developments
products &
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Tube Products International July 2011
Wireless detection and communication for
piping networks
At the Gastech conference, held in
Amsterdam in March, RYB, the French
leader in utility networks and piping,
unveiled a solution that enables
detection and communication for
underground assets. Developed in
collaboration with CEA-Leti, the unique
RFID technology revolutionises safety,
monitoring and maintenance for gas,
energy and dangerous matter networks,
reducing the risk of industrial accidents
in these areas.
The risk of industrial accidents is a
serious consideration in the gas
and energy sectors, as well as for
dangerous liquid transport in general.
One of the critical aspects of these
activities is related to the piping
and underground networks used to
carry various resources and matter.
Numerous industrial accidents,
sometimes with serious consequences,
are directly caused by the involuntary
cutting or breakage of poorly identified
underground pipes. This situation
is often due to incomplete network
maps, or by the fact that techniques
for locating pipes are complex and
generally difficult to perform in the field.
In order to resolve this issue, RYB worked
with CEA-Leti to develop a complete
wireless detection and communication
system for underground networks, named
ELIOT
®
(equipment for localisation and
identification by object technology).
Dedicated to detecting networks, the
technology represents a breakthrough
for monitoring and maintaining
networks, as well as reducing industrial
risks and costs related to networks that
are broken during works.
The system provides advanced
traceability for underground networks,
both for infrastructure resource
management and maintenance.
The new generation of RFID technology
developed by RYB and CEA-Leti,
protected by international patents,
offers the following features:
•
Detection up to 1.5m underground,
providing accuracy within a few
centimetres
•
Support for harsh network
environments
for
detection,
localisation and reading of information
stored on a chip: networks covered
by all types of ground (tar, sand, dirt,
rocks, dry, wet, etc), or submerged
underwater (such as in the water
table)
•
Instant feedback
•
Information storage: detected
network
type
(application),
manufacturing date, installation date,
serial number, diameter, nominal
pressure, etc
•
Tags with no power supply
requirement, integrated directly in
the fitting or pipe, or as standalone
electronic markers
•
A simple reading system with an
adapted antenna, compatible with
products available on the market
•
A signal measured on the surface
precisely describes the detected
pipe, avoiding interference in case of
multiple nearby networks
The new-generation RFID tags are
integrated directly in piping or network
parts using the patented process.
Information specific to each type of
piping is embedded onto each tag.
Standalone markers can be used to
identify existing underground works.
“We are pleased to have met the
technical challenge of developing
this detection and autonomous
communication technology, specifically
adapted for piping and underground
networks,” commented Marc-Antoine
Blin, general manager of RYB.
“This solution is unique in the world
today. This development effort required
over three years of close collaboration
with CEA-Leti, involving research on
numerous potential options and over
€1mn in investment. A new era has
now arrived for underground network-
related works.
The ELIOT solution meets operator
needs for gas and energy networks, as
well as for the transport of dangerous
matter in general, making it easier
to monitor and maintain underground
works and significantly reduce the risk
of major industrial accidents in many
sectors.”
Tests were also performed on the GDF-
Suez group’s experimental platform.
GDF-Suez provided expertise in terms
of the major issues in the field, enabling
RYB/CEA-Leti to properly adapt
the technical solution to real-world
operational requirements.
RYB SA
– France
Steel tube and fittings
Heubach International, headquartered
in Mumbai, India, is a manufacturer
of pipes and fittings. The company
is also an authorised sub-dealer of
Jindal Stainless Hisar, and a wholesale
supplier for stainless steel, alloy steel,
carbon steel, non-ferrous metal,
sheet, plates, coils, tubes, pipes,
rods, wires, flats, structural, fittings
and flanges.
The company supplies chemical,
fertiliser and petrochemical industries,
paper mills, sugar mills and distillation
plants, pump and valvemanufacturers,
engineering, electrical and cement
industries, for new projects, project
expansion and routine maintenance.
Heubach can supply items under third
party inspection by bureau veritas,
DNV H&G, Kavernor power gas, Udhe
lndia, EIL, Lloyds, Toyo, Chemtex,
Ceil, Tecnimont ICB and IBR.
Heubach International
– India
