Northern Gas Networks has a long term partnership arrangement with ControlPoint LLP (see www.controlpoint.co.uk) a technically oriented business which supports utilities and contractors to improve the long term performance of their assets by eliminating poor installation on their pipelines.

There are several advantages of employing the ControlPoint system, however the primary advantage relative to this project proposal is the simplicity and speed of data capture, expert assessment and subsequent communication to allow management intervention and decision making.

It is not uncommon for pipe jointing information to be captured, communicated, assessed and any resulting alert fed back to the decision makers in the utility business within 10 minutes. Operational and technical decisions are therefore facilitated and asset integrity assured.

Benefits

• Ability to alert key events post pressure test – operational and technical

• Improved pressure test records

• Improved DSP accountability for transferring correctly tested assets – reduced asset risk

• No major productivity implications for installers

• Improved visibility for planning and deployment of associated activities i.e. purge and relight

• Cost benefit as a result of reduction in revisits to sites to undertake remedial work to remediate poor installations

• Ability to adapt app/alert system to other pressure test hardware – device agnostic