The strategic importance of monitoring systems for critical infrastructures is well recognized. Asset owners see the benefits of such systems, being able to continuously monitor the state of complex structures and to provide real-time information during construction, operation, repair and upgrading phases. Within this framework, we offer Smart Monitoring (SM) solutions for the integrity management of civil and industrial assets.
The activity is carried out in accordance with the RINA governance model, which safeguards impartiality and prevents conflict of interest situations.
Thanks to our wide on-site experience and to the multidisciplinary expertise of our staff, we are able to provide:
We have specific competence and experience in the development of SM solutions for the following asset types:
We assist clients with the seamless integration of the SM system in the design, construction and operational phases, in order to optimize the operation, maintenance, repair and replacement processes throughout the asset’s lifecycle.
SM can provide reliable, real-time data on the actual condition of the building or bridge, observe its evolution and detect the appearance of new degradations, which can have several causes.
Especially for bridges, monitoring can be used as a tool for the “supervised lifetime extension” of the structure approaching its end of life or in need of major repair. It ensures that such bridges are operated safely while allowing the postponement of major investments and traffic disruptions..
We develop SM programs in order to monitor the structural integrity and safety of dams and dikes operations.
Running real-time continuous monitoring allows owners to take immediate decisions and corrective actions regarding a dam’s reservoir, body or foundation if problems arise, as well as to help develop technologies that meet current and future standards for dams and dikes, ensuring their compliance with regulations.
The types of measurement to be carried out, as well as the instruments location, must be selected according to the specific conditions of the foundation and of the structure itself. Piezometric level, leakage and stability of slopes are among the main phenomena to be monitored.
Focusing on railway systems, our monitoring services are twofold.
On the one hand, monitoring can be provided in order to assess the safety of the railway during the execution of potential damaging activities nearby, such as construction works, excavations, etc.
On the other hand, monitoring solutions are also provided to assess vibrations and noise levels produced by passing trains. We’re able to perform fast ad-hoc simulations of wave propagation in order to get preliminary and complementary information useful for the effectiveness of the monitoring system.
We also provide bespoke solutions for a wide variety of sensors and communication peripherals, customizing them to be rugged, low power, and reliable even in harsh and remote locations.
Modern pipeline management needs to assure pipeline integrity, immediate leakage detection and intrusion risk mitigation.
Present-day oil & gas and water pipelines thus require real-time and continuous monitoring to optimize their economic and operational performances.
In this scenario, we offer SM services and customized Pipeline Management and Safety Solutions for the integrity management of pipelines networks.
The types of measurement to be carried out, as well as the equipment location, must be selected according to the specific conditions of the pipeline and its layout. Soil movements, leakage, corrosion and deformation are among the main pipeline threats to be monitored.
Focusing on the safety of tunnels, we develop SM programs in order to detect early damage or anomalies and evaluate their impact on system reliability, availability and durability, estimate the residual lifetime, assess the response of the structure under real operations, optimize maintenance and repair, etc.
Once the tunnel is in service, SM enables long-term monitoring thus ensuring the safety of the tunnel over its entire life span, even correlating the structural response with site and environmental conditions.
Various instruments are used to accurately determine the key parameters of structural behavior and to monitor their rate of change, so as to assess the tunnel stability and make it possible to timely implement corrective measures.
Geoscience SM services focus on the interaction of structures and infrastructures with soil, water and atmospheric agents. Monitoring actions increase the reliability of engineering assessments and lead to cost-reductions while maintaining high safety-levels.
Geoscience-based monitoring services include subsidence monitoring, slope stability monitoring and modeling, and integrated Metocean and Smart Monitoring (MSM).
Our SM services in the geotechnical and metocean field include:
- design and implementation of bespoke HW/SW solutions for combined metocean/structural/subsidence/slope stability monitoring
- calibration of metocean and structural models to improve predictions
- guaranteeing adequate operational HSE standards.
Oil & Gas offshore facilities are subject to continuous loads and excitations due to both the site-specific environmental conditions and the operational conditions. Such stresses play an important role in the definition of the operability windows as well as of the facilities lifetime.
To that end, continuous monitoring of the main parameters that induce loads and excitations is a remarkable tool for oil companies and ship - owners to predict the necessary maintenance activities, resources allocation and, ultimately, the residual lifetime of a structure. It can also contribute to a best estimate approach in the assessment of day-to-day operating windows.
In this context, we offer various SM services, of both the campaign inspections and real-time monitoring type, for the integrity management of Fixed / Floating Offshore Structures and Ship Shaped Floaters (FPSO, FSO, FSRU etc.), in order to make them able to continuously operate under the most severe environmental conditions for the whole floater/ship lifetime.
We offer SM services, of both the campaign inspection and real-time monitoring type, for the integrity management of power plants components, especially those which have a major impact on plant availability and efficiency.
On the other hand, a periodical monitoring approach can be adopted for equipment provided with redundancy and/or not critical. SM output data will facilitate decision making and an efficient and cost-effective planning of operation & maintenance, at both equipment and plant level.
Taking a wind farm as example, the implementation of a real-time monitoring system focused on critical and essential equipment allows optimizing maintenance and reducing direct costs of mechanical and electrical repairs.
In particular, a monitoring system based on CBM (Condition Based Monitoring) technology can predict the onset of a problem, identify it and avoid downtime and secondary damage.
Our competence in the SM field is illustrated by our capability of applying SM services to special assets.
As an example, we have contributed to the creation and implementation of a Smart Monitoring system, mainly based on optical fiber sensors, for the VEGA launcher ground segment, which lifted-off from the spaceport of Kourou, in French Guiana on February 13th, 2012.
The SM system was installed to provide an accurate assessment of the health status of the Vega launcher infrastructures, which are subject to environmental, vibrational, thermal and acoustic stresses both during the launcher assembly and lift-off phases.
The scope and the output of this project is the continuous monitoring of the structure, that is now fully operative, through the real-time acquisition of the dynamic and quasi-static deformation induced by environmental stress and launch phase.
The system will also provide a useful support for estimating the infrastructure life-cycle, thus allowing a better planning of maintenance operations.
