RFID Marking - An Integrated Solution for Mapping and Locating Buried Facilities
Corey Willson Product Manager 3M Company
What is Locating and Marking?
iD Marker
Locating and Marking products offer solutions for fault finding, locating and permanent marking and mapping of buried facilities and points of special interest.
Locating Challenges Documentation
Environment
Inaccurate records • Incomplete ‘As built’ maps • Un-mapped facilities • Abandoned facilities
• Congestion
•
• Grounding • Common Trenches • Soil condition or type • Facility access limitations • Multiple utilities of same type • Absence of metallic conductor(s) • Multiple markers in area • Need to access items of particular interest in buried facilities that are not locatable using EM locators People • Skill
level and experience • Workload fluctuation • Quality & Productivity
Safety & Damage Prevention
Cost of Prevention vs. Cost of Accidents Digg
c h. g Te n i t a Loc
Lo st Sa f o Bu r les sin es se s Ed uc at io n
Activities
Lo st S fo r U ales til ity
Disruption of Normal
cy rgen e m s E vice Ser
Los e/ rtim r Res t Prod./ e v O tart ea Cos ed W S po d t , d A r ilag Tea e and
Disa ster Plan ning
ning Trai
One-Call Service
Repair Cost
P r o Damperty age
ACCIDENT
Consumer Surplus Losses
Lo s Ma t Tim te ria e & ls
h/ at ies e D ur j In
s ice rv Se
ier pl lti t Mu ffec E
In su ra nc e
up ck Ba
Hea l Safe th/ ty E f fe cts
al Leg t C os
y er in ch e ag Ma m Da n tio ec ot Pr ne Li
Line Maintenance
ing Tec h.
Prevention Costs Direct Accident Consequential Costs Costs •Training/Education •Death/Injuries •Lost Sales •One Call •Property Damages •Lost Taxes •Insurance •Emergency Services •Lost Production •Construction with •Repair Cost •Machinery As-Builts Damages •LostMaintenance Time Emergency •Secondary •Line •Lost Material •Spoilage •Disaster Planning •Legal Cost •Backup Services
What’s the cost of a damage? PHONE CABLES Service lines Cables 25-100pr Cables 200-600pr Cables 900pr & up Cables pulp ins. Fiber optic CATV lines
$150 - $750 plus downtime for home offices $500 - $1750 can be higher with T-1 lines $1500- $5000 higher with T-1 lines $4000- $15,000 $5000- $150,000 $7500- $2,000,000 & up Typically about ½ the cost of similar sized phone lines
Power lines Secondary lines Primary lines Three phase & up
$500 - $2000 depending on splicing or replacing $1500 - $5000 single phase $4000 - $50,000 & up
Gas lines Services Mains High pressure mains
$250 - $1500 $900 - $30,000 $5000 - $500,000
Difficult locates are costly Dig Snow Caves
Or really big holes!
Locating points with no above ground landmarks to dimension from Localization Techniques Above ground marking GPS Mapping Electronic Marking Best Practices Points shown on as built maps Logical path of facility (on ROW) GPS guidance to general vicinity Below ground marking
Walk across China
Climb the alps in Chile
Electronic Marking
Locating Technologies Electromagnetic Locating (+) Quick Appeals to generalist workforce Eqpt relatively inexpensive Ubiquitous
(-) Access limitations Issues with congestion Non-metallic facilities Points of special interest End of facility stubs Laterals
GPS (+) (-) Efficiency in Field Mapping Specialized skill requirement Efficiency in updating Back Office Economic relocation of points Cycle time to update map records Sensitivity to physical environment System Cost
Above ground marking
GPR (+) Non-metallic facilities Price coming down
(+) (-) Specialist operator Soil type dependant Eqpt relatively expensive Bulky
Visible at grade Displays facility information No specialty eqpt reqd to locate Relatively inexpensive
(-) Succeptable to physical & environmental damage Do not outlast the facility Maintenance required over time
Electronic Marking (+) Ease of use Precison of locate Confidence in location Tolerance to congestion Metallic and Non-Metallic facilities Path and Point identification Outlasts life of the facility
(-) Requires locator Not visible at grade Standardization by all utilities Need to be aware marker is present
Why Did People Begin Using Electronic Markers ? To provide a method for field personnel to locate facilities that they would not be able to pinpoint using a normal locator Example: End of the facility (Stub) The end of a wire produces a wide signal that gets larger on the surface the deeper the wire is buried.
Example: Splice Statistically one of the most common points of failure, can not typically be pinpointed with an EM locator signal
Electronic Marking System Near Surface • 2 ft depth
RFID Option
Duct Marker • 2 ft depth
Ball Marker • 5 ft depth
Disk Marker • 5 ft depth
RFID Option
RFID Option
Mid Range • 6 ft depth
Full Range • 8 ft depth
Vault Marker • 5 ft depth
RFID Option
Telephone
Gas
CATV
Power
Water
Wastewater GP/Rec Wtr
EMS Locating Tools Snap on Boot
Cable/Pipe Marker Locator And Marker Locator
Electronic Marking Applications – Oil & Gas
Crossings - Water - Major roads - Rail - Other Utilities
Service Stubs Repair Points Squeeze points Valves Valve Boxes
Non-metallic pipe Path on straight sections Bends & Arcs Depth Changes Laterals / Tee’s
Annode Electrodes, Test points for CPS/CPM Encasement ends Access points
RFID Marker Technology Coil Antenna
Disk Housing
ASIC
A.S.I.C ID MARKER AC/DC User . Enhanced Marker ASIC Data
ID Data
Protection
Color Code by Utility
Modulator Demodulator
Central Control Unit
Disk inside Ball Housing
RFID Marking
Positive Identification Locator Energizes RFID Marker
RFID Data read by Locator
User Input Data • Facility
information
• Owner information • Location information SOIL
SOIL MARKER SIGNAL
EMS SIGNAL
BALL MARKER
BALL MARKER
• Unique Serial No. pre-programmed
RFID Marker Capabilities iD Marker • 10 digit unique ID number • User defined data - 6 lines • 8 character label per line • 14 character description per line • Data locking option • Detectable with existing marker locators •iD Locator •Memory capacity •100 each Read/Write records •32 user defined ID templates •PC software exports read/write history •Path traces and scans for marker simultaneously
RFID with GPS Mapping
GPS Interface
• Clearly identifies electronic markers on plant maps • Benefits new adopters in built out areas • Eliminates need for secondary inspection of contractors work • Unique ID number serves as asset tag • SINGLE BUTTON implementation simplifies interface
GPS to Locator Mounting Bracket
• Holds GPS unit in optimum position for accuracy • Enables single handed operation
GPS Export to Google Earth Pro
Charlotte County Utilities Case Study
Charlotte County Utilities An Integrated Approach to Facility Management
Charlotte County Utilities
Eastport Environmental Campus
Charlotte County Florida • Founded in 1921, named after Charlotte Harbor • 1950’s – 1960’s General Development Corp. platted almost 100K lots for sale. Many are just now having utilities installed. • $600 home lots, $10 down, $10/mo.
The Tower in the foreground enabled buyers to spot lots
Alfred Johns and Wilfred “Bud" Cole buy sand flats at Punta Gorda. They dredge 55 miles of canals for fill to raise ground level four feet while providing saltwater access for boaters
Charlotte County Florida • Population growth from 27K to 153K from 1970 through 2003 • 18th fastest growing county in Florida • 859sqmi of land, 166sqmi of water • 79K housing units (2000 census) • Cities and towns in Charlotte County •Harbour Heights •Manasota Key •Port Charlotte •Punta Gorda •Rotonda •Solana
• Boca Grande •Charlotte Harbor •Charlotte Park •Cleveland •Englewood •Grove City
Charlotte County Utilities The Challenge – Install new services to 80K+ undeveloped lots, – Water, Wastewater, Reclaimed Water – Approximately 5 million feet of pipeline construction over a 5 year period. – All plastic pipe. – Unfavorable results with tracer wire – Facilities must be easily locatable during the lifetime of the facility
Charlotte County’s Solution Buried RFID Markers • Place RFID markers on all predefined facility points – – – – –
Path Fittings & Joints Casing ends Bends & arc’s Depth changes
• Read all markers to perform GIS mapping • Export data to CAD and GIS systems
Charlotte County Utilities Design Specification Markers are to be installed by contractor at 18 inches below finish grade and directly above main Markers are to be installed at all change of directions and fittings absent of any valve. On straight runs markers are to be installed at every power pole. If power poles are worse than 160 feet apart or not available, then place markers every 150 feet from the nearest change of direction Contractor will program markers using CCU template and supply data in an electronic format consisting of the programmed data in each marker ball to CCU. Contractor has option of having CCU program markers and will be back-charged for service
GPS Interface
• Clearly identifies electronic markers on plant maps • Benefits new adopters in built out areas • Eliminates need for secondary inspection of contractors work • Unique ID number serves as asset tag • SINGLE BUTTON implementation simplifies interface
Subdivision Development
CAD Overlay W/Electronic Markers • RFID Markers placed on all Bends, Water and Wastewater Services at 18inch depth • Markers programmed at grade • Markers mapped using GPS/GIS interface
Subdivision Development Pre Development
Subdivision Development
Aerial Image with CAD Overlay
Subdivision Development CAD Overlay W/Electronic Markers
GPS Interface
ThalesTM MobileMapperTM Office
Selected ID Marker
Marker GIS Data
Charlotte County Utilities Benefits • • • • •
Reliable, accurate, efficient mark out Mapping simplified, accuracy improved Maintenance access simplified GIS identifier / asset management tag Predictive & preventive maintenance capability enhanced • Rapid search and identification of specified features
GPS Mapping + ID Marking GPS •Up to 80% time savings for field mapping •Electronic update of CAD, GIS, AM/FM systems •Sub-meter accuracy is acceptable •Complexity drives implementation through IT and GPS specialists •Revolution for mapping, weak for locating buried facilities
GPS Mapping + ID Marking iD Marking • Easy to use, short learning curve, low cost • Offers speed, accuracy and confidence in point locating. • Serial number can be tied to plant maps, used as an asset tag.
GPS Mapping + ID Marking
Marriage of GPS to ID Marking • Map facility using GPS/GIS • Relocate facility using ID Marker • Document information into GIS database
Benefits to Facility Owners GPS/GIS has revolutionized the mapping process From: Manually marking up facility prints to create ‘as built’ drawings To: Paperless systems that directly export data to CAD/GIS databases
Benefits to Facility Owners As Built Drawings Show Marker Placement From: Markers placed based on design standards, not shown on maps. • Not clear for new users • Technicians may not know if they should be looking for a marker or not!
To: Marker placement locations are mapped • Inspection of contractors work is simplified • Electronic marker is clearly identified on maps • No Questions about POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION
Benefits to Facility Owners Simplicity empowers the workforce (KISS) From: Specialized technicians (or Engineers) performing field mapping. To: A single button on the Locator remotely commands the GPS
Electronic Marking System Solution GIS Integration Asset Tracking Automated As-Builts Locating Job Screening
Facility & Asset Management
Utility Mark-Out Installation & Repair Activities
Maintenance
Lat/Long Coordinates Correct in As Built Maps Reduced inspection of contractors work Mapping process to indicate marker placement
Construction
Positive identification - ID Marker information Method for field personnel to identify location of buried facilities
Excavation
With RFID you’ve got it’s number
Backup Slides
Alternatives Easy Options in Mapping
GPS Export to MS Streets & Trips
GPS Export to Google Earth Pro
FAA Use of Serial Number Label • A simple alternative to GPS is to detach the adhesive serial number label and adhere it to a map • Federal Aviation Administration work at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport Has specially designed their maps to accommodate the serial number label
FAA Use of Serial Number Label Each print has a specially designated location drawn on it indicating where to stick the label
Potential New Applications Land Mines
Military Underground Storage Depots
EPA Hazardous Waste Sites
Homeland Security
Disaster Planning (pre-hurricane, earthquake, etc.)
Refineries
Cemeteries
Emergency mass-burials (e.g. flu-pandemic)
Subways
Parks and Forests
Pumps and Motors
Archeological digs
Undersea Cables
Anything surveyed w. GIS tools