Sample Cylinder Service Enhanced to Deliver Client Cost Savings

Intertek (UK), a leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, has enhanced its sample cylinders services to provide significant cost savings for clients.

Sample cylinders are used by offshore chemists to transport live crude, gas and water samples from offshore to onshore laboratories for testing. Intertek has invested £180,000 in 200 high-pressure cylinders to meet an increased demand from clients for analysis services.

Fifty cylinders will be specially coated to allow the safe and effective transportation of samples containing mercury and hydrogen sulphide. Both elements can adhere to the internal surfaces of standard stainless steel cylinders, rendering analysis unreliable.

Doug Finnie, Operations Manager for Intertek Exploration and Production, said: “All platforms must undertake sampling and analysis for many different reasons. For example, installations individually monitor their own contaminants, discharges and emissions. 

Due to a heightened awareness of the impact these have on the environment and platform infrastructure, legislation and specifications have become stricter, with allowable levels being reduced over time. This has led to an increase in analysis services and a higher demand from clients for these kinds of cylinders.

“We previously rented cylinders from third parties on the clients’ behalf, but handling these in-house means now we can add value to the service and create cost savings for clients. For some of our customers, we believe that this could be tens of thousands of pounds per year.”

Intertek’s independent testing and consultancy services provides a wide range of Production Support laboratory services, including crude oil, gas and water analysis, oil condition monitoring, oilfield microbiology, equipment procurement, offshore manpower provision and laboratory design.

The company also offers a range of related Exploration and Production services, including chemical selection, reservoir souring and modelling and failure assessments.