News
drone mounted gas leak detection systems
Leaks in gas distribution and transmission pipelines present serious safety risks and result in lost revenue and profits to producers. The ABB Ability mobile gas leak detection system is a digital solution that for the first time, enables drone deployment in the identification of gas leakages. The new solution is being launched at ABB’s customer event in Houston to complement the existing range of ABB mobile gas leak detection systems suitable for all facilities. The ABB Ability mobile gas leak detection system benefits from drone
mts helps university protect architectural heritage
MTS Systems Corporation has entered into a research collaboration with the Sismo Lab at Universidad Mariano Gálvez in Guatemala City, Guatemala to create seismic simulation solutions that will help predict and minimise ear thquake damage to historical buildings. Architectural heritage preservation through structural
retrofitting is a critical civil engineering responsibility that is gaining attention from governments and researchers globally. To maintain cultural relevancy, the buildings, structures and monuments that have stood for centuries need to be protected from natural disasters and preserved for future generations. MTS and the Universidad Mariano Gálvez are addressing this need for disaster risk reduction with systems and models that simulate seismic events and thereby enable structural retrofitting of historical constructions in Latin America. With the goal of protecting significant structures, the university’s
research team built a 1:8.75 adobe scale model of the Church of San Raymundo, a beautiful colonial church that was previously damaged by the famous 1976 Guatemala ear thquake. The model was placed on an MTS seismic simulation system and instrumented with accelerometers and deformation sensors to record the structure’s behaviour when subjected to simulation of the 7.5 moment magnitude 1976 quake. Through the data gathered from this simulation, engineers will be able to stabilise and reinforce the Church of San Raymundo and proactively predict the ear thquake resistance of other historical landmarks. The research team used the simulation results to validate
mathematical models that will help determine the dynamic behaviour of similar structures, providing impor tant input for future retrofit and disaster risk reduction plans. The project’s research findings were presented at the International Conference on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions in Cuzco, Peru. “MTS is pleased to help architectural preservationists and
engineers find ways to retrofit irreplaceable historical buildings to make sure they remain standing for future generations to enjoy,” stated Dr. Jeffrey Graves, MTS president and CEO. “For several years, MTS seismic simulators have been used to evaluate new construction technologies, and determine the likely effects of seismic activity on existing buildings and infrastructure. Now, MTS looks forward to using this technology in future oppor tunities to stabilise and protect culturally significant treasures and World Heritage landmarks.”
www.mts.com 8
deployment as it enables faster identification of leaks, requires less man hours to implement and costs less to operate as it covers wide, hard-to- reach areas. To avoid false readings, it can distinguish between biogenic methane, the source of which is ruminant animals, manure and shallow coal and oil deposits, from thermogenic methane from natural gas. The solution uses patented cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy to
detect methane and ethane with a sensitivity more than 1,000 times higher than conventional leak detection tools. Particularly robust yet simple, the Off-Axis Integrated Cavity Output Spectroscopy (OA-ICOS) has extreme sensitivity that allows ABB to quickly identify potential methane emissions at a greater distance while flying, which is not possible with other sensors. ABB’s analysis software automatically processes the collected methane,
ethane, GPS and wind data to create a simple, easy to use report in either GIS compatible or PDF formats. These reports can be used to quickly identify areas in the pipeline network that potentially have leaks.
www.abb.com data holds the key to ai
ERIKS has welcomed plans to introduce post- graduate programmes, which are being jointly funded by government and industry, to train the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) experts. However, there are still formidable barriers to implementing AI in a way which will really benefit maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) work. David Manning-Ohren, ERIKS’ business development manager, explains why these need to be removed in order for industry to fully reap the benefits offered by AI: “This new joint government-industry package is a positive step in addressing the skills gap at masters and PhD levels. “However, more needs to be done to enable the seamless transfer of
production data, which will significantly affect the success or failure of AI in industry. But many OEMs, component suppliers and manufacturers remain deeply reluctant to do this over security concerns. ERIKS’ own research shows that 79 per cent of respondents would only share very limited information with their OEM equipment partner, if at all. “AI’s ability to accurately analyse connected industrial data will help
businesses to make informed decisions quickly. Industry therefore needs to start breaking down the barriers that are going to prevent data sharing. Developing appropriate security solutions, from firewalls to private cloud environments, FOG computing and beyond will address these concerns, but we must also promote the benefits that greater data sharing can bring. “By protecting industry without putting barriers in the way of
delivering greater productivity and improved maintenance practices, we can lay a strong foundation for AI to flourish.”
eriks.co.uk March 2019 Instrumentation Monthly
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