App-based pipeline management
App for greater transparency and safety
PMT® lite, the world's first mobile app for digital pipeline management, opens up new possibilities for mobile operations at the pipeline. In a project involving the relocation of a high-pressure gas pipeline, Köster GmbH has now tested the new app in the field for the first time. Their experience shows that the app will not only save labor enormously, but also enhance transparency and safety.
The safety standards of Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and the Federal Highway Directorate are stringent: Pipelines buried near rail or road routes must withstand extremely high static and dynamic loads. During construction of the ICE route between Stuttgart and Ulm and the three-lane widening of the A8 freeway running alongside it, two existing high-pressure gas pipelines near Scharenstetten on the Swabian Jura had to be relocated and reinforced.
The documentation of key pipe data right through to single-pipe tracing is another important contribution to sustainable quality assurance.Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Höchst, Köster GmbH
The construction site near Scharenstetten on the Swabian Jura. In the course of the construction of the new ICE route between Stuttgart and Ulm and the widening of the A8 freeway, two high-pressure gas pipelines had to be relocated.
Installing a fitting. These pipeline segments were also digitally logged by PMT® lite.
Field testing under real-life conditions
For Köster GmbH this was a perfect project for testing the PMT® lite app developed by Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe. Given that the two pipelines are the main arteries of the southeast terranets pipeline grid, reliable supplies had to be guaranteed throughout construction.
"We wanted to have the app tested under real-life conditions and find out to what extent our technical innovation lives up to our expectations in everyday practice," says Dr. Hans-Jürgen Kocks of Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe, who played a key role in the development of the app.
Digital from the start
The pipe numbers were scanned by smartphone and assigned directly to the corresponding GPS coordinates. Then the welded pipe strings were recorded complete with the necessary fittings. This straightforward collection of the pipe data saved an enormous amount of time for the employees of Köster GmbH. In addition, by overcoming the need to transfer the extremely long pipe numbers by hand, a potential source of error has been eliminated.
Sustainable quality assurance
With the pipes successfully relocated, Jürgen Höchst, the project engineer in charge at Köster GmbH, was delighted with the outcome of the PMT® lite test. "PMT® lite is an exceedingly versatile tool." In his view, "the app will make pipe identification much easier, and the direct digitization of pipe data will ensure greater transparency and safety from now on."
The directly available digital data thus allow progress on the construction site to be tracked from anywhere around the globe. As Jürgen Höchst puts it in conclusion: "The documentation of key pipe data right through to single-pipe tracing is another important contribution to sustainable quality assurance."
PMT® lite – the world's first app for mobile operations at the pipeline
PMT® lite opens up entirely new possibilities for mobile operations at the pipeline. If you are interested in further information or wish to test the app yourself, please contact your responsible regional sales manager or send an email to pmt@smlp.eu.