M Squared debuts hydrocarbon leak detection technology

Scottish technology firm M Squared has launched a laser-based hydrocarbon detection and imaging system which helps in spotting leaks on production platforms, pipelines and processing plants from a distance.

M Squared’s Firefly system scans a specified area with laser beams and can detect gas, liquid and solid particles in concentrations of fewer than 10 parts per million.

Last week, the company secured £3.85m from Business Growth Fund (BGF), to finance the system and its research and development programme.

M Squared Lasers co-founder and CEO Graeme Malcolm said that this technology has the capability to tell operators when and where a leak occurs across a much greater area and with greater accuracy than current point sensors or any other existing gas imaging technology.

"The BGF investment allows us to take the Firefly product to a much wider audience within the oil and gas sector, and demonstrate its effectiveness on a larger scale," he added.

BGF Edinburgh investment director Duncan Macrae said M Squared’s laser technology represents a "genuine step change".

"Its products are smaller than others on the market, can be calibrated in minutes rather than hours and can be maintained and upgraded remotely via a web browser," he explained.

M Squared is now in discussions with several oil and gas companies to trial the product, which can be used at production sites, pipelines, petrochemical plants and storage plants.