Energy & Utilities

• Safety during establishment and operation of an energy supply network
• Traceability of all components of an energy supply network
• Electronic assignment and storage of inspection data for each individual component of the network

The constantly growing demands for energy and the regulations for energy supply safety mean that energy suppliers are turning more and more to digital network administration. The mainly paper-based documentation or fragmented documentation found in different databases requires significant time and resources to recognize specific correlations and the resulting risks.

This applies as much to local networks of public utilities companies as it does to undersea pipelines from energy multinationals. With the number of different pipes and cables for electricity, gas, oil, water, telecommunications and other supply lines, it is necessary to know exactly which material was used where and when. The assignment of geographical coordinates, e.g. the “cable crossings”, as well as information about when each pipe or cable needs to be inspected and which faults were detected during an inspection are also of great importance.

In order to capture such data volumes effectively and fully automatically, the most modern information technology is required. The iTAC.MES.Suite offers such a solution. With comprehensive analysis functions, the iTAC.MES.Suite represents the primary data source when setting up and operating a supply network.

With the iTAC.MES.Suite pipes and cables as well as networks can be administered in all areas of the energy industry. The standard software is a valuable support for logistics, the documentation of individual network segments, e.g. pipes, valves, and the operation of a network, e.g. individual pipelines.

The iTAC.MES.Suite

• can automatically capture electronic information on components, such as fused material, test results etc. for each pipe number
• enables continuous store management for all serial-numbered components with availability checks/scheduling during the setup phase
• can visualize the network or a segment classified as damaged on a geographical map based on “pipe coordinates”
• can be very easily integrated into the leading commercial ERP systems
• automatically captures measurement data from a cyclic inspection and compares this with previous inspections – an additional alert message can be generated for deviations from existing nominal values of an inspection
• captures the laying process of a pipeline precisely for each individual pipe with all process parameters as well as performs mapping, analysis, visualization and controlling

Ultimately, with the consolidated database it is even possible to tell at the push of a button when a pipe is damaged, which other pipe could potentially have the same problem and where this pipe can be found geographically. Documented information, especially concerning the type of pipe, the manufacturing lot etc. is of great significance here.

iTAC Pipe Tracking System

A new dimension in pipe tracking [Source: Pipelines International digest]