1
Background and Problem Statement
If not properly maintained, corrosion of steel and reinforced concrete in structures like bridges, jetties, shipping vessels, and pipelines can result in catastrophic failures. Using the right corrosion mitigation technique will lessen damage to the structures, lengthen their useful lives, and reduce maintenance expenses. Numerous machines and structures, including bridges, jetties, pipelines, boats, and shipping vessels, use steel and steel-reinforced concrete. Particularly when they are situated close to or over significant bodies of water like rivers, lakes, or oceans, many of these structures and machines are outdoors and subject to a variety of weather and environmental conditions.
Active cathodic protection introduces “impressed” voltages and currents to the structure using some sort of control system in order to balance and counteract the naturally generated electrical potential. Impressed Current Cathodic Protection (ICCP) systems use transformer-rectifier units, which are frequently custom made and have a variety of features like remote monitoring and control, integral current interrupters, and various kinds of electrical enclosures. In ICCP systems, the output DC positive cable is connected to the anodes, the output DC positive terminal is connected to the structure, and the input terminals are connected to the AC cable. To supply enough current to protect the structure, the system output needs to be optimized. Some devices have taps on the windings in their design.
For larger systems, data and system status can be sent to a centralized SCADA system, where operators can monitor and take the necessary action to make sure the ICCP system is operating properly. Some systems can be equipped with analog and/or digital meters to locally display operating voltage and current output.
2
Approach
For a cathodic protection project, the SMEs of Ranial Systems visited the site, conducted the site survey, and collected data. Ranial Systems analyzed the historical data and proposed their patented CognitIoT™ platform that performs real-time monitoring and takes decisions on the edge/ site controller level. The low latency response was not constrained by network (GPRS/ Cellular data service and cloud-only solution. The proactive intuitive monitoring at the point of action and real-time notifications increases the efficiency of the existing operations, reduce maintenance visits, and monetize Improved level of KPIs.
3
Solution
CognitIoT™ platform offers distributed intelligence from within embedded controllers that enables real time predictive and preventive maintenance at the site and reduces emergency calls. It Improves operational intelligence and minimizes downtime by enabling self-healing and real-time process automation. The candidate applications are built to realize the use of case-specific implementations. The solution thus lowers the cost of operation and maintenance significantly by delivering innovation through cognitive operational intelligence.
The offered CognitIoT™ solution supports multi-protocol integration (Modbus and OPC to communicate with the industrial assets and offers extensible communication/intelligence infrastructure through highly scalable AI-powered edge computing runtime. The interoperability and self-healing of endpoint IoT systems ensure resilient and low-latency interactions with existing automation platforms. The cognitive edge runtime intercepts the sensory feeds to gain situational awareness to facilitate requisite control operations. The flexibility in integration with legacy control system infrastructure allowed Ranial systems to leverage such intelligence at the point of action with minimal hardware and software upgrades in the existing control systems. CognitIoT™ seamlessly integrates with multiple DCS/PLC/SCADA systems in a protocol-agnostic way and offer real-time monitoring and site management functions through a centralized web-based console, while the edge controller performs the autonomous operations at the plant/ site level.
4
Implementation
The following workflow was designed to implement the predictive control strategy for the pipeline facility:
An edge controller preloaded with the AI agent was installed in the control room linked to the SCADA system over Modbus. Platform middleware and infrastructure tuning, AI/ ML modules, and monitoring dashboard customization were performed in line with the client’s requirements.
5
Result
The AI on the edge solution from Ranial Systems helped the operator to predict equipment failures before they occurred. The system was able to analyze data from field instruments installed on the pipeline and identify patterns that indicated when maintenance was required. This allowed the operator to proactively schedule maintenance and avoid costly unplanned downtime.
The real-time monitoring of cathodic protection allowed the company to optimize its maintenance process and improve drilling efficiency by 27% while reducing the operating cost of maintenance by 33%.
