RF tag streamlines valve maintenance procedure

September 2001 Valves, Actuators & Pump Control

A major American gas company operates numerous gas substations throughout an environmentally harsh region. Within the substations are many valves regulating the flow and pressure of the natural gas through the pipelines. The technicians would visit the various substations and examine the numerous valves to check on maintenance requirements. This meant that many duties had to be performed in order to determine the valves' maintenance status.

The technicians had to:

* Physically examine each valve and fill out technical/maintenance checklists as to the condition of each valve.

Technician interrogates valve in the field

* Write up the maintenance notes and then phone the main office and enquire as to the valve's repair history, maintenance requirements etc.

* Wait to receive the valve's data from the main office and subsequently perform the necessary repairs or services.

* Write up a final maintenance report.

Once the technician returned to the main office he/she submited the written report to the administration office to document the recent maintenance repairs. There was always the possibility of human error during this documentation process. To affix a paper history document to the valve itself would have been inappropriate, since the harsh outdoor environments would soon deteriorate the paper record.

There was a requirement for a system that was far more satisfactory, where much of the likelihood of human error is removed. The gas company was determined to simplify the valve maintenance gathering procedure in the following manner:

* Implement a tracking and identification system that would remain on the valve itself.

* Make it unnecessary for the technician to contact the main office for valve maintenance data.

* The system must be able to withstand the harsh outdoor elements.

After close examination of the current maintenance process used by the gas company, an EMS distributor recommended that the gas company install a radio frequency identification (RFID) system from Escort Memory Systems.

The solution included mounting a HMS 150HT tag on the valve itself. The HMS150HT tag is small (50 mm) and is able to withstand extreme temperatures, making it a highly effective identification device. The technician needs only to scan the tag with a handheld HMS814-PC2000 passive reader/writer and instantly receive the maintenance and repair history of that particular valve.

An EMS 150HT RF tag

The benefits for the gas company to adopt an RFID system include immediate access to valve data, the elimination of human error during the manual administrative documentation process and increased efficiencies in the home office, since operators will no longer be inundated with field calls.

Escort Memory Systems

(031) 564 2542

[email protected]

www.ems-rfid.com

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Valves, Actuators & Pump Control

RF tag streamlines valve maintenance procedure

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