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Projects: Projects for Investigator
Reference Number	NIA_SGN0052
Title	Core Drilling and Flow Stop, WASK
Status	Completed
Energy Categories	Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas) 100%;
Research Types	Applied Research and Development 100%
Science and Technology Fields	ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering) 100%
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation	Not Cross-cutting 100%
Principal Investigator	Project Contact No email address given SGN
Award Type	Network Innovation Allowance
Funding Source	Ofgem
Start Date	01 September 2014
End Date	01 January 2017
Duration	28 months
Total Grant Value	£219,285
Industrial Sectors	Technical Consultancy
Region	South East
Programme	Network Innovation Allowance
Investigators	Principal Investigator	Project Contact , SGN (100.000%)
Web Site	http://www.smarternetworks.org/project/NIA_SGN0052
Objectives	The objectives of this project are to: Ensure a safe and reliable gas supply for our customers and limit the size and duration of excavations to carry out our works Produce training material to be provided in support of field trials. Carry out field trials to comprehensively review the new equipment and provide a technical report for the other Licensees to disseminate the outcomes of the field trial. Evaluate suitability of new method against traditional techniques of drilling and flow stopping and record, review and report on performance of the equipment. Research and provide outcomes of the feasibility of rolling out the project across all SGN distribution zones and all of GB. Provide work instruction, training procedures and operating procedures for all equipment Detail costs benefit analysis from the field trials. Issue approval of this technique for use across GB. The success criteria for this project are to trial and test the method and equipment against the traditional methods currently used to compare its performance in terms of: Asses whether core drilling provides a safe, efficient and cost effective solution. Enable comparison of the effectiveness of the equipment versus existing equipmentIndicate whether there is a reduction in the environmental impact when comparing existing equipment with that in the field trial. Judge whether there is a resultant Increase in productivity.
Abstract	From the 1850’s up until the 1950’s metallic mains were used extensively across Great Britain’s (GB) gas distribution network. Since then the gas industry has moved away from this source of material and is replacing those mains with polyethylene pipe, in order to reduce and eliminate risk of fracture, corrosion, and/or leakages. At present across Scotia Gas Network (SGN) there are approximately 5,000 kilometres of small diameter (Tier 1) metallic mains ( Throughout RIIO-GD1 Network Licensees are focussing attentions towards Tier 1 replacement activities as part of their total operating expenditure (TOTEX) targets. From 2013 and beyond, SGN have planned to undertake a large number of replacement projects per annum. Such activities are strategically planned with live/dead insertion accounting for a large proportion of these works. Due to the high density of Tier 1 distribution mains in areas of domestic dwellings, inevitably any works carried out will result in a considerable impact on our customers. These activities currently require large excavation works to be undertaken on the carriageway causing disruption to traffic flows for extended time periods. These excavations also impact on the environment with the disposal of excavated material and the import of either virgin or recycled backfill material. Under the previous IFI initiative, SGN, successfully undertook a project to evaluate Core & Vac technology to assist in minimizing excavation sizes when carrying out joint repairs on metallic mains. Following on from the IFI project’s successful roll out and implementation, this project will develop equipment to allow both core drilling and flow stop operations to be carried out without the need for large excavation by designing the equipment to be used in conjunction with our core and vac equipment and small excavation initiative. It is intended that this will vastly reduce the impact on our customers, the environmental issues and also the associated costs. The project will be carried out in two concurrent phases: Phase 1Design of equipment to GIS/E1 to allow underpressure drilling and tapping and sealingManufacture of initial prototypeInitial field trialsDevelopment of design on the basis of feedback from initial trialsFinalise design, training and final field testsDevelopment of documentationPhase 2Design of equipment to GIS/E4 to allow flow stopping. Manufacture of initial prototypeInitial field trialsDevelopment of design on the basis of feedback from initial trialsFinalise design, training and final field testsDevelopment of documentation Normally both under pressure drilling and tapping and flow stop are carried out in conventional excavations due to the size restrictions required by both processes. This involves large, time consuming excavations ranging from 2 - 4 metres in length depending on pipe configuration. This equipment would allow the flow stopping to be carried out using 4 core hole excavations (2 for twin bag insertion and 2 for the bypass) and a small excavation for the physical cut-off. The benefits of this system when compared with conventional drilling and bag off equipment are: Reduction in volume of excavationReduction in the number of drillings required to undertake the flow stop operationMinimise our works footprintQuickly reinstate the majority of the excavation worksReduces time both excavating and reinstatingReduces costs minimise excavation size and, where core and vacis used, cores can be used as final reinstatementNote : Project Documents may be available via the ENA Smarter Networks Portal using the Website link above
Publications	(none)
Final Report	(none)
Added to Database	09/08/18