--- title: "Chemical and process plants monitoring | Nexus Observatory" description: "Chemical and process plants handle substances that can leak, ignite or reach the neighbours. Fixed gas detection, thermal cameras…" url: https://observatory.global/industries/industry/process-plants/ publisher: Nexus Observatory Inc. updated: 2026-11-02 --- [Nexus Observatory](https://observatory.global/) / [Industry](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/) / [Specialized fields](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/fields/) / **Chemical and process plants** # Process plants, watched for leaks, fires and emissions. Chemical and process plants handle substances that can leak, ignite or reach the neighbours. Fixed gas detection, thermal cameras, stack emission monitors and site weather, joined in one record, let operators find leaks sooner, prove permit compliance and tell emergency services where a release is heading. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) How it works [Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) **Industry**: Industry **Measurements**: 5 **Sources cited**: 5 1. Industry · Chemical and process plants Hazards inside the fence, neighbours outside Chemical and process plants handle substances that can leak, ignite or drift toward homes and schools. The law asks them to prevent major accidents, limit consequences and keep emissions within their permits. Gas, fire, emissions and weather watched together make every one of those duties easier to meet. 2. What is measured Gas, heat, stacks and wind Fixed detectors measure flammable and toxic gases at units, tank farms and fence lines. Thermal cameras watch units and storage for hot spots, automated systems measure stack emissions, and a weather station measures the wind and stability that decide where a release goes. InstrumentsGas detectors · Thermal cameras · Stack emission monitors · Weather station 3. The base node Where is it heading? The node joins gas readings with wind to estimate where a release is heading, confirms alarms with thermal images, computes emission averages against permit limits as they accumulate and keeps a signed record that the regulator can inspect. Every value is signed at the node before it leaves. 4. Radio and links Fibre, behind a gateway Plants have fibre, and monitoring rides it to the control room and the environment team through a security gateway that keeps it apart from the control system. A private cellular network reaches temporary detectors during shutdowns. When one path fails, the other carries the data. LinksFibre · Private LTE 5. How it works From a leak to a safe muster A flange leaks in a tank farm at night. Two detectors alarm, the thermal camera shows no fire, and the node estimates the plume heading toward the east fence on a light wind. Operators isolate the line, the east muster point is avoided, and emergency services are told the direction. 6. From order to operation · Order Scope with the safety report The scope reads the site's safety report, emissions permit, existing detection and stack monitors, emergency plans and the control system architecture. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the monitoring design, joins to existing systems, security design and a price per site and per year. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) 7. From order to operation · Survey Survey units and fence lines Crews survey units, tank farms, stacks and fence lines with the site's safety and environment engineers: detector positions for each hazard, camera views, weather station siting and network paths. Hazardous area classifications set what equipment may go where. Findings shape the kit for each site before anything is built. 8. From order to operation · Permits Permits to work All work follows the site's permits to work and hot work rules, equipment in hazardous areas is certified for its zone, and connecting monitoring to the network goes through the site's change control. Every permit is kept with the site record. 9. From order to operation · Build Build and certify Detectors, cameras and gateways are configured, certified equipment is checked against its zone, nodes are hardened and enrolled with their identities, and the whole system is tested with simulated alarms before it ships. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together. [Open the Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) 10. From order to operation · Install Install during planned work Crews install detectors, cameras and the weather station during planned work, connect gateways and the node behind the security gateway, and photograph every point. Existing detectors and stack monitors are joined through their interfaces. Crews follow the site safety plan throughout the work. 11. From order to operation · Commission Commission with gas tests Each node proves its identity. Every detector is bump-tested with calibration gas, cameras are checked with a heat source, stack monitor data are compared with the latest quality assurance results, and alarm routes are tested. Acceptance is recorded with the owner before handover. 12. From order to operation · Operate One record for safety and permits Operators see gas, fire, emissions and weather together. Leaks are found and fixed sooner, emission averages are tracked against limits in real time, and in an incident emergency services receive where the release is heading. Every alert and action is kept on the record. 13. From order to operation · Maintain Test, calibrate, report Detectors are calibrated and bump-tested on schedule, stack monitors follow their quality assurance cycle, cameras are cleaned and software patched in rings. Annual emissions reports and incident records come from the same signed record. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life. [Book field services](https://observatory.global/contact/field-service/) 14. Data products For control rooms, environment and regulators Control rooms and emergency response teams receive gas and fire alarms with location; environment managers receive emission averages against permit limits; emergency services receive release direction in incidents; regulators receive emissions and incident reports, each signed and tied to unit and time. [See the data products](https://observatory.global/data-products/) 15. Evidence Safety report, permit and record Monitoring supports the major-accident hazards directive and industrial emissions permits, stack measurements follow the European quality assurance standard, gas detectors follow the international selection and maintenance standard, and the network follows the industrial security series. Every alarm and average is signed and kept. Drawn againstDirective 2012/18/EU · Directive 2010/75/EU · EN 14181 · IEC 60079-29-2 · IEC 62443 16. What you get Mine, plant and port site monitoring Slope radar, tailings monitoring, dust and water, and site connectivity for operations and closure. Delivered as managed service and hardware + software, for mining, heavy industry, ports. Scale: Site portfolios. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard. [Talk to sales](https://observatory.global/contact/sales-enquiry/) 17. Next step Plan chemical and process plants with us Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for chemical and process plants. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) [Open the Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) [Open the Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) **01** The place and its hazards ## Where it runs, and what can go wrong. Operating contextEstablishments holding dangerous substances must prevent major accidents and limit their consequences under the major-accident hazards directive, large installations operate under industrial emissions permits with automated stack measurements quality-assured to the European standard, and flammable gas detectors are selected, installed and maintained to the international standard. Hazards - Leaks of flammable and toxic gases - Fires spreading between units - Stack emissions above permit limits - Releases drifting toward homes and schools - Monitoring networks that are themselves a cyber entry point **02** What must be measured ## What, where, how often, and under which rules. Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below. | Measurement | Where | Cadence | Sources | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Flammable and toxic gas concentrations | Fixed detectors at units, tank farms and fence lines | Continuous, alarms in seconds | 12 | | Stack emissions | Automated measuring systems on stacks | Continuous, half-hourly and daily averages | 34 | | Hot spots and fires | Thermal cameras over units and storage | Continuous | 2 | | Wind and stability for plume direction | A weather station on the site | Every minute | 2 | | Monitoring network security | The site's monitoring network | Continuous | 5 | **03** The observation stack ## From one base unit to a network. The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol. 1. **01** Base unit A unit point: gas detectors, a thermal camera and a weather sensor on an industrial gateway with an edge node. [Build a station →](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) 2. **02** Site A site: every unit, tank farm, stack and fence line on one node behind a security gateway, with fibre backhaul. [Plan a site →](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) 3. **03** Fleet Every site of an operator on one safety and environment view. [Managed offers →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/solutions/) 4. **04** Network Operators share emissions and incident records with regulators and emergency services through agreed formats. [The open protocol →](https://observatory.global/protocol/) - **01** Gas detector (industrial) - **02** Thermal camera - **03** Compact weather station - **04** OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus) - **05** Edge node (Wedge) - **06** Zero-trust gateway - **07** Fibre terminal Radio and links ### Fibre Plants have fibre; monitoring rides it to the control room and the environment team. Radio and links ### Private LTE A private cellular network reaches temporary detectors during shutdowns and in units without cabling. Edge computeThe node joins gas readings with wind to estimate where a release is heading, confirms alarms with thermal images, computes emission averages against permit limits and keeps a signed record for the regulator. PowerMonitoring runs from the plant's uninterruptible supply, so it keeps reporting during the power loss that may accompany an incident. **04** How it works ## From the instrument to the product. One observation's path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks. Chemical and process plants: data path – of 08 01 Instruments Measurement with sensor identity andcalibration 02 Gateway 03 Node – Wrap in an observation envelope with timequality– Measure quality and uncertainty, attachquality flags– Buffer locally (store-and-forward when thelink drops) 04 Local network 05 Backhaul Commit with transactional outbox andpublish, delivered at least once 06 Site Consumer inbox deduplicates and applieseach record once into governed data 07 Data store Governed product through API, map orexport, correction-aware 08 Products OPC UAModbusMQTT 01 Gas detector (industrial) Analogue I/O · RS-485 · Ethernet 02 Thermal camera Ethernet 03 Compact weather station SDI-12 · RS-485 · Ethernet Automated stack emission measuringsystem Not in the reference kit 04 OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus) Ethernet · RS-485 · CAN · AnalogueI/O 05 Edge node (Wedge) Ethernet · Fibre · USB · RS-485 ·BMC 06 Zero-trust gateway Ethernet · Fibre 07 Fibre terminal Fibre · Ethernet Site MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B Governed data store Versioned, correction-aware Gas and fire alarms with location Emission averages against permitlimits Release direction for incidents Emissions and incident reports RS-485 · Modbus RS-485 · Modbus Ethernet Ethernet · RTSP/ONVIF Ethernet · opc-ua Ethernet Fibre Fibre From the instrument to the published product: each band is a tier, each connector names its interface, and the numbers match the bill of materials. Hover or focus a block to trace its path; scroll or step to follow one observation. | Item | Equipment | Data ports | Protocols | Power in | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 01 | **Gas detector (industrial)** Fixed detector for flammable or toxic gas in industrial areas, with alarm outputs. | Analogue I/ORS-485Ethernet | Modbus, OPC UA, MQTT 5 | 24 V DC | | 02 | **Thermal camera** Long-wave infrared camera for fire detection, equipment hot spots and night monitoring. | Ethernet | RTSP with ONVIF profiles, MQTT 5 | PoE | | 03 | **Compact weather station** All-in-one or compact station for temperature, humidity, pressure, wind and rain at a site. | SDI-12RS-485Ethernet | SDI-12, Modbus, MQTT 5, OGC SensorThings API | 12 V DC | | 04 | **OT gateway (OPC UA, Modbus)** Read-only bridge from industrial fieldbuses and controllers (Modbus, OPC UA, DNP3, IEC 61850, CAN) to the site network, behind a security boundary. | EthernetRS-485CANAnalogue I/O | OPC UA, Modbus, DNP3 (IEEE 1815), IEC 61850 (MMS, GOOSE), MQTT 5 | 24 V DC | | 05 | **Edge node (Wedge)** Rugged edge node that boots from signed media, attests itself and establishes a site cell from little or no infrastructure. | EthernetFibreUSBRS-485BMC | MQTT 5, DMTF Redfish, IEEE 1588 PTP, NTP with NTS, OPC UA | 12 V DC, 24 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains | | 06 | **Zero-trust gateway** Gateway that terminates encrypted tunnels, enforces segmentation and gates every flow by identity and policy. | EthernetFibre | — | 12 V DC, AC mains | | 07 | **Fibre terminal** Optical network terminal or media converter that lands fibre backhaul at a site. | FibreEthernet | IEEE 1588 PTP | 12 V DC, 48 V DC, AC mains | How it scales 01 Instruments Arbitrary qualified sensors and instruments whosemeasurements are ingested with calibration, units,geometry, time, custody and uncertainty. ×n 02 Node The minimum useful deployable unit: server, ruggedappliance, radio node, sensor gateway, satelliteterminal, AI, scientific, vehicle or virtual node. Node Node agent 03 Site The minimum independently operable localgovernance and failure domain: one or more nodesplus local network, identity, policy, evidence,storage, products and operator surfaces. SITE Node Node Node ×n 04 Cluster An optional scale or specialisation domain forscheduling, shared storage, accelerators or datalocality. CLUSTER ×n 05 Fleet Coordinates plans, acknowledgements,convergence evidence, update campaigns andcorrection propagation across nodes and sites. FLEET Fleet controller ×n 06 Federation An exchange of products, capabilities, events orwork across approved, independently administeredtrust domains, using explicit trust, policy,data-locality, version and correction contracts. TRUST DOMAIN TRUST DOMAIN TRUST DOMAIN ×n Verifier Applications Data in the field Telemetry Control Data upstream Control Data upstream Control Exchange Evidence Events Exchange The smallest deployable unit is one node; the same unit is replicated to meet the demand. Nodes form a site, sites may form a cluster, sites and clusters are coordinated as a fleet, and fleets exchange across independently administered trust domains. Each plane is a separate channel with its own open binding. **Data in the field**: MQTT 5 with Sparkplug B; connectors for LoRaWAN, OPC UA and instrument buses. **Telemetry**: OpenTelemetry OTLP. **Control**: TLS 1.3 with mutual authentication; protobuf messages over gRPC or HTTP/2. **Data upstream**: At-least-once publication with repeat-safe keys over the control channel or NATS JetStream; QUIC MAY be used on lossy links. **Evidence**: DSSE-signed in-toto statements; SLSA provenance; SCITT transparency receipts. **Events**: Event envelopes mapped to CloudEvents 1.0; channels described in AsyncAPI 3. **Exchange**: OpenAPI 3.1; the OGC API family; SensorThings; STAC; WIS 2.0. **05** From order to operation ## Every step, from the first call to a running site. The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance. 1. 01 Order Scope with the safety report The scope reads the site's safety report, emissions permit, existing detection and stack monitors, emergency plans and the control system architecture. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the monitoring design, joins to existing systems, security design and a price per site and per year. 23 2. 02 Survey Survey units and fence lines Crews survey units, tank farms, stacks and fence lines with the site's safety and environment engineers: detector positions for each hazard, camera views, weather station siting and network paths. Hazardous area classifications set what equipment may go where. Findings shape the kit for each site before anything is built. 1 3. 03 Permits Permits to work All work follows the site's permits to work and hot work rules, equipment in hazardous areas is certified for its zone, and connecting monitoring to the network goes through the site's change control. Every permit is kept with the site record. 5 4. 04 Build Build and certify Detectors, cameras and gateways are configured, certified equipment is checked against its zone, nodes are hardened and enrolled with their identities, and the whole system is tested with simulated alarms before it ships. Nothing ships until the whole kit has passed its tests together. 5 5. 05 Install Install during planned work Crews install detectors, cameras and the weather station during planned work, connect gateways and the node behind the security gateway, and photograph every point. Existing detectors and stack monitors are joined through their interfaces. Crews follow the site safety plan throughout the work. 6. 06 Commission Commission with gas tests Each node proves its identity. Every detector is bump-tested with calibration gas, cameras are checked with a heat source, stack monitor data are compared with the latest quality assurance results, and alarm routes are tested. Acceptance is recorded with the owner before handover. 14 7. 07 Operate One record for safety and permits Operators see gas, fire, emissions and weather together. Leaks are found and fixed sooner, emission averages are tracked against limits in real time, and in an incident emergency services receive where the release is heading. Every alert and action is kept on the record. 23 8. 08 Maintain Test, calibrate, report Detectors are calibrated and bump-tested on schedule, stack monitors follow their quality assurance cycle, cameras are cleaned and software patched in rings. Annual emissions reports and incident records come from the same signed record. Maintenance history stays with each site for its whole life. 4 **06** Data products and integration ## What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems. Data products - **Gas and fire alarms with location** Control rooms and emergency response teams - **Emission averages against permit limits** Environment managers - **Release direction for incidents** Emergency services - **Emissions and incident reports** Regulators Integration - **Control system** Alarms reach the control room through the site's own interfaces; monitoring never writes to the control system. - **Environmental reporting** Emission records feed the permit reports. - **Emergency services** Release direction is shared through agreed channels. Exchanged through OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT. **07** Questions buyers ask ## Before you scope it. Does it replace our safety systems? No. Safety systems stay as they are; this joins monitoring into one record. Is the equipment certified for hazardous areas? Yes, for the zone where it is installed. Can it show where a release goes? It estimates direction from gas readings and wind. Is it secure? The monitoring network is separated and secured to the industrial security series. **08** Resources ## The sources behind this page. Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does. 1. **1** [IEC 60079-29-2: Gas detectors, selection, installation, use and maintenance of detectors for flammable gases and oxygen](https://webstore.iec.ch/) International Electrotechnical Commission 2. **2** [Directive 2012/18/EU on the control of major-accident hazards involving dangerous substances (Seveso III)](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/) European Union · 2012 3. **3** [Directive 2010/75/EU on industrial emissions](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/) European Union · 2010 4. **4** [EN 14181: Stationary source emissions, quality assurance of automated measuring systems](https://www.cencenelec.eu/) European Committee for Standardization 5. **5** [IEC 62443: Security for industrial automation and control systems](https://webstore.iec.ch/) International Electrotechnical Commission **09** Related ## Use cases and solutions. [Use case Methane fenceline observatoryPoint sensors on the fenceline with optical gas imaging and quantification, feeding leak-detection reports.The full use case →](https://observatory.global/use-cases/methane-fenceline/) [Solution Mine, plant and port site monitoringSlope radar, tailings monitoring, dust and water, and site connectivity for operations and closure.Solutions for industry →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/solutions/#industrial-site-monitoring) [Solution Environmental and permit monitoringEmissions, water quality, noise and dust monitoring for permit conditions, with traceable calibration and evidence bundles.Solutions for industry →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/solutions/#environmental-compliance) [Solution Operational-technology assurance for observing sitesIdentity, attestation, segmentation and monitoring for instruments and edge nodes, with evidence for audits.Solutions for industry →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/solutions/#ot-site-assurance) **10** Industry: specialized fields ## Other fields of this industry. [Specialized field Machine condition monitoringVibration, temperature and power sensing on pumps, motors, fans, compressors and conveyors, analysed at the edge so maintenance teams fix machines before they fail.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/machine-condition/) [Specialized field Factory energy managementMetering of electricity, gas, steam, compressed air and water by line and machine, so factories cut energy use, prove savings and meet energy audit and management duties.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/energy-management/) [Specialized field Workplace dust, noise and heatFixed and wearable sensing of dust, gases, noise and heat stress on factory floors, so health and safety teams keep exposure below limits and act where it rises.The full field →](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/workplace-exposure/) ### Bring us the site. Plan a deployment, configure a station, model it in the Studio or talk to sales. The form names who receives your details. [Plan a deployment](https://observatory.global/contact/deployment/) [Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) [Open the Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) [Talk to sales](https://observatory.global/contact/sales-enquiry/) [Request a quote](https://observatory.global/contact/hardware-quote/) [Nexus Observatory](https://observatory.global/)**Industry** . Plants and ports, sensed and connected.[Talk to us](https://observatory.global/contact/) Industry - [Overview](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/) - [Explainer](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/explainer/) - [Specialized fields](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/fields/) - [Use cases](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/use-cases/) - [Solutions](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/solutions/) - [Platforms](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/platforms/) - [Resources](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/resources/) - [Contact](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/contact/) Platforms - [Observatory Protocol](https://observatory.global/protocol/) - [Protocol & Grid](https://observatory.global/grid-services/) - [Software](https://observatory.global/software/) - [Hardware & power](https://observatory.global/hardware/) - [Sensors & instruments](https://observatory.global/sensors/) - [Connectivity](https://observatory.global/connectivity/) - [Edge compute & AI](https://observatory.global/edge-ai/) - [Earth observation & GeoAI](https://observatory.global/earth-observation/) - [Space and satellite systems](https://observatory.global/space/) - [Digital twins and simulation](https://observatory.global/digital-twins/) - [Data & licensing](https://observatory.global/data-products/) - [Field services](https://observatory.global/field-services/) - [Frontier labs](https://observatory.global/labs/) Solutions - [Early warning](https://observatory.global/use-cases/street-flood/) - [Wildfire and fire weather](https://observatory.global/use-cases/wildfire-camera/) - [Environmental compliance](https://observatory.global/use-cases/methane-fenceline/) - [Asset monitoring](https://observatory.global/industries/infrastructure/) - [Private networks](https://observatory.global/connectivity/private-5g/) - [Remote power and sites](https://observatory.global/use-cases/remote-microgrid/) - [Climate and resilience](https://observatory.global/industries/climate/) - [Site twins](https://observatory.global/digital-twins/) - [Data licensing](https://observatory.global/data-products/) Industries - [Public safety](https://observatory.global/industries/public-safety/) - [Government](https://observatory.global/industries/government/) - [Cities](https://observatory.global/industries/cities/) - [Civil resilience](https://observatory.global/industries/resilience/) - [Communities](https://observatory.global/industries/communities/) - [Humanitarian](https://observatory.global/industries/humanitarian/) - [Climate](https://observatory.global/industries/climate/) - [Water](https://observatory.global/industries/water/) - [Nature](https://observatory.global/industries/nature/) - [Oceans](https://observatory.global/industries/oceans/) - [Agriculture](https://observatory.global/industries/agriculture/) - [Energy](https://observatory.global/industries/energy/) - [Telecom](https://observatory.global/industries/telecom/) - [Transport](https://observatory.global/industries/transport/) - [Infrastructure](https://observatory.global/industries/infrastructure/) - [Mining](https://observatory.global/industries/mining/) - [Industry](https://observatory.global/industries/industry/) - [Research](https://observatory.global/industries/research/) - [Education](https://observatory.global/industries/education/) - [Health](https://observatory.global/industries/health/) - [Insurance and finance](https://observatory.global/industries/insurance/) - [Events](https://observatory.global/industries/events/) Products - [Field Deployment Studio](https://observatory.global/studio/) - [Station Builder](https://observatory.global/studio/builder/) - [Field services](https://observatory.global/field-services/) - [Data products](https://observatory.global/data-products/) - [APIs and SDKs](https://observatory.global/protocol/developers/) - [Edge runtime and fleet](https://observatory.global/software/) - [Hardware catalogue](https://observatory.global/hardware/) - [Reference designs](https://observatory.global/protocol/reference-designs/) Resources - [Learn](https://observatory.global/learn/) - [Stories](https://observatory.global/stories/) - [Environments](https://observatory.global/environments/) - [Network scenes](https://observatory.global/environments/networks/) - [Observatories atlas](https://observatory.global/observatories/) - [Earth and maps](https://observatory.global/earth/) - [Technologies](https://observatory.global/technologies/) - [Countries](https://observatory.global/countries/) - [Spectrum](https://observatory.global/spectrum/) - [Specification](https://observatory.global/protocol/specification/) - [Conformance](https://observatory.global/protocol/conformance/) - [Open source](https://observatory.global/open/) - [Data credits](https://observatory.global/credits/) Company - [About](https://observatory.global/about/) - [Open governance](https://observatory.global/consortium/) - [Security and trust](https://observatory.global/security/) - [Contact sales](https://observatory.global/contact/) - [Privacy requests](https://observatory.global/privacy-request/) © 2026 Nexus Observatory Inc. [Security and trust](https://observatory.global/security/) [Privacy choices](https://observatory.global/privacy-choices/) [Accessibility](https://observatory.global/legal/accessibility/) [Privacy](https://observatory.global/legal/privacy/) [Terms](https://observatory.global/legal/terms/)