Digitalisation equates to the ability to simply gain and access actionable intelligence from pipeline construction data which helps to improve understanding, drastically reduces response time, enables preventive measures when required, and ultimately reduces catastrophic instances during the pipeline’s inception through to its operation. In pipeline construction, this serves as a blueprint. Digitisation is also required for expedited infrastructure development and development, accurate and traceable assets, real-time data visualisation, informed and collaborative data decision-making, and efficient operation and maintenance (O&M) activities.
A digitally assisted construction process that can automate the information processing edge-to-edge to give the right view across the organisation on the status of construction, resulting in less hassle operations and a quick turnaround from the ground, is a requisite for a growing India and a gasified nation.
Digitalisation of the city gas distribution (CGD) network through the adoption of relevant technology is the only way to achieve the asset infrastructure development targets.
Value generation
Digitisation of construction provides value through quality monitoring, which eliminates human processing of updates and automates quality assurances. The user approval history is also recorded for GA quality users and HO quality users. Before the pipe is backfilled, the required parameters are recorded digitally using mobile devices in order to increase data quality. Long-term storage of data is also available in an electronic form of media. The elimination of paper from the network data updating process increases process efficiency as a result of automation.
All activities, from stringing to hydrotesting, are logically linked through a conditional flow that restricts one activity until the previous one is completed. Providing field employees with the ability to alter data on any device and at any location increases worker productivity. With high accuracy global positioning system (GPS) tag assets, it is easy to find where the assets are installed and can be located easily based on asset attributes.
Automated audit
The purpose of the audit module is to report, monitor, and track all the audits/visits within an organisation. The types of aduit covered under the module include quality assurance site technical audits, asset integrity risk audits, pre-commissioning audits, regulatory audits, and senior management site audit.
FieldOn-progress
This application is a self-sufficient, tailor-made, Make in India solution in accordance with pipeline construction project (steel and medium density polyethylene) and quality requirements for the CGD industry in India. It is also the sole solution applicable to the construction issues facing the MDPE network in India. It offers paperless workflow approvals and quality monitoring without any hassle. It integrates Bluetooth high-precision GPS devices, such as Arrow 100, with high-precision data gathered during construction. Additionally, the location precision is enhanced. It is inexpensive and of high value, is geographic information system (GIS)-integrated, and keeps standard operating procedure (SOP) data and project data in one location. Material used in construction can also be efficiently tracked. The project’s consumption is also monitored.
In addition, the AG&P Pratham GIS implementation includes key functions such as land base development, planning, construction, pipeline route survey and mapping, project progress monitoring, and operations and maintenance (asset management, traces network to determine network integrity in GIS and generates report of upstream and downstream pipe/fitting/customer, and leaks and outage analysis).
Business challenges
The gas and pipeline industries are presently confronted with a number of obstacles. The incomplete pipeline model and lack of integrity has been one of the key obstacles. This signifies that the documentation is insufficient and the gas network is not connected. Moreover, even if paper or digital map data is accessible, it lacks quality rules, controls, and standards. Yet another obstacle is the lack of process and enterprise system integration.
There are numerous departments that will utilise network data, yet, these departments employ siloed methods and have contradictory perspectives of network data. Only the construction field crew has access to what’s unfolding on the job site, the design and operations teams are in the dark. This leads to no one single standard operating procedure followed by all teams, hence, there are inadequate methods for addressing the same problem across regions and departments. This results in repeated data capture, which implies that the lack of a single data source would eventually force all teams to construct their own data structure, leading to data inaccuracies and omissions.
In the gas pipeline sector, a certain degree of negligence during construction or a lack of information can lead to major disasters and the risk of life during the operation phase. The majority of errors or disasters have occurred as a result of faulty welding or poor-quality materials.
In the gas pipeline sector, a certain degree of negligence during construction or a lack of information can lead to major disasters and the risk of life during the operation phase. The majority of errors or disasters have occurred as a result of faulty welding or poor quality materials. Documentation for a pipeline under construction includes approvals and standard opening procedures, stringing of the pipe, performing a non-disruptive test on the weld, the inventory being consumed, the hydro test being performed, the location where the network or gas pipeline is being lowered, and the reduction in the number of manual reports being prepared today and the use of digital data to automatically generate reports for the audit process.
Some of the challenges that must be overcome during implementation include reluctance to adapt to new technologies, the requirement of extensive trainings for the team in order to become familiar with new software, the availability of the appropriate equipment and machinery, the selection of appropriate software for the task at hand, and the selection of an appropriate implementation partner with which to carry out the task.
Potential
Project information can be automatically transferred in real-time to the data-base straight from the right of way. Inspectors can update the database with their findings as they go. Key decision makers may access and analyse the data to gain actionable insight in real time, permitting them to make and pass down choices promptly, and to execute preventive steps to prevent asset failure. Field staff can obtain crucial data right at the working site, enabling fast decision making for the construction-related challenges. For example, if a pipeline were to leak, operators may go through the data and readily access all of the actions that were taken, who was working on it, and when, and then prepare a report for the regulatory bodies.
Outlook
Going forward, by removing the need to gather data from files or paper base record system, the owner or operators can substantially reduce overhead hours and predictive capabilities. Once the pipeline is in operation this data can be used for ongoing pipeline integrity management during asset operational lifecycle. This system can be used to maintain inspections, maintenance schedules, and excavation reports using the available signal system to record essential data. Having access to this information will facilitate the development of machine learning and artificial predictions.
Based on presentations by Mr. Karthik Sagar, Growth Leader Research and Development, Magikminds at a recent India Infrastructure conference