Internet of Things

IoT Pressure Monitoring Device

Improving essential services that communities rely on

Project Context

The national low pressure gas network represents over 100,000 km of buried pipeline and contributes to approximately 65% of methane emissions.

Traditionally, reporting on supply issues has depended on data from gas pressure data-logger units or customer calls to the National Gas Emergency Service. This process often leads to time-consuming and disruptive engineer call-outs.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) was interested in assessing how digital technologies could transform this process by providing more accurate diagnostics and smart remote monitoring of essential infrastructure.


Solution

The adoption of advanced technologies is crucial to the net zero transition. IoT (Internet of Things), big data, machine learning and AI (Artificial Intelligence) all have the potential to benefit customers and transform the energy landscape by…

  • Streamlining management and decision-making processes.
  • Continually improving network performance
  • Reducing operational costs.

This project – led by Renda Systems, working in partnership with IoT developers – saw the development of an industry-standard plastic cap with a difference.

The Smart Cap is fitted with an advanced pressure sensor and is designed to integrate seamlessly with existing gas network infrastructure. The sensor monitors gas pressure and transmits real-time data back directly to the network operator.

Real-time monitoring represents a significant leap forward in network management, potentially reducing response times and improving service reliability.

“The IoT Pressure Sensor opens up a whole new understanding of our low-pressure network, giving us the real-time data we need to transform our day-to-day processes and the way we support NGN customers. It’s also a retrofit package that builds on methods already used right across the UK, meaning it will be quick and efficient to deploy. The benefits for our customers and NGN are huge.”

Nick Smith
Innovation Strategy and Delivery Manager, NGN

Impact

The potential impact of Smart Cap extends beyond pressure monitoring. Future iterations of the product are expected to include the ability to measure temperature, moisture and even gas composition.

Such developments pave the way for more efficient decision-making and better supply management. They also open up exciting possibilities for advanced AI integration that will boost the overall efficiency and reliability of gas supply networks.

The new IoT Pressure Sensors were piloted in 4 test properties at NeRV and plans for a full deployment across NGN’s network are currently being considered.

“Think of it like the digital maps you have on your phone, where you can view thousands of Smart Cap nodes everywhere, lighting up red if there is a problem so NGN knows exactly where to go to fix things in realtime. Start ingesting other available or open-source data, like weather, to enrich the information, and layer on machine learning and AI, and in time we’ll be able to carry out predicted maintenance before problems even start.”

Andrew Howes
RENDA
rendasystems.com