Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | JUNE 2022 | 37 cessfully scaled the interior of the ORE Cata- pult Levenmouth Demonstration Turbine, an achievement which it's believed could pave the way for completely autonomous maintenance. The RRES – mapping and excavating underground assets Gas distribution company SGN's Robotic Roadworks and Excavation System (RRES) aims to automate the excavation of both transmission and distribution assets using AI and advanced robotics to reduce dig size, labour costs, and equipment usage during routine maintenance. A Network Innovation Competition win- ner in 2018, the system combines advanced robotic arm technology, a mobile platform, and AI guided by a suite of sensors with feedback controls to enable safe and eŠ cient excavation that cuts both physical and car- bon footprints. Before starting a dig, RRES uses sensors to build a detailed picture of the ground and assets beneath it. The robot then scans the area before a computer algorithm processes its Œ ndings, uses them to create a map, and generates a 3D model of underground assets. Using AI to sense material hardness and adjust cutting speed, RRES's robotic arm then cuts a keyhole before gaining access to the underground asset using supersonic air nozzles to disturb soil, which is then removed via vacuum suction. LeakVision – 'Predator-style' heat-seeking vision The gas network silently supplies UK homes via thousands of kilometres of underground pipes. Navigating this subterranean maze to locate and repair leaks has posed a com- plex challenge for the best part of a century A s well as vast numbers of gas meters, we also look a" er all the equipment involved in the whole metering installation, from inlet to outlet. So ensuring it all operates correctly is vital, not only for customer safety, but also for maintaining the reliable gas supply individuals and businesses need – for everything from boiling an egg to running a power station. Plus, of course, gas suppliers and their customers need to be conŒ dent in our assets' accuracy, especially with today's rising energy prices. Add to this our regulatory obliga- tions and our responsibilities to National Grid shareholders, and it's clear why e— ective asset manage- ment is crucial to our operations. But how do we achieve this across our entire portfolio? With many millions of assets, it's impos- sible to inspect everything at once. Our answer is a set of tools and techniques we use to create risk models that enable us to assess how well each type of asset performs. From this assessment, we produce a 'league table' that prioritises those needing repair or replacement, and identiŒ es those requiring the most frequent maintenance. Assessing risk on a huge scale Our tools for asset-health assessment combine fault reporting, in-service testing, and information returned from maintenance – and the prin- ciple is to use these appropriately, modelling the results to gain a clear picture of all our assets. With fault reporting, we put together all the reports our engineers submit from the Œ eld, to analyse types of failure and any emerging trends. We then conduct root-cause analysis in our lab, to identify what's triggering each type of failure and how that a— ects di— erent assets in our portfolio. And for each root cause we discover, we then deter- mine which treatments are most appropriate. Having our own lab is a beneŒ - cial consequence of having so many assets to look a" er – and essential to doing it successfully. As well as using the facility to investigate faults, we also carry out in-service testing there. This complements our fault reporting, as we test assets returned to us when smart meters are installed. So, working with representative samples of each asset type, we can evaluate performance – and determine the likely frequency of di— erent faults – right across our portfolio, not just among assets that have been reported as faulty. Our third means of assessing our assets is by using information that comes back from maintenance activities to track fault trends and update our existing failure modes and e— ects analysis (FMEA). Also, following reliability-centred main- tenance (RCM) principles, we use the data to identify opportunities to ensure our assets continue to perform as expected. We apply this analysis to our larger sites, identify- ing those at higher risk of faults, and this helps us target investment at improving the sites that need it. A reassuringly complete picture The key strength of our three- pronged approach to assessment is the conŒ dence it gives us when mak- ing asset-management decisions. With the understanding it provides from di— erent perspectives, we can take the most appropriate action – at the most appropriate time – to ensure our assets keep o— ering the safety, reliability and accuracy our customers need. For more information about National Grid Metering, visit https://www. nationalgrid.com/gas-transmission/ metering EXPERT VIEW ANTHONY STOKES, RISK AND STRATEGY SPECIALIST, NATIONAL GRID METERING Managing a major asset base How National Grid Metering addresses the challenges of operating and maintaining millions of gas assets. How National Grid Metering addresses continued overleaf SGN's RRES excavator

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