Smart motes for industrial and utility inspections

Projektinformationen

SMarble

ID Finanzhilfevereinbarung: 850915

DOI

10.3030/850915

Projekt abgeschlossen

EK-Unterschriftsdatum 10 Mai 2019

Startdatum 1 Juni 2019

Enddatum 30 November 2020

Finanziert unter

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Future and Emerging Technologies (FET)

Gesamtkosten

€ 100 000,00

EU-Beitrag

€ 100 000,00

Koordiniert durch

ANTEA NEDERLAND BV
Netherlands

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SMarble (Smart motes for industrial and utility inspections)

Berichtszeitraum: 2019-06-01 bis 2020-11-30

Zusammenfassung vom Kontext und den Gesamtzielen des Projekts

Pipeline networks for both industry and utilities face a major replacement investment over the next decennium as many of these networks are reaching their end of life. Without proper inspection techniques however, we may be replacing perfectly good pipes and leaving bad ones as we simply do not know their state.

Industrial mixing tanks are heavily used in the process industry and are a major energy user in plants as larger masses have to be brought into motion. Optimizing this process could improve the quality of the mixing process and lower the energy usage.

Both cases would benefit from enhanced inspection methods and the floats from the H2020 Phoenix project, now called smarbles, are already making their way to these systems. Within the SMarble we want to show that these inspections can benefit from more technologies from Phoenix. Smarbles are inserted in operational pipelines and tanks and measure their own interal movement and other sensordata. After extraction, this data is analyzed and the results can be used for obtaining information about both the process and the environment through which the smarbles move. The smarbles have no propulsion or steering and thus essentially operate while the system is in normal operation.

In the Phoenix project two additional technologies have been developed, ultrasound measurement for both ranging between smarbles and to environment walls, and, based on the ultrasound measurements, modelling of the environment. In the SMarble we want to create and show the business case for Phoenix technology and bringing these technologies to market. Through two pilots and market analyses we want to assess the technology and its economic and societal potential.

Arbeit, die ab Beginn des Projekts bis zum Ende des durch den Bericht erfassten Berichtszeitraums geleistet wurde, und die wichtigsten bis dahin erzielten Ergebnisse

The work performed in this project was focussed on performing experiments in real scenarios that potential clients are facing, and in parallel develop a business case for using the technology to help clients and create a sustainable and profitable company. Along the way we gathered a diverse group of potential clients and worked out how the new technology could benefit them. Improvements to the hardware and measuring methodology was performed to create a clear value proposition.

Concrete results:

A viable business plan been developed that includes the increased market potential reached when the new technologies are added, the way in which the technology is brought to market, i.e. as a device or as a service, and the cost of the development required to make a viable product or service from the existing technology. The market potential will be established in the oil & gas, utility and chemical processing markets.

We have performed experiments in both pipeline networks and in industrial mixing tanks. We have shown the potential of the technology to obtain valuable information for clients. And we have learned the important aspects to get the hardware ready for commercial use.

We have improved the hardware by making it fit better the use-cases that we found by working together with potential clients.

Students from different universities have helped with the technology and in turn we have helped them in their curriculum and guidance.

We have come in contact with a variety of companies and discussed their inspection needs. And we have shown the potential of using this technology.

Fortschritte, die über den aktuellen Stand der Technik hinausgehen und voraussichtliche potenzielle Auswirkungen (einschließlich der bis dato erzielten sozioökonomischen Auswirkungen und weiter gefassten gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen des Projekts)

We have optimized the smarbles technology by focussing on concrete value propositions for clients. Especially for industrial mixing tank technology we known where value is added to the business.

This allows industrial partners that operate mixing tanks to optimize the processes: spend less time and energy on obtaining their final result. This is to the benefit of all society since we have to be responsible with energy consumption.

Teaser of smarbles and development thereof