A series of images captured by HotSat-1 in November demonstrates activity at the Al Zour Refinery before, during and after a shutdown caused by a fire incident which occurred at a desulphurisation facility within the Al Zour Refinery on 16 November 2023.
HotSat-1 captured imagery showing sub-plant activity, likely including the desulphurisation facility affected. High-resolution thermal imagery shows emitted infrared heat from the respective oil and gas processing units shows ongoing normal operations.
The day after the fire, the impact of the subsequent shutdown was clearly visible with plant activity significantly diminished in the affected area – with no thermal signature from the unit where the fire took place. The hotspot that appears in both images shows thermal blooming from the lattice tower flare stack and pads was still present despite the fire.
Al Zour is one of the largest refineries in the world with a refining capacity of 615,000 barrels per day.
Using other data sources and drawing on industry expertise, it is possible to identify and geolocate plant features. This kind of analysis typically requires referencing a high spatial resolution electro-optical image encompassing the area of interest.
While identification of individual sub-plants can be useful, high-resolution thermal data is the layer needed to understand activity.
