LNDF

Lange Nacht der Forschung

A toy excavator, an alarm light and a control center simulated the Smart KKS product for the first time this year at the LNDF (Long Night of Research). The GUEP team informed interested visitors about the Smart KKS system which was developed in cooperation with the engineering office RBS wave from Stuttgart. The Smart KKS-System opens up completely new possibilities to operators of pipe networks for the remote monitoring of the KKS and the remote control of KKS protective current devices and thus increases the safety of underground, cathodically protected pipelines. Visitors were introduced to the function in a playful way, making the presentation exciting for the whole family.

The enthusiastic listeners were not only given an explanation of the process, but were also allowed to trigger the alarm themselves with a remote control. As soon as the excavator touched the pipe, the light came on and a message was sent to the control center.

What one is allowed to try for presentation purposes at the LNDF 2018 is in reality to be prevented. If a buried pipeline is damaged, the Smart KKS-System sends a signal to the control center and checks the location.

How to prevent a leak in the gas network?

Under the ground, kilometre-long networks of pipes are laid, which supply us with gas and water, among other things. One danger is excavation work, where excavators unintentionally and sometimes unnoticed damage the pipes during construction work. In the past, one had to search for these places with great effort or only noticed them when leaks occurred. Today, a smart innovation from RBS wave in cooperation with GUEP reports every contact and prevents failures.

Networking plays an important role not only in social life, but also underground. Underground are the kilometer-long pipe networks of energy and water suppliers, which guarantee that households and companies are supplied with gas and water, among other things. Again and again, excavators pose a danger to these pipe networks, which unintentionally and sometimes also unnoticed damage pipes during construction work. Even touching a pipe can be enough to corrode it and cause leaks.

Thanks to a smart innovation by the Stuttgart engineering office RBS wave in cooperation with GUEP, this is now prevented by remote maintenance. The special measuring systems installed in the pipe network send a signal to a control center and to mobile terminals of a responsible person as soon as they are touched – a maintenance team is sent off. In this way, it is possible to intervene at an early stage and with pinpoint accuracy, whereas in the past it was necessary to laboriously search for damage. Construction sites and maintenance work become more predictable, costs are reduced, and leaks and any resulting failures and accidents can be prevented.