotspots or other anomalies across the surface of the vessel.
Despite this broader coverage, fiber optic systems still only measure temperature along the fiber path, meaning they are also prone to missing localized anomalies or hotspots around the vessel circumference.
Moreover, they require highly precise installation and can be difficult to maintain and use.
Specialized software and expertise are needed to interpret and use the data, limiting an operator’s ability to quickly understand the health and performance of the vessel.
Physical inspections are commonly used to assess the structural integrity, surface condition and overall health of critical vessels.
Jon Lowenberg
They remain fundamental to Asset Integrity Management and regulatory compliance programs and they are still useful for baseline and post-maintenance validation.
However, physical inspections are costly and labor-intensive, requiring workers to access hazardous areas where they could be exposed to high temperatures, toxic chemicals or other dangerous conditions.
They can only be performed during shutdowns or asset turnovers, further increasing total cost.
Finally, because they occur intermittently, issues that develop between inspections may go undetected and unresolved, resulting in catastrophic failure.
Continuous Critical Vessel Monitoring solutions leverage advanced thermal and visual cameras to provide 24/7 coverage of the entire vessel.
Thermal cameras used to be prohibitively expensive for many applications. But as the technology has improved, the cost of these cameras has fallen considerably.
Today, thermal cameras offer a viable and cost-effective solution to refineries and chemical manufacturers with critical vessels.
Jon Lowenberg
By deploying multiple cameras, facilities gain complete coverage of the vessel and far more data on the health and performance of the asset.
Compared to traditional tools, Continuous Critical Vessel Monitoring solutions are reliable, non-intrusive and easy to use.
They provide operators with a simple visualization of exterior vessel temperature so they can optimize production and mitigate the risk of failure.
With greater access to both historical and real-time data, operators can detect anomalies, diagnose potential issues, adjust inputs and mitigate the risk of catastrophic failure.
Our continuous Critical Vessel Monitoring (CVM) system utilizes strategically placed thermal cameras to ensure complete coverage of the vessel.
The system operates by connecting the digital data stream from the cameras via Ethernet (Cat6/PoE) to the ViperVision control system.
ViperVision software is responsible for controlling all camera functions, collecting and analyzing temperature data and displaying the thermal images.
ViperVision software integrates with thermal imaging cameras, enabling direct communication with the majority of industrial platform controllers.
Jon Lowenberg
The software analyzes the data, comparing it to established parameters, and will activate an alarm if necessary. These parameters are customizable to suit specific application requirements.
Our Critical Vessel Monitoring System is engineered for use in hazardous environments.
To safeguard the camera equipment, each thermal imaging camera is housed in an industrial enclosure that employs the necessary purge and pressurization techniques.
As critical vessels continue to operate under increasingly demanding process conditions, the limitations of traditional monitoring approaches become more difficult to overlook.
Gaps in coverage, delayed detection and reliance on intermittent inspections all introduce unnecessary risk to both safety and production reliability.
Continuous Critical Vessel Monitoring fills these gaps by delivering complete, real-time visibility into vessel behavior, enabling earlier detection of thermal anomalies and more informed operational decisions.
For facilities seeking to strengthen their Asset Integrity Management programs while reducing exposure to unplanned downtime and catastrophic failure, camera-based continuous monitoring systems—such as Viper Imaging’s Critical Vessel Monitoring solution—represent a proven and practical path forward.
