Introduction: Traditionally there have been a range of products and processes that have been used operationally to deal with the customer interruptions. Some of the products, such as service renewal after escape are even carried out under 'live' gas conditions.

However in all cases, irrelevant of whether the service pipe is maintained as a 'live' pipe, the customer is taken off gas. The innovation is to develop processes, methodology and concepts that would allow the work to be done, whether under dead or live conditions, but maintaining a gas flow to the customer, thus preventing their interruption.

The scope of the project is to identify how unplanned customer interruptions can be minimised by determining possible solutions that will potentially reduce interruption due to (but not limited to):

• Disconnections

• ECV exchange

• Water ingress

• Poor pressure

• Service renewal after gas escape

The scope detail is:

• Feasibility Study – Concept to Reality .

• The type of service pipe that the project will consider is
  • ¾” to 1 ¼” metallic service pipes

  • Service pipes that are 12 to 15metres in length

  • Service pipes that have a maximum of two 90 degree short radius bends in line

  • Service pipes that have a maximum operating pressure of 75mbar.

• Flow, Pressure and usage data capture system
  • 0-75mBar pressure

  • 0-3scmh-1 flow

Objectives:

The objectives for this project are to:

• Identify any existing gas industry technologies that could possibly reduce the number of unplanned customer interruptions.
• Identify any existing non-gas industry technologies that could possibly be transferred to reduce the number of unplanned customer interruptions.
• Identify any possible conceptual ideas that could possibly reduce the number of unplanned customer interruptions.
• Review and identify current UK Gas Industry Standards in relation to reducing the number of unplanned customer interruptions.
• To prepare a report confirming the findings from the
  • Global Technology Watch
  • Patents Searches
  • Engagement with Partners
  • Concept to Reality technical Report
• Provide recommendations on products, processes and procedures for reducing the number of unplanned customer interruptions.
• Identify concepts for further development.

Expected Benefits:

• A review of existing full or partial solutions, that are available both within the UK and elsewhere, to enable live service insertion without interruption or affecting the flow of gas through the meter.

• A gap analysis of solutions against existing SGN and UK industry specifications and standards.

• Selection of the most suitable existing solution to develop with conceptual design or conceptual design of new solution. Including an indication of expected full solution unit purchase cost and risk assessment and gap analysis against relevant SGN and UK specifications and standards.

• Conceptual design of solution and assessment. Including gap analysis of the design against relevant SGN and UK specifications and standards, in order to determine performance requirements for product testing. Rev

• Review of regulatory and statutory requirements