PROJECT FOCUS
Group 1: Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Natural Force Damage to Gas Pipelines
Projects must focus on the development and demonstration of novel technologies for geotechnical pipeline monitoring that include remote sensing or embedded sensing technologies that will inform long-term gas system planning.
Remote sensing is the process of monitoring the surface of the ground with satellites, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or laser imaging, detection, and ranging (LIDAR) to analyze data and predict pipeline condition changes due to natural forces. The analysis will help determine reinforcements or other mitigation strategies to avoid potential impacts or pipeline failures.
Embedded sensing includes sensors such as fiber optic strain sensors to directly measure mechanical loads as well as to make geotechnical measurements along gas pipelines. Embedded sensing could also collect data such as the temperature, humidity, light, orientation, acceleration, inertial angular rotation, wind velocity, sound, pressure, strain, displacement, and tilt of the pipeline or substrate that the pipeline is in to assess and mitigate impacts to pipelines.
Projects must employ sensors and sensor data to directly measure or predict mechanical loads along gas pipelines and assess potential damages or failures before they occur. Projects may utilize modeling approaches and field sensor data to simulate the mechanical loads in pipeline systems subjected to natural forces and to determine potential damages or leakage rates. Additional modeling investigations may be necessary to estimate geotechnical changes using field-test-based methods in combination with laboratory tests. Projects must support the development and demonstration of sensing and monitoring technologies with intelligent sampling and monitoring algorithms to detect concerning changes in pipeline conditions.
Group 2: Plastic Pipeline Deficiency Inspection for Pipeline Integrity Management
Projects must focus on developing innovative laboratory and field tested NDE technologies that could provide a measure of the structural integrity of PE pipes and assess the structural health of in-situ conditions.
A reliable NDE should be able to identify different types of damages such as internal cracks, as well as different flaws or defects in material or from installation. Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that high quality results can be replicated by different users. Differences in equipment, materials, joint configurations, and flaw types may require distinct practices, procedures, and trainings to reliably interpret the measurement results. Projects must develop low-cost, high-precision non-destructive inspection technologies to evaluate the status of PE pipes, fittings, and joints. The prospective research findings should aid in assessing system integrity and informing strategic gas decommissioning opportunities.
There is up to $4,000,000 available for grants awarded under this solicitation. The total, minimum, and maximum funding amounts for each project group are listed below.
Project Group | Available funding | Minimum award amount | Maximum award amount | Minimum match funding (% of Gas R&D Funds Requested) |
Group 1: Monitoring and Risk Assessment for Natural Force Damage to Gas Pipelines | $3,000,000 | $1,500,000 | $3,000,000 | 20% |
Group 2: Plastic Pipeline Deficiency Inspection for Pipeline Integrity Management | $1,000,000 | $750,000 | $1,000,000 | 20% |
This solicitation is open to all public and private entities. All projects in this solicitation must benefit Gas IOU ratepayers and California residents.
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