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Clean growth is at the heart of the governments Industrial Strategy. To meet the UK's 2050 net zero target, the UK must increase energy production from renewable sources by fourfold. For Offshore Wind to fulfil this demand, innovations are needed to reduce the cost of delivering this source of energy. Specifically, wind farm operators are actively seeking remote condition monitoring technologies to continuously monitor the mechanical integrity of safety and performance critical bolts. This collaborative project between Smart Component Technologies Ltd (SCT) and the Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult (ORE) will develop, test and evaluate a new version of the Smart Washer for the Wind industry, from TRL 3 to 7\. The Smart Washer is a first-of-a-kind condition monitoring solution that measures the preload of safety and performance critical bolts. The Smart Washer is fitted as a member in the bolted connection and monitors bolt preload using a proprietary and patented clamp force sensor. The sensor data is wirelessly transmitted to a cloud service where it is stored, analysed and visualised.

Rail transport accounts for almost 7% of transport demand in the European Union with predicted strong growth figures; latest EU-28 available data shows that there were more than 401B passenger-kilometre journeys completed in 2016. One of the most critical assets of the physical railway infrastructure are the Switches and Crossings (S&Cs); the mechanical installations which are used to guide trains from one track to another. S&Cs are subjected to extremely harsh operating conditions, including severe vertical, horizontal and lateral loading, large temperature variations and a wide range of weather conditions. These harsh operating conditions alongside poor maintenance procedures, exacerbate failure of S&C components. These failures pose major safety risks (increased probability of a derailment). Failures also reduce network capacity, lead to poor customer satisfaction and accrue significant annual costs. The challenge is therefere: how to improve the inspection and maintenance of S&Cs so that the cause of failures can be detected and rectified before they fail in order to improve safety, whilst reducing the number of periodic inspections and services affecting failures to reduce cost, improve customer satisfaction and increase capacity. The solution: Working alongside UK rail partners, and world leading rail-specific university research groups, Smart Component Technologies Ltd (SCT) have developed the Smart S&C Monitor: a first-of-a-kind condition monitoring technology that measures the causes of premature S&C component failures. The Smart S&C Monitor is a wireless sensor node that features an accelerometer array which can measure the shock, vibration and displacement of the S&C when rolling stock passes. Through combining these data streams, the inbuilt algorithms can identify several typical causes of S&C failures, including; wheel flats, overloaded axles, speeding rolling stock, voiding and track stability issues. The sensor data is wirelessly transmitted to a cloud server where it is stored, analysed and visualised. In the cloud, alerts (SMS and/or email) are sent to the infrastructure owners, providing them with an opportunity to address the issue before significant degradation of the asset occurs. This project will develop, demonstrate and commercialise the Smart S&C Monitor for Transport for London (TfL) and High Speed Two (HS2) infrastructure. The key objectives of the project are to; develop the Smart S&C Monitor from TRL7-9, tune the data algorithms to be compatible with all UK rail infrastructures (currently only compatible with NR infrastructure), integrate the data into a cloud repository, to conduct compliance testing to demonstrate that the technology meets rail industry regulations, apply for a trial certificate, conduct operational field trials over 40 S&Cs to achieve Product Acceptance (TfL only) and enact a fully costed schedule of commercialisation activities required for wide scale roll out. Through the completion of this project, SCT will be technology ready and commercially ready to roll-out the Smart S&C Monitor on S&Cs across all the UK rail infrastructure.

"In this 18-month project, self-powered Sensors for monitoring key parameters affecting the performance of the railway infrastructure (load, temperature, shock, etc.) will be developed, deployed, tested and evaluated (move from TRL2-3 to TRL7). The Sensors will combine Ilika's Stereax(r) solid-state battery technology and Smart Component Technologies Ltd (SCT) novel ultra-low power sensor platform and will be wirelessly connected to Network Rail's existing condition monitoring platform (Intelligent Infrastructure). The self-powered sensors will be maintenance free and will generate data 24/7, 365 days a year. The solid-state battery powered sensors will be the first of this type developed and tested for the railway industry. Solid-state batteries offer substantial benefits over currently used lithium-ion batteries, including; low leakage currents, compact design with twice the volumetric energy density of Lithium-ion batteries, high power density and cycle life of 5,000 cycles (equivalent to a 10-year lifespan). The self-powered Sensors will be demonstrated on live Network Rail infrastructure as part of a 6-month trial deployment. Three representative Network Rail trial sites will be chosen, specifically targeting known problematic sites, as well as high speed and high frequency lines. At each trial site, Sensors will be distributed at 10m intervals, on strategic components (e.g. points motor, crossing nose, stretcher bar, etc.). The project directly addresses challenges identified by Network Rail for 'Reliable and Resilient Switches' and will enable the widespread deployment of sensor technology in the railway industry. The project consortium consists of Ilika (lead), Smart Component Technologies Ltd and Network Rail."

Switches & Crossings' (S&C's) are the costliest and most safety critical asset within the rail infrastructure to maintain. Smart Component Technologies (SCT), and their collaborators University of Birmingham, CHG Electrical Ltd and Network Rail, will develop through this project a technology that can detect track voids and measure nose impact at S&C's, as well as condition of the switch mechanism/drive. This device, which sits within a wider suite of products that have already been developed, will additionally be able to report on the overall health of the S&C, especially when this data is combined with other data inputs gained from additional asset monitoring technologies. The objective is to create a solution that helps rail infrastructure owners, such as Network Rail, to detect and remedy problems at S&C's in a cost-effective manner before they become a critical failure on the network. The project directly addresses challenges identified by Network Rail for 'Reliable and Resilient Switches'. The project outputs will improve automated inspection methods, helping predictive maintenance, whilst furthering understanding of precursors to switch wear and damage. Achieving the above will help keep passenger and freight trains running smoothly, as well as prevent catastrophic events, such as derailments.

Smart Component Technologies Ltd (SCT) and Severn Unival Ltd (Severn) have identified an opportunity to apply SCT's leading-edge safety critical fastener management technology to flanged assets with potential application across a wide range of industries, in particular energy & power generation and process chemical industries, which Severn operate in, where the correct installation of pipework, pumps, valves, process vessels etc. and the ongoing remote condition monitoring of flanges and critical bolted joints is both performance and safety critical to the asset owners.

Reliable rail networks are vital for the movement of people and goods across the UK accounting for 71 billion passenger miles and 18bn tonnes of freight. The rail infrastructure uses millions of threaded fasteners. Although a nut and bolt is simple component, it is often safety and performance critical i.e. should it fail, it would lead to catastrophic accidents or significant degradation of the infrastructure. As a consequence, the inspection and maintenance of such safety and performance critical fasteners represents a sizable cost to infrastructure owners as well as reducing capacity whilst maintenance is taking place. Failure can occur through incorrect installation, damage, wear or fatigue. Within the rail network there are around 26,000 switch machines (points) which enables trains to be guided from one track to another such as at a railway junction or a spur. Components of the switch machine include switch rails, stretcher bars & a switch drive motor. When there are two tracks crossing each other, there is a single cast X-shape rail known as the crossing. Collectively abbreviated to S&C’s, they are complicated assets subject to extreme loading both vertical and horizontal. Furthermore, they are exposed to a wide range of weather conditions. All of which results in S&C’s being the most costly and safety critical asset category in the rail infrastructure. In conjunction with Network Rail and London Underground, Smart Component Technologies (SCT) has developed the "Smart Washer" to measure the clamp force of fasteners during installation & maintenance. This reduces time, cost and error. In addition, the smart washer provides a 24/7 remote monitoring mode with a flexible system of alerts allowing for preventative maintenance and increasing the reliability of the network. The smart washer does a lot more as it also contains other sensors, in particular a 3-axis accelerometer. This allows for the operation and mechanical condition of the entire S&C to be remotely monitored as well as any deterioration of the track bed. SCT completes the end-to-end solution with the provision of wireless comms, data management & analytics, user interfaces and software services. Such a solution is the aim of smart component technology and at the heart of intelligent asset & infrastructure management. Although all this world-leading technology is ready for lift-off, it has not yet been deployed in a real-life environment that proves a compelling value proposition and validates a scalable and repeat business model. The purpose of the project is do exactly that. Working with Network Rail, London Underground and a number of Tier 1 partners, SCT aims to deploy and test every aspect of the smart washer technology over a 12 month period. With the technology validated and a strategic partnership in place, SCT will be able to roll-out, at speed, across the UK and develop the global market for its technology. Smart component technology is a broad platform technology and directly applicable in all major infrastructures, for example energy systems, nuclear, offshore wind. The full range of smart component categories and infrastructure sectors will also be very actively developed over the next 3 years.

Reliable rail networks are vital for the movement of people and goods across the UK accounting for 71 billion passenger miles and 18bn tonnes of freight. The rail infrastructure uses millions of threaded fasteners. Although a nut and bolt is simple component, it is often safety and performance critical i.e. should it fail, it would lead to catastrophic accidents or significant degradation of the infrastructure. As a consequence, the inspection and maintenance of such safety and performance critical fasteners represents a sizable cost to infrastructure owners as well as reducing capacity whilst maintenance is taking place. Failure can occur through incorrect installation, damage, wear or fatigue. Within the rail network there are around 26,000 switch machines (points) which enables trains to be guided from one track to another such as at a railway junction or a spur. Components of the switch machine include switch rails, stretcher bars & a switch drive motor. When there are two tracks crossing each other, there is a single cast X-shape rail known as the crossing. Collectively abbreviated to S&C’s, they are complicated assets subject to extreme loading both vertical and horizontal. Furthermore, they are exposed to a wide range of weather conditions. All of which results in S&C’s being the most costly and safety critical asset category in the rail infrastructure. In conjunction with Network Rail and London Underground, Smart Component Technologies (SCT) has developed the "Smart Washer" to measure the clamp force of fasteners during installation & maintenance. This reduces time, cost and error. In addition, the smart washer provides a 24/7 remote monitoring mode with a flexible system of alerts allowing for preventative maintenance and increasing the reliability of the network. The smart washer does a lot more as it also contains other sensors, in particular a 3-axis accelerometer. This allows for the operation and mechanical condition of the entire S&C to be remotely monitored as well as any deterioration of the track bed. SCT completes the end-to-end solution with the provision of wireless comms, data management & analytics, user interfaces and software services. Such a solution is the aim of smart component technology and at the heart of intelligent asset & infrastructure management. Although all this world-leading technology is ready for lift-off, it has not yet been deployed in a real-life environment that proves a compelling value proposition and validates a scalable and repeat business model. The purpose of the project is do exactly that. Working with Network Rail, London Underground and a number of Tier 1 partners, SCT aims to deploy and test every aspect of the smart washer technology over a 12 month period. With the technology validated and a strategic partnership in place, SCT will be able to roll-out, at speed, across the UK and develop the global market for its technology. Smart component technology is a broad platform technology and directly applicable in all major infrastructures, for example energy systems, nuclear, offshore wind. The full range of smart component categories and infrastructure sectors will also be very actively developed over the next 3 years.

A switch moves trains between tracks; components include switch rails, stretcher bars (SBs) & a switch motor. SBs keep the rails a set distance apart & ensure both rails move together. Switch integrity is vital; on the UK’s busiest lines >100 trains will pass over a switch each day (Ref A). Switch failure is the 3rd biggest cause of UK derailments (Ref B). Missing/faulty bolts were the cause of both Potters Bar & Grayrigg incidents. In conjunction with Network Rail, Smart Component Technologies Ltd developed a “Smart Washer” (SW) to measure the clamp-force of switch fasteners during real-time installation & routine maintenance. Trials at London Underground confirm the SW’s ability to detect loose/missing bolts by reporting changes in clamp-force. The SW is also capable of providing remote periodic data & alerts should the clamp-force deteriorate. It also safeguards against human error during manual inspection. During London Underground trials it was requested that capacity to measure the dynamics of moving components by the SW was added. Thus, SCT propose a £166,054 Proof of Concept project to evaluate the potential to extend the use of a dynamic SW to address a range of issues including the remote condition monitoring of the entire switch asset but also track bed stability including voids & track geometry/inclination. With the upgraded SW (‘SW3’) attached to switch components, it will sample the dynamic response of the movement of the switch, in three dimensions, enabling a trace of ‘normal’ switch movement to be gained. Via the remote condition monitoring & cloud data storage facility, SW3 informs users of the integrity of the switch. As SW3 permits trend analysis, it improves predictive maintenance capability & safety of rail networks, leading to cost savings, & meeting Network Rail’s goal for innovation in cost-effective monitoring. As a platform technology, SW3 has use in other wider applications such as escalator maintenance, & on pipework valves.

There is considerable economic and environment benefits for the UK from shale gas but this is critically dependant on its safe and responsible exploitation. There are many complex factors to be considered, however, there is the opportunity to adapt sensor and wireless communication technology to allow for the remote condition monitoring of wellheads. This will ensure that the site operator will be immediately alerted to any leaking of gas. Anomalous vibration indicative of seismic events will similarly be identified. SCT a leading specialist in applying this technology and intends, with their partner, Severn Unival a world leading specialist in valves for the Oil & Gas industry, to create a "smart valve" which will provide both the sensing and wireless communication platform for the safe and responsible operation of shale gas wellheads. Furthermore, this will allow the regulator to ensure compliance and make available to the public key performance data thus addressing many of the current concerns.

PCIPP (A People Centred Approach to Intelligent, Proactive, Predictive Asset Management) will advance a state-of-the-art Enterprise Wide (Any asset type, Any sensor type, Any Manufacturer), Enterprise Class (Robust, Flexible, User Friendly, Scalable, Future Proof) solution for intelligent asset management that goes beyond conventional Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM) and existing systems. PCIPP will eliminate the need for asset managers to maintain multiple vertically integrated RCM systems, reduce user training needs by providing a common interface for all assets and unlock the potential of true intelligence by fusing and correlating data across multiple assets and legacy systems to create actionable, prognostic information. PCIPP builds on the highly successful solution Thales provides to Network Rail in their Intelligent Infrastructure programme which monitors over 22,000 assets and has removed the need for 15,000 site visits since it went live in 2009. PCIPP is structured around a human-centric design process, using capabilities from world-recognised human factors experts, ensuring that operators have access to relevant information, despite the increasing amount of data available within PCIPP. PCIPP’s open architecture will enable an ecosystem to develop that will expand the range of assets covered; incorporate train, track and station data; integrate to maintenance systems; substantially increase diagnosis and prognosis capabilities and nurture a new market for the incorporation of 3rd party analytics modules.

Smart Component Technologies has developed a wireless smart washer which is capable of measuring the clamp force of bolted joints. The technology was created to monitor the correct clamp force of bolted joints during and after installation and routine maintenance of plant and valves across a wide variety of industries (e.g. rail, nuclear, oil and gas). At present the technology relies on near field wireless recharging technology and long life batteries. Smart Component Technologies wishes to add an energy harvesting facility to scavenge power from the vibrational energy present in most of the applications where a smart fastener will be used; this will yield a true fit-and-forget clamp-force monitoring system.

The Smart Fastener (SF) technology will be capable of monitoring fastener integrity, transferring the data to ensure remote monitoring, providing an audit trail from which the tightness of fasteners can be assessed/trended, and maintenance/other manual interventions can be both logged and quality assured. The scope of the technology proposed to date has only addressed monitoring of “static” conditions. However, there are a wide range of applications to parts of infrastructures that undergo dynamic forces, for example points systems in railways. The project will explore the feasibility of a “dynamic” smart fastener, i.e. one that can respond to large dynamic changes in load.

The consortium has identified a novel technology which, when used in valve assemblies, will enable a shift towards a condition monitoring pre-fault responsive system. The present approach to assess the integrity of critical threaded fasteners is by on site periodic maintenance by maintenance engineers who perform visual assessments and, under certain circumstances, measure fastener torque. A condition monitoring approach is the preferred solution, as this can mean the difference between the optimal operation of the facility / pipeline and an unscheduled shutdown. The smart washer, when fitted in critical valve fasteners, will wirelessly communicate performance data and relay the status of the fasteners to centralised data centres. Immediate impacts will be increased safety and reduced maintenance costs. Maintenance will be performed after one or more indicators indicate that equipment is going to fail or that equipment performance is deteriorating.

In the rail industry the assembly and maintenance of critical threaded fasteners is widely acknowledged to be a necessary yet an expensive, time consuming activity and subject to human error. The failure implications of such fasteners can be catastrophic, as can the failure of the present manual systems which aim to ensure their integrity. The Potters Bar incident is believed to have been caused by nuts being missing on critical bolts. There are ~26,000 sets of points in the UK rail network, each of which has ~30 high criticality fasteners associated with it. Similarly, critical threaded fasteners are used in overhead lines and bridges. The ongoing costs of fastener monitoring and maintenance are significant, and the potential costs of fastener failure (financial and human terms) are extreme. The proposed solution, a Smart Washer (SW) will address 3 key priority areas for the UK rail sector: • Reduce costs of installing, maintaining & managing infrastructure • Operational safety, reliability & efficiency • Network management & control.