Enhanced Sensor Development (ICASE Award)

Completed

Energy Efficiency(Other)
Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Other oil and gas)
Other Power and Storage Technologies(Electricity transmission and distribution)
Renewable Energy Sources(Other Renewables)

Applied Research and Development

PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS (Physics)
ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
National Grid Electricity Transmission

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 October 2012

01 October 2016

48 months

£294,000

Power

London

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, National Grid Electricity Transmission

Project Contact, National Grid Gas Transmission

The programme will demonstrate the capability of a remote pipeline asset monitoring hub incorporating energy harvesting and low power sensor techniques. This work will give National Grid a significant practical and theoretical understanding of low energy sensors and energy harvesting techniques. These techniques are envisaged to have a wide range of potential applications across National Grid’s asset infrastructure.

One major aspect of the continued safe and efficient maintenance of the gas and electricity transmission systems is the ability to incorporate sufficient cost effective remote asset monitoring capability. This is particularly relevant to National Grid’s considerable quantities of buried asset but the envisaged solutions would have applicability for all NG assets. Some of the key requirements of these systems are considered to be: Modularity such that a range of parameters can be measured simultaneously. b) Reliable but selective data reporting. c) Each monitoring node can form part of a holistic network without the need for external power requirements. The latest developments in low energy sensor technologies and the widespread interest in energy harvesting wireless sensor networks (EHWSNs) offers the potential to develop a widespread remote monitoring capability. EHWSNs have a small footprint, can be retrofitted and function in an off-line manner to match the functionality of the monitored asset systems minimising data redundancy but monitor a range of parameters simultaneously. This allows various network nodes to monitor parameters appropriate to the asset at the respective location. Research Enhanced Sensor development incorporating latest remote wireless energy harvesting network integrating and optical fibre technologies. This iCASE project will have two inter-related deliverables as follows: 1. To develop and trial an energy harvesting wireless sensor network (EHWSN) utilising the existing pipeline marker post infrastructure as possible mounting points. The hardware development will explore the suitability of harvesting sufficient energy from the ambient environment under typical UK climatic conditions to power and monitor (data manage) any sensors coupled to the hub. Dedicated monitoring and control software will aim to enhance energy harvesting and data quality. 2. The development of a set of improved plastic optical fibres (POF) which incorporate the use of low loss polymer coatings to increase usable lengths and thus enable extended sensor networks.Note : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above

14/08/18