Repsol and Indra win award for offshore safety technology project

Repsol and Indra have received an award from World Oil magazine for their HEADS (Hydrocarbon Early Automatic Detection System) project, a unique early warning oil spill technology that will enable the industry to maximise safety in offshore facilities.

The HEADS project, developed at the Repsol Technology Centre (CTR) uses Repsol’s extensive knowledge of offshore oil exploration and production and Indra’s experience in the developing real-time data processing and the construction and use of radar and infrared cameras processing as well as the construction and use of radars, infrared cameras and command and control centres.

HEADS has been awarded in the Health, Safety, Environment/Sustainable Development Offshore category, which includes companies specialised in developing and marketing offshore technology, like Halliburton and GE Oil & Gas.

World Oil, a benchmark for almost 100 years in the oil industry, recognises and rewards the most innovative companies and technological developments to solve industry challenges.

HEADS uses a combination of a number of sensors, adding automatic interpretation of infrared images and radar and the activation of alarms without the need for human intervention. The combined use of infrared images and radar can maximise accuracy, and the automation of the process allows for constant monitoring of high reliability significantly improving the existing systems.

This project, which started at the end of 2011, involved a multidisciplinary team of more than twenty experts and researchers combining oil industry, physics, chemistry, radars, algorithms and software integration skills. Both companies have registered the patent through the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in more than 147 countries.

Repsol has become a benchmark in deep water exploration thanks to its commitment to innovation and technology. The company has 400 researchers working at its technology centre who have developed technological projects related to the exploration, development and production of hydrocarbons. The HEADS project was developed as this research centre, and was first installed at the Tarragona offshore producing platform.

Once the research and de development phase is completed, both companies have jointly commenced the commercialisation phase worldwide, making the HEADS system available to the entire energy industry.

Indra has extensive experience in the development and implementation of technological solutions in the hydrocarbons sector, in which it is present worldwide with 1,500 professionals and projects on all five continents.