Wireless Predictive and Preventative Maintenance of Infrastructure and Assets

基础设施和资产的无线预测和预防性维护

• 批准号: 59634
• 金额: $ 9.55万
• 依托单位: VELOCITY RDT LIMITED
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Feasibility Studies
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=59634
• 关键词: Wireless; Predictive; Preventative; Maintenance; Infrastructure

Unique, yet simple, accurate and effective sensors called 'Intelligent-Things' no bigger than a credit card can predict the structural health of equipment, infrastructures and assets. Our sensors predict when fatigue or breakage will occur, the current structural health and exactly when maintenance is required. This sensor can reduce at least 30% from an organisations annual maintenance costs.Liberally deployed, the sensors are fixed using an epoxy resin. Each sensor is made from the same material its monitoring & will mimic the life of the asset.Sensors have small fingers, they are calibrated to break at set percentage increments, between 5% 30% 50% 70% & 90% (in many cases fatigue occurs well before they can be seen through routine inspection) The sensors deliberately break when a change occurs, the data is stored on a chip and transmitted wirelessly and securely alerting engineers.The data made available enables multiple stakeholders to make accurate decisions to intervene, order/replace, repair or investigate further. This immediately eliminates the need for costly regular inspection and replacement, where, in many cases there is no need, saving considerable sums for organisations and directing maintenance and repair to where it's actually required to be spent.The uniqueness of the sensors mean that once deployed they can be left and any intervention will be as a result of sensor fingers breaking indicating a change has occurred and when or if the asset requires further intervention, typically once its exceeded 70% fatigue.The sensors can also be calibrated to be 'extra sensitive'. This is critical where assets have been deployed for many years, yet difficult to distinguish how long the life of the asset remains. Retrofitting the sensors across many assets means that deployment can be easy and effective for organisations.Finally the vast array where the sensors can be used is considerable. With active enquiries across many sectors including:**Transport:** Railways, Vehicles - Gears/Brakes/Hydraulics.**Energy Sector**: Pylons/Wind Turbines, Oil Pipelines.**Infrastructure & Build Environment:** Construction, Buildings, Bridges, Scaffolding. New Homes.**Facilities:** Elevators and Escalators, Retail Store Facades.This is just the start with advanced plans for nano-sensors especially for 'Industry 4.0' and we are investigating the medical sector for nano sensors for fatigue in joint replacements for humans.Further Funding:We are seeking extended funding as it will greatly assist with the next and crucial tranche to test the ‘PipeSense’ sensors in a laboratory environment. We are aiming to carry out the following:• We need to produce several test pipes. (The first model we produced is shown in the exploitation plan)• The actual quantity we envisage to be between 5 and maximum 10. • The test PipeSense sensors need to perform under stringent conditions.• These test sensors are to be made from copper & latterly (not in this extension) we shall replicate in plastic and steel for further domestic and commercial sectors. • However, the largest sector is copper, and this gives the base to build on.• We need to have a small variety. • The sensors are to be tested for example ‘freezing’ so the main body deliberately cracks. We have discussed with Strathclyde University the alternatives and their laboratory provide the securest environment to in effect ‘blow up’ the sensors to mimic pressured environments. It’s this section where we may require the extra 2-3 sensors to be made for testing purposes.• Whilst we have the number of test units Strathclyde can work with our team to then confirm how the whole sensor behaves when released for commercialisation.• The sensor ‘needs’ to be certified. CE rating or the new UKCA rating. To have this is crucial & we will be working with the key academic partners at Strathclyde on how we can achieve this part. To be tested under lab conditions and to receive the lab results will enable the whole PipeSense technology to be fully proven and therefore proving the uniqueness of this ground-breaking sensor technology. As mentioned above, we need as a base the product to be licensed/certified. This is a paramount requirement and in our first project phase we connected with Strathclyde to verify this. We aim in this segment of funding (again separate to this extension) to pursue what else we need to do to verify and have a market ready verified product. We have got ‘so far’ but we are not there yet. The ability to do this from Innovate UK has been tremendous, we are buoyed by the support and assistance this has given us in addition to several UK potential deployment sites. There are many Local Authorities presently tendering for estate works to solve problems with maintenance of domestic properties and the waste pipes for cracking, costing millions across the country. We can become part of their solution map, we need to be front of house to do this and going armed with certification and test results will give confidence to prospective buyers our sensors will be crucial to their needs. We started from an idea, we developed this as we grew in experience and within our team, we are totally committed, we have something simple and unique and the next tranche of work will enable further proof points. The last element is the limited ability via this extension to turn further towards productization and partner deployment channels to build prior to full commercialisation. To establish a strong partner channel, we must establish the right sectors to perform in. We commenced the whole idea of predictive and preventative maintenance of critical assets and structures, this is now a given, however, the opportunity to expedite the market with PipeSense gives us a unique differentiator. These elements are all progressing. The partners will listen greatly once proven, tested and certified and the above shall put us firmly into this area ready to capture the next element and the negotiations with partners and end users for full scale deployment.

独特但简单、准确且有效的传感器被称为“智能物”，其大小不及信用卡，可以预测设备、基础设施和资产的结构健康状况。我们的传感器可以预测何时会发生疲劳或破损、当前结构的健康状况以及准确何时需要维护。该传感器可以减少组织每年至少 30% 的维护成本。传感器使用环氧树脂固定，可以自由部署。每个传感器均由与其监控的材料相同的材料制成，并将模仿资产的寿命。传感器具有小手指，它们经过校准以在设定的百分比增量（5% 30% 50% 70% 和 90% 之间）断裂（在许多情况下，疲劳发生在通过常规检查发现之前）。当发生变化时，传感器会故意断裂，数据存储在芯片上并通过无线传输安全地提醒工程师。 可用的数据使多个利益相关者能够做出准确的决策来进行干预、订购/更换、维修或进一步调查。这立即消除了昂贵的定期检查和更换的需要，而在许多情况下是没有必要的，为组织节省了大量资金，并将维护和维修指导到实际需要花费的地方。传感器的独特性意味着一旦部署它们就可以留下，任何干预都将是由于传感器手指断裂而表明发生了变化，以及资产何时或是否需要进一步干预，通常是在其超过 70% 时 传感器还可以被校准为“超灵敏”。当资产已部署多年但很难区分资产的使用寿命有多长时，这一点至关重要。在许多资产上改造传感器意味着组织可以轻松有效地进行部署。最后，可以使用传感器的范围非常广泛。积极询问多个行业，包括：**交通：**铁路、车辆 - 齿轮/制动器/液压。**能源行业**：塔架/风力涡轮机、石油管道。**基础设施和建筑环境：**建筑、建筑物、桥梁、脚手架。新住宅。**设施：**电梯和自动扶梯、零售店外墙。这只是纳米传感器特别是“工业 4.0”先进计划的开始，我们正在研究医疗领域纳米传感器在人类关节置换术中的疲劳情况。进一步资金：我们正在寻求更多资金，因为它将极大地帮助下一个关键阶段测试“PipeSense”传感器 实验室环境。我们的目标是执行以下任务： • 我们需要生产几根测试管。 （我们生产的第一个模型显示在开发计划中）• 我们设想的实际数量在 5 到最多 10 之间。• 测试 PipeSense 传感器需要在严格的条件下执行。• 这些测试传感器将由铜制成，稍后（不在本次扩展中）我们将用塑料和钢进行复制，以用于更多的国内和商业领域。 • 然而，最大的行业是铜，这为进一步发展奠定了基础。• 我们需要有少量品种。 • 传感器要进行测试，例如“冻结”，以便主体故意破裂。我们与斯特拉斯克莱德大学讨论了替代方案，他们的实验室提供了最安全的环境，可以有效地“炸毁”传感器以模拟压力环境。在这一部分，我们可能需要额外制造 2-3 个传感器用于测试目的。• 虽然我们有一定数量的测试单元，但 Strathclyde 可以与我们的团队合作，以确认整个传感器在商业化发布时的表现。• 传感器“需要”经过认证。 CE 评级或新的 UKCA 评级。做到这一点至关重要，我们将与斯特拉斯克莱德大学的主要学术合作伙伴合作，研究如何实现这一部分。在实验室条件下进行测试并获得实验室结果将使整个 PipeSense 技术得到充分验证，从而证明这一突破性传感器技术的独特性。如上所述，我们需要将产品作为获得许可/认证的基础。这是一项至关重要的要求，在我们的第一个项目阶段，我们与斯特拉斯克莱德联系以验证这一点。我们的目标是在这部分资金（再次与此扩展分开）中寻求我们需要做的其他事情来验证并拥有市场就绪的经过验证的产品。我们已经做到了“到目前为止”，但我们还没有达到目标。创新英国拥有巨大的能力来做到这一点，除了英国的几个潜在部署地点之外，我们还对它为我们提供的支持和帮助感到鼓舞。目前，许多地方当局正在招标房地产工程，以解决住宅物业的维护和废水管道破裂的问题，全国各地耗资数百万美元。我们可以成为他们解决方案地图的一部分，我们需要在前台做到这一点，并配备认证和测试结果将使潜在买家充满信心，我们的传感器对他们的需求至关重要。我们从一个想法开始，随着经验的增长和团队内部的发展，我们开发了这个想法，我们完全致力于，我们有一些简单而独特的东西，下一部分工作将提供进一步的证明点。最后一个因素是通过此扩展进一步转向产品化和在完全商业化之前建立合作伙伴部署渠道的能力有限。为了建立强大的合作伙伴渠道，我们必须建立正确的执行领域。我们开始了对关键资产和结构进行预测性和预防性维护的整个想法，现在这是既定的，但是，通过 PipeSense 加速市场发展的机会为我们提供了独特的差异化优势。这些要素都在进步。一旦经过验证、测试和认证，合作伙伴将认真倾听，上述内容将使我们坚定地进入这一领域，准备捕捉下一个元素并与合作伙伴和最终用户进行全面部署的谈判。