Industries
Explosion protection in the oil and gas industry
The oil and gas industry concentrates flammable hydrocarbons in large, typically outdoor installations: refineries, tank farms, discharge terminals, pump and compressor stations. The zones are extensive, the sources of release are many, and the greatest risk arises not in normal running but at the moment of shutdown and restart. EPDS keeps the explosion protection documentation current and makes it demonstrable that the protection is in place at the moment of start-up.
Industry experience
Sound familiar?
A unit is restarted after a turnaround, but nobody confirms that every explosion protection measure is in place.
New equipment is installed in the tank farm or at the discharge point, yet the zone drawing does not follow the change.
IECEx certified devices are purchased, but the register does not keep track of the certificates and their expiry.
A leaking flange or valve is a secondary source of release, but the documentation does not reflect it.
Ahead of an audit you spend days gathering zone drawings, the equipment list and inspections from several installations.
If any of this sounds familiar, what you need is not another document but software that makes shutdown and restart safe as well.
Hazards
Typical explosion hazards in the oil and gas industry
What characterises the industry is the variety of hydrocarbons, the large outdoor plant and the high number of sources of release:
| Hazard source | Where typical | Typical zone |
|---|---|---|
| Hydrocarbon gases and vapours (natural gas, LPG, petroleum distillates) | distillation, tanks, pipework, pumps, compressors | gas zone (0/1/2), mostly IIA/IIB |
| Hydrogen (IIC) | hydrogenation, hydrocracking, gas handling | gas zone (1/2), IIC |
| Hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) | sour service, gas processing | gas zone (1/2), toxic as well |
| The vapour space of storage tanks | floating-roof and fixed-roof tanks, discharge | gas zone (0/1) |
| Electrostatic charging | discharge, filling, high flow rates | an ignition source in every zone |
The outdoor layout and natural ventilation reduce the extent of the zones, but the sheer number of release sources — pumps, compressors, valves, flanges, seals, sampling points and loading arms — makes the zone map complex, and it dates easily. IECEx certified equipment dominates the supply chain, and the register has to keep every certificate current. On top of that, the risk arises mainly during transitions rather than in normal running.
When we help
Typical situations when it’s worth talking
The riskiest moment: shutdown and restart
Normal running is well described by the documentation. The danger appears during shutdown, maintenance and restart, when conditions move outside the documented assumptions. A turnaround reshapes the plant; if the documentation does not follow, the restart rests on assumptions that are out of date.
A turnaround changes the plant. New equipment, modified connections and temporary arrangements appear; the zone classification has to follow them.
Protection has to be confirmed before restart. A formal pre-start-up check (MoC or PSSR) confirms that every explosion protection measure is in place.
The documentation has to be valid at the moment of start-up. Not after an incident, but before it.
The solution
How EPDS helps in the oil and gas industry
EPDS organises explosion protection documentation into a single system. It handles a large equipment base and follows the critical transitions reliably:
Zone and equipment register in one place.
EPDS records every Ex device with its marking, its IECEx or ATEX certificate and its location, searchable across several installations.
Management of change and the restart check.
The software traces the modifications made during a turnaround and ties the pre-start-up check to the documentation.
Documentation that is always current.
You can look back at any time to see who changed what, and when.
No more overdue inspections or certificates.
The system gives notice of inspections as they fall due and of certificates as they expire.
An audit-ready report in one click.
EPDS assembles the report of zones, equipment and inspections, per installation too.
Several installations, one piece of software.
A single method across the entire equipment base.
Knowledge hub
Before you decide, get informed.
Our expert knowledge base explains the concepts of explosion protection clearly.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is IECEx, and why does it matter in oil and gas?
IECEx is an international certification scheme for explosion-protected equipment. Because of the global supply chain and offshore projects, the industry often specifies IECEx certified devices, so the register has to track the certificates and their expiry.
Why are shutdown and restart the riskiest phase?
Because conditions then move outside the documented normal state: new equipment, temporary connections, opened systems. If the documentation and the pre-start-up check do not confirm the protection, the restart rests on assumptions that are out of date.
Is IIC equipment needed in a refinery?
Most hydrocarbons fall into gas group IIA or IIB, but hydrogen units (hydrogenation, hydrocracking) call for IIC equipment. The classification has to meet the strictest requirement present.
When does the zone classification have to be redone?
At every change that affects the explosion hazard: a turnaround, new equipment, a change of process, or a modification to the ventilation or the release points. In EPDS this is part of management of change.
Does a refinery or gas plant need explosion protection documentation?
Yes. Wherever a flammable gas or vapour can create an explosive atmosphere, the documentation is mandatory under decree 3/2003. (III. 11.), and it has to be kept current.
Let’s talk it through — free consultation
In a short, free conversation we show you the EPDS system mapped onto your processes, and review where your documentation stands today.