Underground Imaging

The value of UGI – demonstrated with completed pilots – per use case:

1. Prevent excavation damage during construction. Blind tests in Pernis and Moerdijk (Downstream sites in the Netherlands) demonstrated high fidelity data interpretation – and significant cost savings of 500kUSD – in complex Brownfield environment is possible.
2. Reduction of scope for hand-digging / expensive hydro excavation. At PDO in Oman the UGI team demonstrated a scope reduction of 80-90% for hand-digging and resulted in an additional pilot which will secure a largescale deployment for a Brownfield project.
3. Support pre-FEED design. Successful pilots are completed for New Energies in US for upgrading fuel stations with hydrogen & EV supply. The information provided to the team has improved the front-end design work. As built proved to be highly unreliable.
4. Detect anomalies in soil conditions. Some soil characteristics impact GPR reflections. Anomalies in the vicinity of corroded underground utilities are a red flag for leakages and soil contamination. i.e. Firewater ring main leakages were detected for a tank farm terminal in Luxembourg

Level -1: Use Best Available Technologies (BAT) and consistent workflow. This is the first part of the development and is completed which includes a cloud based UGI environment. This step provides the ‘biggest bang for the buck’. For creating a more sustainable solution, additional technology maturation is required.

Level -2: Develop visualization tools for data interpretation. For large scale deployments, the current availability of competent data interpreters is insufficient. Visualization tools such as AR/VR combined with hyperbola recognition software, will boost the pool of available interpreters. This is considered an important additional feature. Level -3: Machine Learning

The data collected in the UGI platform can be utilized for machine learning and will improve the interpretation over time. Shell is currently not using data on underground imaging that is captured (either directly or via subcontractors)

Although the technology exists for decades (apart from machine learning, and other visualization tools and improvements to GPR/EML/acoustic), the market has not been able to provide credible solutions to bring value to Shell’s use cases. Shell’s assets are globally located; the quality and results of civil clearance surveys vary by region and within each region. If Shell is to remain competitive as it expands into new markets, it must reign in cost of construction and minimize risk jeopardizing its freedom to operate.

Shell can drive consistency and leverage the technology to develop due to the vast amount of data that is collected – now scattered among many contractors – owned by Shell.

The UGI technology maturation strategy aligns with the aspiration of established vendors in this field (Fugro, Intertek, Dawood Engineering Consultants). The current status of UGI provides Shell a competitive advantage because these vendors – despite their aspirations – have not made significant progress in this field and are unlikely to do so – within the timeframe desired – without market stimulus from Shell. The selected technology partner TerraCarta has a proven track record in Shell e.g. Solar farm in Moerdijk, Fuel stations NL and other Brownfield projects. Software development by Gasworks is subcontracted by TerraCarta. Other Shell partners such as AECOM are collaborative towards integrating UGI into their workflow.