Holodeck gives pipeline firms an underground view
A Port Coquitlam company has created a holographic system that allows pipeline engineers to peer beneath the surface of the earth to assess stress points and changing geological conditions that can lead to spills.
By combining sensor data from the pipeline with raw information about the movements of earth and water in three-dimensional images, Finger Food Studios has created a Star Trek-style holodeck that allows geo-hazard experts to see the pipeline and the forces acting on it without digging.
“What most people don’t realize is that the ground beneath our feet is constantly moving,” Kit Spence, the senior project manager, said. “Clear and precise visualization of potential geohazards gives engineers the opportunity to collaborate and take action before incidents occur.”
Led by Finger Food, the system emerged from visioning sessions with pipeline giant Enbridge, enabled by Microsoft, which makes HoloLens smart glasses.
The ability to accurately assess threats to pipeline integrity “dramatically reduces the threat of catastrophic failure in pipelines” due to geological and environmental conditions, Finger Food said.
Enbridge pipelines can be visualized and monitored at resolutions from two to 300 metres. The system runs back and forth through time and allows the user to exaggerate the forces acting on pipelines to see what happens.
Sensors detect swelling and strain in pipes. That input is combined with a laser-based remote surveying system and data from in-line inspection and inertial mapping, which detect cracks and defects in pipes.
Most pipeline spills are caused by changes in the geological environment that lead to structural failure.