FGSZ Ltd.
FGSZ Ltd., responsible for developing and ensuring the national gas supply strategy, commissioned ABB to prepare a feasibility study as part of the preparation for a grand-scale development phase. The study focused on the automatic management and advanced supervision of gas transfer directions at delivery stations. At ABB's request, our company prepared the study document and a demo application to demonstrate the functionality of the automation strategy.
Preparations
Our company held multiple rounds of consultations with employees from all relevant sites and the central office to gain a thorough understanding of the strategic principles that shape the daily transportation schedules. The proposed solution comprehensively covers the entire spectrum of transportation processes, from international logistics principles to the detailed knowledge required for site-level operations. We received extensive support at both the management and field operator levels to achieve this.
After processing this information, a written document of over 100 pages was prepared, containing conceptual, software-level, and hardware-level solution proposals.
Presentation and demo application
One of the most important elements of the work preceding the presentation was the creation of a demo application to showcase the concept. Using the ABB System 800xA system, we delivered a solution that was fundamentally proven yet entirely unique in its operation, meeting all expectations for the future system.
The application is based on the scalability provided by the object-oriented nature of System 800xA. By creating basic elements and properly parameterizing them, a structure can be established that allows for the mapping of any gas transportation network. The data connection between objects enables the execution of the pathfinding algorithm, regardless of the size and nature of the network.
The number of objects in a real industrial environment can range from hundreds to even thousands. Accordingly, we designed the foundations of the pathfinding algorithm so that expanding the network would not exponentially increase the search time. The algorithm is based on classic pathfinding principles but leverages the system's additional capabilities, allowing all elements of the network to participate simultaneously and in sync. This significantly reduces the runtime of the classic pathfinding process.
Significance
The preparation of the study and the collaboration with FGSZ Ltd. brought significant lessons for our company, both in acquiring deeper knowledge of gas industry processes and in pushing the limits of our own capabilities and the DCS systems we use. The document could be an important precursor to the development of domestic gas industry and gas transportation processes.
(image source: ceenergynews.com)