TECH SPOTLIGHT
Precision Under Pressure Radar sensors for challenging offshore applications
Accurate and reliable measurements are essential to some of the world’s most complex and challenging applications. Sectors like offshore drilling, liquified natural gas (LNG) and chemical operations face volatile conditions — including extreme temperatures, corrosive substances and constant mechanical and environmental stresses. Here, David Strain, Technical Director at specialist supplier of industrial drive systems Technidrive, explains the importance of robust and resilient sensor technologies in these harsh environments.
Offshore drilling remains vital to meeting global energy demands by accessing oil and gas reserves located deep beneath the ocean floor. However, these operations are remote, complex, and hazardous which makes accurate monitoring essential for ensuring operational efficiency — and also safety.
Take the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, for instance, one of the worst environmental disasters in US history. An explosion aboard an offshore
drilling platform occurred due to a series of failures including ineffective monitoring, faults in the alarm system and incorrect gas pressure test readings. Overall, this incident can be attributed to poor risk management.
In the years since the Deepwater Horizon incident, regulations around real-time data, well monitoring and testing have tightened to keep offshore operations safe and efficient. To this end, advanced sensor technologies play a vital role in helping operators meet these requirements, and safeguard both people and the environment.
The rise of sensors Digital sensors are valuable tools that help maintain safety aboard oil rigs. They are a reliable alternative to traditional ultrasonic measurement technologies, and offer faster response times and greater accuracy. Offshore platforms increasingly rely on sensors to perform a wide range of measurements — including level, pressure, interface and density. They are used across critical systems such as mud tanks, oil separators, ballast systems and gas scrubbers.
For example, accurately measuring the levels and interfaces between oil, water and sand is essential for effective separation and maintaining product quality. Advanced sensors also support point level detection, wave and
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www.sosmagazine.biz April Issue 2026
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