Lab containers for oil, gas & refining – ATEX, fuel QC
ATEX Zone 1/2 at the site fence, fuel and process analytics to DIN EN 228/590 and ASTM, H₂S and VOC protection, AwSV bunding, ISO 17025-capable measuring positions, mobile for turnaround. For refineries, tank farms, pipeline and gas-storage operators, LNG sites and independent fuel testing laboratories in DACH.
Without hall conversion in the Ex zone – the laboratory is in place while the plant is running or in turnaround.
Planexus Engineering Team
Content is owned by the Planexus engineering team — civil engineers, process engineers and laboratory planners with specialised experience in modular laboratory construction. Planexus GmbH is part of Wesemann Holding GmbH and delivers BSL-2, BSL-3, GMP and ATEX containers for pharma, biotech, research and crisis units across DACH.
Why refineries and tank farms need the container
Conversion in the Ex zone takes time; downtime costs money. A temporary laboratory during turnaround or revamp must be standing in weeks, keep distance to neighbouring plants and meet environmental conditions – and be gone after the window. In DACH the work is downstream and midstream: refining, tank farms, pipelines, gas storage, LNG – not upstream mud logging.
Scope: industrial QC, oil & gas, hydrogen
Three pages, three buyers. Industry & materials testing addresses steel, automotive, construction, hardness testing, microbalances, VDI 2627. Energy transition, H₂ & batteries addresses IPCEI, thermal runaway, dry rooms −40 °C, electrolysers. This page stays with hydrocarbon process, fuel quality, Ex zone at the existing plant, environmental analytics at the tank farm and turnaround.
Materials testing in a chemical park belongs on the industry page. Hydrogen piloting and battery testing belong on the H₂ page. We mention H₂ blending into the natural-gas grid as an interface – not the test stand itself.
Standards and regulations for refinery and tank-farm laboratories
| Standard / rule | Application | Delivery |
|---|---|---|
| ATEX 2014/34/EU + EN 60079 | Ex protection Zone 1/2 for hydrocarbons | EX lighting, earthing, LEL near floor |
| BetrSichV / explosion-protection document | Zoning at the installation site | Zoning concept, laboratory/control-room separation |
| TRGS 727 / TRBS 2152 | Avoidance of ignition hazards, ESD | Antistatic floor DIN EN 1081 |
| DIN EN 228 / DIN EN 590 | Petrol and diesel fuel | QC layout, climate-stable measuring positions |
| ASTM D methods | Density, S, flash, distillation, TAN | Instrument siting, media, extract |
| ISO/IEC 17025 | Accredited fuel and environmental QC | Environmental qualification, DAkkS-ready |
| AwSV / WHG | Water-hazardous substances, bunding | Bunds, leak-tightness evidence, coating |
| BImSchG / TA Luft | Immission, VOC extract at the site | Extract concept, authority annex |
| DIN EN 14175 + TRGS 526 | Fume cupboards, laboratories | Sampling fume cupboard, air-change rate |
| SIL-2 to IEC 61508 | Emergency shut-off of sampling / gas warning | Redundant H₂S/LEL sensing |
Eight application containers for oil, gas and refining
Density, sulphur, water, flash point, GC periphery. Petrol DIN EN 228, diesel DIN EN 590, climate-stable measuring positions.
Distillation, TAN, viscosity, water/sediment. Short sample paths to the plant, bunding to AwSV.
Sampling, flash, TAN, viscosity beside pump station or blender – zone separation from the control room.
Negative pressure, H₂S warning, sensing near floor and head height, extract, no open flames.
BTEX, mineral-oil hydrocarbons, soil and groundwater at the bund, contaminated land, filling station.
Coupons, water chemistry pipeline/tank. Deep materials testing (tensile, hardness, SEM) → industry page.
8–16 weeks of capacity beside the plant, dismantling with no hall remnant, extension or hire purchase.
Natural-gas storage, LNG terminal, odorisation. H₂ blending only as an interface to the H₂ page.
Six engineering details for hydrocarbon laboratories
Heavy gases near the floor, not only the ceiling
Many hydrocarbon vapours and H₂S collect low down. LEL and H₂S sensors at two heights, pre-alarm, emergency shut-off of sampling. Ceiling-level hydrogen detection belongs on the H₂ page – here ventilation is thought from below and above.
Ex laboratory and Ex-free control room
Sampling room Zone 2 or 1, measuring and evaluation room Ex-free, airlock or pressure cascade, switchgear outside or pressurised to EN 60079-2.
Antistatic, <1 Ω, Ex lighting
Floor DIN EN 1081, earthing DIN EN 60079-14, lighting 2G EEx d/e, no unprotected ignition sources, no open flames at the workplace.
Bunds, tightness, hydrocarbon-resistant coating
Containment under cabinets and work surfaces, volume matched to stored quantity, leak-tightness test documented, leak alarm to the works control room.
Fume cupboard, air-change rate, immission
DIN EN 14175 fume cupboards for hand samples, defined air-change rate, VOC capture, alignment with TA Luft / site extract. Negative pressure in the sampling room relative to the control room.
Emergency shut-off of sampling
Redundant sensing, solenoid valve on the sample line, ventilation ramp-up, acoustic-optical alarm, plant-safety link-out – SIL-2 logic, substance profile hydrocarbon and H₂S.
ATEX at the existing refinery: container instead of hall conversion
A permanent fit-out in the Ex zone pulls in the explosion-protection document, works fire brigade, often a BImSchG variation and months of construction. The container keeps the zone spatially small: installation at the fence or on a defined open area, distance to neighbouring plants per the site concept, pressure relief over defined surfaces, dismantling after turnaround without a building envelope.
Typical DACH sites: refinery and chemical-park complexes (Rhineland, Gelsenkirchen, Leuna, Bayernoil, Burghausen, Schwechat), tank farms on the Rhine, Elbe and Danube, natural-gas storage, LNG terminals on the North Sea coast. Independent testing laboratories need the same methods as works QC – only with an ISO 17025 environment rather than a production hall.
Offshore platforms and IEC 61892 are not a performance promise here. Anyone who needs materials testing, SEM or climate-controlled weighing cells goes to industry & materials testing. Anyone who needs electrolysers, fuel cells or battery abuse goes to H₂ & batteries.
Turnaround: hire laboratory beside the plant
In a turnaround, sample volumes and contractor traffic rise while parts of the existing laboratory infrastructure are locked or converted. A hire container with fuel QC, process analytics or environmental analytics stands in weeks, hangs on works media and disappears after the window. Economically often clearer than a hall makeshift in the Ex zone.
Terms of 8–24 weeks are the norm; for revamp or permanent capacity, hire purchase or purchase. The AwSV and ATEX documentation travels with the unit – it is bound to the container, not to the hall.
Planexus services for oil, gas & refining
Technical laboratory planning
ATEX zoning at the existing plant, laboratory/control-room zone separation, AwSV bunding, VOC extract, SIL chain for H₂S and LEL.
Modular construction & manufacturing
Fuel QC, assay, H₂S laboratory, tank-farm environmental module, turnaround hire containers from the Albstadt factory.
Consulting & permits
Explosion-protection document annex, BImSchG/TA Luft alignment, AwSV evidence, works fire-brigade pack.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions on oil, gas & refining
Which ATEX zone applies to a lab container at a refinery or tank farm?
It depends on the installation site and the explosion-protection document under the German Industrial Safety Ordinance (BetrSichV) – not on the container alone. If the laboratory stands outside defined Ex zones at the site fence, an Ex-free measuring room with Zone 2 sampling or gas warning is often sufficient. Directly at a tank bund, pump station or sampling point, Zone 2 or locally Zone 1 may apply. We plan the zone separation: Ex laboratory vs Ex-free control room, earthing to DIN EN 60079-14, antistatic floor DIN EN 1081, Ex lighting 2G, LEL detection near floor level for heavy hydrocarbons. We build Zone 1 on a project basis with notified-body assessment.
Can a refinery laboratory be hired for a turnaround?
Yes. Turnaround and revamp windows typically last 4–16 weeks. In that time QC needs capacity beside the plant without converting the existing laboratory hall. We supply hire containers with fuel and process analytics, AwSV bunding and ATEX-compliant electrical installation. Connection to works media (power, nitrogen, instrument air, data). After the turnaround, dismantling with no hall remnant. Hire agreements 8–24 weeks with an extension option; purchase or hire purchase if the laboratory stays permanently on site.
What does AwSV mean for the lab container?
The German Ordinance on Installations for Handling Substances Hazardous to Water (AwSV) requires defined retention for mineral oil, solvents and sample residues. In the container: tight bunds under workstations and cabinets, containment volume matched to the stored quantity, coating resistant to hydrocarbons, documented leak-tightness test. In addition the Water Resources Act (WHG) and the site’s leak alarm concept. We supply the AwSV-relevant evidence as an annex to the risk assessment – the assessment itself remains the operator’s duty.
Is a fuel QC container accreditation-ready to ISO 17025?
Yes. ISO/IEC 17025 sets requirements for methods, traceability and environment – not for masonry walls. For petrol DIN EN 228, diesel DIN EN 590, density ASTM D4052, sulphur ASTM D4294, flash point ASTM D93 / DIN EN ISO 2719 we supply climate-controlled measuring positions, calibratable environmental recording and DAkkS-ready documentation. Independent testing laboratories (SGS, Intertek, TÜV) and works QC use the same standard. Hardness testing, SEM and VDI 2627 weighing rooms belong on the industry page, not in this fuel layout.
How does the container protect against H₂S and VOC?
Hydrogen sulphide is toxic and heavier than air; many hydrocarbon vapours collect near the floor – unlike hydrogen, which we monitor near the ceiling. Standard: negative pressure in the sampling room relative to the control room, extract with VOC capture, H₂S and LEL detectors at two heights, pre-alarm and emergency shut-off of sampling, optical-acoustic alarm inside and outside. Fume cupboards to DIN EN 14175 for open hand samples. No open flames, no unprotected ignition sources. SIL-2 chain analogous to the H₂ page, but with sensing and ventilation routing for hydrocarbons and H₂S.
Does a lab container on a refinery site need its own permit?
Usually yes, often within the existing Federal Immission Control Act (BImSchG)/major-accident plant rather than as an entirely new building. The container remains spatially limited: Ex zone, immission and wastewater stay in the existing operating area. We supply an explosion-protection concept, fire-protection report, AwSV documentation, structural design and building services as an authority pack. Alignment with the works fire brigade and plant safety belongs at project start. Building-law thresholds are the same as for other lab containers; the difference is integration into the site’s explosion-protection document.
How does this container differ from industrial QC and from H₂ test containers?
Industry & materials testing is tensile testing, hardness, SEM, microbalance, ISO 17025 at the production plant. Energy transition H₂ & batteries is electrolysers, fuel cells, thermal runaway, dry rooms and IPCEI. Oil, gas & refining is hydrocarbon process, fuel standards, tank-farm environmental analytics, H₂S/VOC, AwSV and turnaround at the existing plant. Materials testing in a chemical park we link to the industry page. Hydrogen piloting and battery testing we link to the H₂ page. H₂ blending into the gas grid we treat here only as an interface, not as a test stand.
Lab containers for a refinery, tank farm or turnaround
Outline the site (Ex zone yes/no), methods and time window. We reply within one working day with a zoning concept and a hire or purchase model.
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Lab containers for your industry
We supply pharma, research, industry, education, public health, the energy transition, and oil, gas and refining — each with the relevant standards, containment classes and qualification documents.