High Volume Gas Escapes (Stage 1)

Completed

Fossil Fuels: Oil Gas and Coal(Oil and Gas, Refining, transport and storage of oil and gas)

Applied Research and Development

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY (Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing Engineering)

Not Cross-cutting

Project Contact
SGN

Network Innovation Allowance

Ofgem

01 March 2018

01 January 2019

ENA months

£156,600

Energy

South East

Network Innovation Allowance

Project Contact, SGN

This project aims to provide a solution which can quickly and effectively repair a leaking pipe at the leaks source. This project will therefore seek to identify and develop a number of prototyped options for responding to high volume gas escapes from low pressure pipelines. The work outlined in this proposal is focused on Low Pressure Pipes (up to 2 bar), but will ideally also be appropriate for Medium Pressure Pipes (up to 7 bar). This encompasses both metallic and PE pipes, and diameters of 63mm to 1200mm / 48”. The work has been divided into 2 primary sections: Idea Generation: ideas will come from improvement or adaptation of current practice, transferring ideas from other industries, and through blue-sky thinking. It is believed that ideas from the offshore sector, along with marine, nuclear and water, may provide a useful starting place for this work. The work will generate solutions for (i) making safe the work space (ii) controlling the amount of gas lost (iii) minimizing the amount of gas lost, (iv) safely stopping gas loss. It will however place an emphasis on technologies and methods for safely stopping gas loss. Idea Validation: Feasibility Assessments – both technical and commercial – will be carried out on the long-list of ideas that are developed. This work will lead to recommendations for further work, and will provide the opportunity to road test or validate a select number of concepts. This stage of the project is focused primarily on concept development. The stage will examine solutions for making the workspace safer, controlling and minimising the amount of lost gas, as well as safely stopping gas loss.The scope of this work will incorporate five phases: Conceptual grouping Concept generation Concept longlisting Prototype and validation The specific objectives for this project are: Confirm the challenges of the solution. Develop a screening process to choose the most appropriate techniques to move forward. Provide a full view of the solution landscape (idea generation). Outline a long list of solutions (initial screening). Carry out an Engineering Screening Process to determine the initial feasibility of the long list. Recommend a short list of solutions to be taken forward with appropriate costings. Carry out a validation exercise, looking at getting rough prototypes into the field and understanding their benefits and challenges.

The aim of this project is to produce a range of options across several technology readiness levels (TRL) which will form the toolbox of the projects name, in order to allow SGN to select a particular tool dependent on the type of leak encountered.

09/11/22