SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Nov. 4, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Gas Imaging Technology, LLC, (GIT) a manufacturer of unique gas imaging and analysis systems that address critical needs of the oil, gas, utility and chemical industries, announces that the Company has been retained by Energy Laser of Milan to demonstrate its two products, the Sherlock VOC, and an IMSS-based prototype of the Sherlock FE. These products will be used in field trials sponsored by ENI Technology, at a major Italian refinery. GIT is also pleased to announce that the Company was featured on the front page of the Santa Barbara News-Press Business Section on Sunday, October 30, 2005: http://newspress.com/business/103005gasimaging.htm?now=4019&tref=1
GIT has been retained by Energy Laser of Milan to demonstrate the capabilities of GIT's Sherlock VOC to find fugitive leaks and the Sherlock FE for stack emissions and flare analysis. These field trials will commence November 30, 2005, sponsored by ENI Technology, at a major refinery in Italy. This is GIT's second visit to an ENI installation; the first occurred in the fall of 2004.
Energy Laser specializes in innovative high technology products, consulting services and R&D that have applications in safety & security, surveillance and industrial production. The Company is currently working with several customers utilizing night-vision technology. Applications for night vision include: hands-free helmet-mounted equipment for firemen to "see" through smoke, for Coast Guard surveillance of water craft at night and to facilitate military night maneuvers. In representing GIT in Italy, the company is expanding its industrial applications.
Products The Sherlock VOC enables the user to "see" emissions of invisible gases that pose grave environmental hazards and expose refineries, chemical and power plants to the risk of catastrophic fires and explosions. The Sherlock incorporates a mid-wave infrared camera that includes PAT's patented IMSS lens and an imbedded computer that can perform the function of data logging, imaging spectroscopy, and digital video recording.
The Sherlock FE is being used during these field trials will monitor and analyze the efficiency of flares and continuously monitor smokestack emissions. Currently, the Sherlock FE is the only system on the market that can analyze flare efficiency. The Sherlock FE can remotely monitor and generate a pixel-by-pixel quantitative analysis of flares and smokestacks. In many circumstances this can be done from a remote location that can be miles from the source.
Excerpts From The Santa Barbara News-Press Article
"Under the 1990 Clean Air Act, refineries and chemical plants must carry out regular inspections looking for so-called 'fugitive' leaks, and they must adhere to risk-mitigation and safety standards." "Ms. Hinnrichs says the Sherlock gas imaging system can play a key role, making inspections easier, more thorough, more accurate -- and cheaper. Current methods for locating fugitive gas emissions are labor-intensive, time-consuming and can cost a large refinery as much as $1 million per year. Ms. Hinnrichs says the Sherlock is far more efficient and can detect major leaks 10 times faster. The Sherlocks cost around $100,000 each, but in the context of the huge ongoing costs for inspections, the devices can quickly pay for themselves."
"Although the Sherlock can be carried around by an inspector, the instrument can also be set up to monitor remotely, the likely scenario for continuous emission monitoring of stacks and the analysis of flame chemistry to measure the burning efficiency of gas flares. A Sherlock camera on a pole could continuously scan many chimneys, providing a 'signature' of what's coming out, a function now performed by chemical laboratories at the base of every stack. Or it could scan flares, analyzing what's happening (emissions) from the nozzle to above the top of the flame. Trials have shown the Sherlock can effectively monitor from as far as 10 miles away; the company has also used the instrument to check the fuel-burning efficiency of missile launches 50 miles away and the exhaust from aircraft engines up to 100 miles away."
About Gas Imaging Technology, Inc. (GIT)
GIT (www.gitint.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Advanced Technology (www.patinc.com), a California corporation located in Santa Barbara County, California. GIT has an exclusive worldwide license for products that uniquely address compliance with new EPA standards and address critical needs of refineries, power and chemical plants, oil and LNG tankers, as well as many other facilities. More than $14 million has been invested in development of the PAT technology underlying the Sherlock gas imaging and analysis systems. A substantial portion of this funding came from various military, federal and commercial sources including the US Army, US Navy, US Air Force, Missile Defense Agency, DARPA, Department of Energy, State of California, Gas Research Institute, BP and Shell Global Solutions. www.gitint.com