Technology capabilities for an automated and connected earthwork roadmap

Purpose The development of communication and artificial intelligence technologies has raised interest in connectivity and increased autonomy of automated earthmoving equipment for earthwork. These changes are motivating work to reduce uncertainties, in terms of improving equipment object detection capability and reducing strikes and accidents on site. The purpose of this study is to illustrate industrial drivers for automated earthwork systems; identify the specific capabilities which make the transformation happen; and finally determine use cases that create value for the system. These three objectives act as components of a technology roadmap for automated and connected earthwork and can guide development of new products and services. Design/methodology/approach This paper used a text mining approach in which the required data was captured through a structured literature review, and then expert knowledge was used for verification of the results. Findings Automated and connected earthwork can enhance construction site and its embraced infrastructure, resilience by avoiding human faults during operations. Automating the monitoring process can lead to reliable anticipation of problems and facilitate real-time responses to unexpected situation via connectedness capabilities. Research findings are presented in three sections: industrial perspectives, trends and drivers for automated and connected earthwork; capabilities which are met by technologies; and use cases to demonstrate different capabilities. Originality/value This study combines the results of disintegrated and fragmented research in the area of automated and connected earthwork and categorises them under new capability levels. The identified capabilities are classified in three main categories including reliable environmental perception, single equipment decision-making toward safe outcomes and fleet-level safety enhancement. Finally, four different levels of automation are proposed for earthwork technology roadmap.

Designing a Model for Optimization of Maintenance and Inspection efforts against Third Party Damage to cross country Pipelines in India

In India there are nearly 45000km of cross- country pipelines in operation, safety and reliability of this network of pipelines play a major role in the energy distribution security of the country. A cross country pipeline can fail due to various reasons primary among these are corrosion and third-party damage. In a populous country like India third party damage has emerged as a newest threat to the pipelines, as on date nearly 40% of all pipeline failures are due to third party damage. Thirdparty damage to an underground pipeline is generally defined as a category of damage caused to the pipeline due to the activities of an outside (other than the pipeline owner or its authorized representative) agency, for example an agency building road across the pipeline right of way may cause rupture of the pipeline due to uncontrolled use of earthmoving equipment. Most of the third-party damages are caused due to ignorance or negligence, as the third-party damage is caused by human error, it does not have any trend and random in nature. Unfortunately, majority of third-party damage leads to severe and instantaneous failure of the pipeline leading to release of highly inflammable content that can cause widespread destruction of life and property. To minimize the possibility of third party damage to a reasonably low rate, it is necessary that maintenance and inspection (M&I) practices are properly oriented, this is possible only when the weight of the factors responsible for third party damage is known and M&I programme is designed accordingly. This paper proposes a model for calculating weight of various factors responsible for third party damage and how the model can optimize M&I efforts as well as build best possible defense against third party damage for an underground high-pressure cross-county hydrocarbon pipeline.

Designing a Model for Optimization of Maintenance and Inspection Efforts against Third Party Damage to Cross Country Pipelines in India

In India there are nearly 45000km of cross- country pipelines in operation, safety and reliability of this network of pipelines play a major role in the energy distribution security of the country. A cross country pipeline can fail due to various reasons primary among these are corrosion and third-party damage. In a populous country like India third party damage has emerged as a newest threat to the pipelines, as on date nearly 40% of all pipeline failures are due to third party damage. Thirdparty damage to an underground pipeline is generally defined as a category of damage caused to the pipeline due to the activities of an outside (other than the pipeline owner or its authorized representative) agency, for example an agency building road across the pipeline right of way may cause rupture of the pipeline due to uncontrolled use of earthmoving equipment. Most of the third-party damages are caused due to ignorance or negligence, as the third-party damage is caused by human error, it does not have any trend and random in nature. Unfortunately, majority of third-party damage leads to severe and instantaneous failure of the pipeline leading to release of highly inflammable content that can cause widespread destruction of life and property. To minimize the possibility of third party damage to a reasonably low rate, it is necessary that maintenance and inspection (M&I) practices are properly oriented, this is possible only when the weight of the factors responsible for third party damage is known and M&I programme is designed accordingly. This paper proposes a model for calculating weight of various factors responsible for third party damage and how the model can optimize M&I efforts as well as build best possible defense against third party damage for an underground high-pressure cross-county hydrocarbon pipeline.