Breathing New Life to Aging Pipeline Infrastructure Using Unique Wireline Inspection Techniques and Pipe-Lining Technology

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clay Goudy ◽  
Alex Gutiérrez
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Steel Pipe ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Central Component ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Southern Mexico ◽  
Inspection Method ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Pipe Replacement ◽  
High Level

Mexico’s Energy Reform has opened up various interesting and unique opportunities for energy infrastructure. A CO2 pipeline project that was recently completed in southern Mexico provides a perfect example of how to breathe new life to deteriorated pipeline infrastructure — infrastructure that would have typically been written off. By coupling a unique pipeline inspection method with a novel lining system, two 28-kilometer (17 mile) pipelines were rehabilitated in record time and in a cost-effective manner. The project consisted of two 12 and 18-inch (300 and 450 millimeters) CO2 transport pipelines that had been out of service for 22 years and that are a central component for a high-profile fertilizer project. Replacing these deteriorated assets with a new transport pipeline was not an option due to time, environmental, permitting and budgetary constraints. The rehabilitated system had to offer a minimum 25-year service life required by the owner. To put this aging infrastructure back into service, it was essential to assess the condition of the pipelines with a high level of accuracy and precision which would allow for the rehabilitation of the pipeline and installation of an interactive liner to extend the system’s serviceable life for a minimum of 25 years. The challenge, however, was that these pipelines were non-piggable by traditional methods. By using a tethered MFL and Caliper ILI solution, the pipelines were each inspected in 13 separate sections with the level of detail necessary to assess the condition and suitability of the rehabilitation strategy selected for the project. Fast-track scheduling constraints required 24-hour data analysis turnaround of reports identifying and discriminating areas of modest and significant corrosion as well as deformations including areas of significant weld slag which could complicate the installation of the liners. Once high-quality data was available, pinpoint repairs were possible with a combination of carbon fiber reinforcement and steel pipe replacement. Afterwards, the pipelines were internally lined with a patented process that effectively provides a double containment system. A grooved liner and the host steel pipe create an annular space that is pressurized with air and remotely monitored. The system is able to detect even a small pressure drop in the annulus that would occur in case the integrity is breached, or a pinhole develops in the steel pipe. With the grooved liner, external repairs can be conducted while the line continues to operate without interrupting CO2 service to the plant. By applying these novel solutions, the rehabilitated pipelines will transport carbon dioxide to a revitalized fertilizer plant in a safe and efficient manner for the next 25 years.

scholarly journals FMS Dashboard - Descriptive Analytics and Preventive Maintenance

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 5280-5284
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Preventive Maintenance ◽  
Management System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Fleet Management ◽  
Past Performance ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Vehicle Activity ◽  
Iot Devices

Fleet tracking or vehicle tracking allows businesses in a variety of industries to keep track of their vehicle fleet in a convenient and cost-effective manner. But with IOT devices connected to each vehicle, it produces huge amount of data, which is an overload to the users of Fleet Management System (FMS). This data itself is not valuable unless it can be analyzed and interpreted correctly. Quality data can help fleet owners to understand the efficiency, driver safety, expenses and profitability of owning and managing their fleet. In this proposed work, we developed a dashboard for the existing Fleet Management System which will provide descriptive analytics and support in preventive maintenance of the fleet. The FMS Dashboard is a key module of the FMS system. This module uses GPS data like vehicle starts, stops, and idling, fuel consumption, engine running hours, vehicle speeds and location from each vehicle to provide real-time useful insights on vehicle activity, driver behavior and tracking of fleet. Based on historic data, descriptive analytics will summarize past performance of the vehicle to enable users to plan for maintenance to perform. Also preventive maintenance reports helps the fleet owners to estimate, when the vehicle service is due and plan for the same. Apart from this, vehicle can be tracked real-time in Google Maps.

scholarly journals Dual indexed design of in-Drop single-cell RNA-seq libraries improves sequencing quality and throughput

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Austin N. Southard Smith ◽  
Alan J. Simmons ◽  
Bob Chen ◽  
Angela L. Jones ◽  
Marisol A. Ramirez Solano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Cell ◽  
High Throughput ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Data ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Sequencing Quality

AbstractThe increasing demand of single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) experiments, such as the number of experiments and cells queried per experiment, necessitates higher sequencing depth coupled to high data quality. New high-throughput sequencers, such as the Illumina NovaSeq 6000, enables this demand to be filled in a cost-effective manner. However, current scRNA-seq library designs present compatibility challenges with newer sequencing technologies, such as index-hopping, and their ability to generate high quality data has yet to be systematically evaluated. Here, we engineered a new dual-indexed library structure, called TruDrop, on top of the inDrop scRNA-seq platform to solve these compatibility challenges, such that TruDrop libraries and standard Illumina libraries can be sequenced alongside each other on the NovaSeq. We overcame the index-hopping issue, demonstrated significant improvements in base-calling accuracy, and provided an example of multiplexing twenty-four scRNA-seq libraries simultaneously. We showed favorable comparisons in transcriptional diversity of TruDrop compared with prior library structures. Our approach enables cost-effective, high throughput generation of sequencing data with high quality, which should enable more routine use of scRNA-seq technologies.

Examination as to formal requirements of the Statement of claim

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Plassmann ◽  
Steffen Steininger
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effective ◽  
Transitional Period ◽  
Court System ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Active Case ◽  
Opt Out ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Rules Of Procedure ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Formal Requirements

Rule 16 UPCARoP gives the Registry the task of examining compliance with the formal requirements in the Statement of claim while at the same time defining the chronological order in which such examination is performed. The examination ensures compliance with the principle of expediting the proceedings already enshrined as a principle in the Preamble to the UPCA (‘expeditious decisions’). Compliance with the principle of flexibility, likewise laid down in the Preamble to the Rules of Procedure, is also thereby ensured. This principle also means that the Court must manage the proceedings in an active and efficient manner. In Art 43 UPCA, such active case management by the Court is expressly codified. Pursuant to Art 41(3), the Rules of Procedure have to ensure that the proceedings are conducted in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. The anticipated examination of the formal requirements as a first step ensures the effective conduct of proceedings because the formal requirements can be satisfied subsequently after a corresponding request by the Court. The examination of whether an EP is the subject matter of an opt-out ensures that during the transitional period the Court system desired and/or chosen by the proprietor is appropriate to hear the case

A novel model of intracranial meningioma in mice using luciferase-expressing meningioma cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 304-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian T. Ragel ◽  
Isaac L. Elam ◽  
David L. Gillespie ◽  
Jeannette R. Flynn ◽  
David A. Kelly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mr Imaging ◽  
Skull Base ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Intracranial Meningioma ◽  
Skull Base Tumor ◽  
Efficient Manner ◽  
Intracranial Meningiomas ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Luciferase Enzyme

Object Meningioma research has been hindered by the inability to sequentially measure intracranial tumor growth in a cost-effective, efficient manner. Recently, the luciferase gene has been transfected into cancer lines to obtain cells that express the luciferase enzyme, which oxidizes luciferin in a reaction that releases photon energy that can be measured noninvasively by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) systems. The authors describe a mouse model of intracranial meningioma that uses this novel BLI system. Methods The immortal meningioma cell lines CH-157-MN and IOMM-Lee were transfected with luciferase and neomycin phosphotransferase (LucNeo) and selected with G418. These cells were stereotactically implanted at skull base and cerebral convexity locations in nude mice. Animals were imaged for bioluminescence biweekly, and 5 mice underwent magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Tumors were harvested for immunohistochemical and ultrastructural analysis. Results The CH-157-MN-LucNeo and IOMM-Lee-LucNeo cell lines were successfully implanted intracranially in mice. The tumor induction rate for CH-157-MN-LucNeo skull base tumors was 90% (36 of 40 procedures). Statistical analysis of CH-157-MN-LucNeo skull base tumor volume measured on MR imaging correlated with the results of BLI showed an R value of 0.900. The tumors exhibited characteristics of aggressive meningiomas by insinuating along arachnoid planes and invading brain. Conclusions Noninvasive BLI was successfully used to image intracranial meningiomas in mice. The tumors grew in a fashion similar to that of aggressive meningiomas in humans, and exhibited the microscopic, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural features characteristic of meningiomas. This animal model overcomes the main obstacle in studying intracranial meningiomas by enabling sequential noninvasive tumor measurement in a cost-effective manner.

Rocky Flats Closure Project: Lessons Learned in Worker Stakeholder Engagement

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Sweeney ◽  
Robert E. Mazur ◽  
Martin Edelson
Keyword(s):  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Environmental Technology ◽  
Rocky Flats ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
High Level

The Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site (EPA Superfund site near Denver, Colorado) produced plutonium components for nuclear weapons for the U.S. defense program. The facility shut down in 1989 and clean up began in 1992. To ensure safe remediation of inactive nuclear sites, site owners have begun to consult stakeholders more widely in recent years. The closure of Rocky Flats aimed to set the standard for stakeholder involvement in doing the work safely, complying with regulations/standards, in a cost-effective manner. We have studied, using ethnographic methods, the extent to which workers at Rocky Flats were involved in communication and decision making strategies. Our results point out that workers can have perceptions of the site remediation process that differ from management and even other workers and that a significant number of workers questioned the commitment by management to engage the worker as stakeholder. The most effective remediation efforts should involve careful consideration of the insights and observations of all workers, particularly those who face immediate and high-level health and safety risks.

scholarly journals Thinger.io: An Open Source Platform for Deploying Data Fusion Applications in IoT Environments

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1044 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alvaro Luis Bustamante ◽  
Miguel Patricio ◽  
José Molina
Keyword(s):  
Data Fusion ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Sensor Data ◽  
Sensor Technology ◽  
Huge Amount ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Fusion Applications ◽  
High Level

In the last two decades, data and information fusion has experienced significant development due mainly to advances in sensor technology. The sensors provide a continuous flow of data about the environment in which they are deployed, which is received and processed to build a dynamic estimation of the situation. With current technology, it is relatively simple to deploy a set of sensors in a specific geographic area, in order to have highly sensorized spaces. However, to be able to fusion and process the information coming from the data sources of a highly sensorized space, it is necessary to solve certain problems inherent to this type of technology. The challenge is analogous to what we can find in the field of the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT technology is characterized by providing the infrastructure capacity to capture, store, and process a huge amount of heterogeneous sensor data (in most cases, from different manufacturers), in the same way that it occurs in data fusion applications. This work is not simple, mainly due to the fact that there is no standardization of the technologies involved (especially within the communication protocols used by the connectable sensors). The solutions that we can find today are proprietary solutions that imply an important dependence and a high cost. The aim of this paper is to present a new open source platform with capabilities for the collection, management and analysis of a huge amount of heterogeneous sensor data. In addition, this platform allows the use of hardware-agnostic in a highly scalable and cost-effective manner. This platform is called Thinger.io. One of the main characteristics of Thinger.io is the ability to model sensorized environments through a high level language that allows a simple and easy implementation of data fusion applications, as we will show in this paper.

A Non-Intrusive Pipeline Leak Detection Service Using Pressure-Wave Analysis

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivasan Jagannathan ◽  
Neil Stewart ◽  
Graham Jack
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Wave ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Leak Detection ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Detailed Knowledge ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Pressurized Fluids ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Impact

Product losses from pipelines, whether attributed to acts of man or nature, amount to operator losses of approximately USD 133 billion annually [1], not even considering costs associated with remediation, environmental damage, and reputational harm. When an incident occurs, pipeline operators need to minimize the event by quickly and accurately locating and quantifying the pipeline loss and its cause. Having this detailed knowledge enables determination of the best method for dealing with possible issues while helping minimize remediation costs, pipeline downtime, and the impact of the work on surrounding infrastructure. Currently, most systems for pipeline leak detection are limited to either listening methods, which require being online and monitoring both pipeline ends at the moment the leak occurs, or intrusive methods that require the insertion of a pig into the pipeline. Both of these techniques are restricted in usage because access should be available to both ends of the pipeline. Additionally, for the intrusive method, the pipeline should be piggable and, for the listening method, the instrumentation should be able to communicate with a central data processing point placed at both pipeline ends as they rely on travel time difference between signals received at either end of the pipeline. The method this paper describes is a proven, nonintrusive technology that can be used by pipeline operators to identify losses quickly and safely with a repeatable and verified high level of accuracy. It monitors the signature response of a generated fluid hammer and resulting pressure wave transiting within the pipeline and analyzes the reflected signature wave and pressure data to extrapolate both the location and magnitude of the loss with all pipeline parameters taken into account. The method enables operators to detect, locate, and quantify the loss of pipeline inventory in a safe and cost-effective manner without having to stop production, beyond the temporary closing of a mainline valve, or risk tools or personnel, due to exposure to pressurized fluids, before performing any intervention at the leak site.

scholarly journals Economic burden of enhanced practices of duodenoscopes reprocessing and surveillance: balancing risk and cost containment

2021 ◽  
Vol 09 (09) ◽  
pp. E1404-E1412
Author(s):  
Shivanand Bomman ◽  
Richard A. Kozarek ◽  
Adarsh M. Thaker ◽  
Camilla Kodama ◽  
V. Raman Muthusamy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Impact ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Cycle Basis ◽  
Procedural Volume ◽  
Ensure Patient Safety ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Cost

Abstract Background and study aims Recent outbreaks attributed to contaminated duodenoscopes have led to the development of enhanced surveillance and reprocessing techniques (enhanced-SRT) aimed at minimizing cross-contamination. Common enhanced-SRT include double high-level disinfection (HLD), ethylene oxide (EtO) gas sterilization, and culture-based monitoring of reprocessed scopes. Adoption of these methods adds to the operational costs and we aimed to assess its economic impact to an institution. Methods We compared the estimated costs of three enhanced-SRT versus single-HLD using data from two institutions. We examined the cost of capital measured as scope inventory and frequency of scope use per unit time, the constituent reprocessing costs required on a per-cycle basis, and labor & staffing needs. The economic impact attributable to enhanced-SRT was defined as the difference between the total cost of enhanced-SRT and single HLD. Results Compared to single HLD, adoption of double HLD increased the costs approximately by 47 % ($80 vs $118). Similarly, culture and quarantine and EtO sterilization increased costs by 160 % and 270 %, respectively ($80 vs $208 and $296). Enhanced-SRT introduced significant scope downtime due to prolonged techniques, necessitating a 3.4-fold increase in the number of scopes needed to maintain procedural volume. The additional annual budget required to implement enhanced-SRT approached $406,000 per year in high-volume centers. Conclusions While enhanced-SRT may reduce patient risk of exposure to contaminated duodenoscopes, it significantly increases the cost of performing ERCP. Future innovation should focus on approaches that can ensure patient safety while maintaining the ability to perform ERCP in a cost-effective manner.

Strategic planning in grassland farming: Principles andapplications

1997 ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
W.J. Parker ◽  
N.M. Shadbolt ◽  
D.I. Gray
Keyword(s):  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Key Performance Indicators ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Farm Business ◽  
Pastoral Farming ◽  
Financial Environment

Three levels of planning can be distinguished in grassland farming: strategic, tactical and operational. The purpose of strategic planning is to achieve a sustainable long-term fit of the farm business with its physical, social and financial environment. In pastoral farming, this essentially means developing plans that maximise and best match pasture growth with animal demand, while generating sufficient income to maintain or enhance farm resources and improvements, and attain personal and financial goals. Strategic plans relate to the whole farm business and are focused on the means to achieve future needs. They should be routinely (at least annually) reviewed and monitored for effectiveness through key performance indicators (e.g., Economic Farm Surplus) that enable progress toward goals to be measured in a timely and cost-effective manner. Failure to link strategy with control is likely to result in unfulfilled plans. Keywords: management, performance

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