Learnings

Outcomes

The project has successfully completed and has delivered a software product that is able to provide an audit trail of tests completed on the network. This software has improved the process that must be followed reducing the number of pieces of equipment required to complete the tests.

Stage 1 Completed Successfully

Stage 1 served as a preparation phase to enable and support field trials. CMX software is the main application that was due to be modified to meet the key objectives of the project.  The installation on a WWU supplied server via WWU I.T. took longer to complete than originally expected in the project plan. Since it was on the project critical path, action was taken to place a copy of the development software on a laptop to allow the project to make progress.  

bMobile online/offline test - bMobile is an app that runs on Android tablets or Windows 10 portable devices.  It requires network access to allow certain data to be transferred to the main CMX application.  This step took longer than anticipated to install and test due to the number of  cyber security firewalls within our IT system. Upon installation of CMX, a decision was taken to install bMobile on the same laptop to prove the technology, enabling the field trials to take place.

Flow weighted calculations - This was one of the primary aims of the project and was completed successfully.  The task required Beamex to modify software that is commercially available and common in such a way that the Corrected Gas Flow rates can be computed following data entry via tablets. The design of the modifications followed a standard project procedure, with the algorithms being discussed, agreed and signed off by WWU engineering, tested with known data and then implemented in CMX. 

Customised report/certificate generation - This task was completed successfully.  We decided to design a number of report and certification templates to meet the various objectives, which were successfully tested and approved for use.  It was also decided to embed the flow calculations within the report templates since this would allow the use of CMX to be ‘future proofed’, allowing future versions of CMX to be installed on the WWU Network servers and keeping any WWU specific flow calculations to be separated from any future software upgrades.

Stage 2 – Completed 

This stage was included, to provide small group training on various elements of the system to allow the field trials to take place, comprising four courses:

• Administrator Training: CMX Database Administration
• Technician Training MC6EX hardware Training
• Technician Training use of CMX/ report and certificate generation
• Technician Training bMobile 

The Administrator course was held successfully at Beamex Leicester.  However, Covid-19 impacted the remaining three elements of the pre-trial training significantly and due to the implementation of Covid-19 risk assessments on the network, access to WWU facilities were restricted. Condensed and adapted on-site training prior to the individual field trial was completed.  

Stage 3 Site Trials Completed Successfully.

The original project plan called for field trials to take place across 20 WWU sites across the network. Again, the impact of Covid-19 meant that the start date for the field trials was impacted. Despite impact from the Covid-19 pandemic, trials completed to date have all been successful and met the success criteria for the project.

The key objectives of the site trials were:

1. To discover and demonstrate a new way of collecting key test data that is reliable and accurate
2. To demonstrate the use of audit trail facilities within CMX to provide implementation of Electronic Signatures to sign off completed work
3. To test the ability of CMX to receive field data and compute the corrected gas flow rates
4. To improve the efficiency of various current test

I.T. Infrastructure

Several IT issues needed to be overcome including installing software onto the central WWU Server prior to the site trials and addressing network security protocols to enable bMobile to have access to the network.  To keep the project on track the database and application were loaded onto a WWU laptop. 

Database Development

Developing the CMX database from our records took longer than originally estimated; the spreadsheet needed a cleansing of data before it could be imported into CMX Additionally, the C&I infrastructure at the main take-off sites varied significantly in the technologies being employed – for example some sites use Ultrasonic flowmeters, whilst others still use venturi or orifice plate flowmeters. 

Flow Calculations

Developing the Flow calculation algorithm within CMX software was novel and it took considerably longer to embed within the software than originally anticipated.  

Has the TRL of the Method changed?

The original TRL determined by WWU was 7 however, the project team believe that this trial has increased the TRL to level 8.

Lessons Learnt

Flow calculation algorithms

CMX, being a common software application, is not generally designed to be customised.  It took some time to determine how the flow calculations could be implemented in the Custom report and Certificate generator application of CMX; this was important because it allows the algorithms to be custom modified for other GDNs (within the limitations of CMX) or as new flow measurement technology is installed at the various sites; it also has the advantage of allowing CMX to be continuously developed and upgrades installed on the GDNs networks. Validating any possible impact of software updates on the custom reports is a relatively trivial task which can be performed pre-software update.

Sites are rarely the same

During the CMX database development for the 20 trial sites it was recognised that there were a number of variations in instrumentation and measurement technology used from site to site.  With suitable training and/or experience the database could easily be modified and kept current by our engineers.  Additional work will be required on the WWU database covering the sites not included in the trial to enable wider implementation and rollout.  

Efficiencies gained by implementing CMX

The efficiencies of several current ME2/ MAINT12 calibration procedures were improved by using the combination of the Beamex MC6Ex hardware and CMX software.  In-particular, when performing flow computer calibrations, the counting and recording of the flow computer pulse outputs can be a long and arduous test.  If after a period of one hour the number of pulses counted is outside of the tolerance band, the test has to be repeated over double the time – and subsequently, even up to six hours for one test. The MC6Ex captured the pulse train suitably accurately within the first hour period on the several occasions it was tested.  A similar situation exists when a predetermined number of pulses at a set frequency are sent to the flow computer – again it was demonstrated that the Beamex hardware could be setup to generate this pulse train to optimize this test.  

What is the likelihood that the method will be deployed on a large scale in the future?

In the trial, the key objective was to demonstrate the use of CMX to perform the necessary gas flow calculations based on inputs to the CMX software. This objective was performed successfully.  In so-doing, a database covering a subset of the WWU sites was also developed – with the caveats previously noted, this could now be extended to the other sites by WWU staff, some of whom are already proficient in the use of CMX, including the skills necessary to modify the bespoke calculation with minimal or no support from Beamex.