AMI Solution
Stay informed about your utility infrastructure, ensure better accuracy, and have greater flexibility.
Gain Deeper Insight into Your Natural Gas System with an AMI Solution.
Are you ready to bring your utility’s natural gas system into the digital age? If so, the Sensus FlexNet AMI solution might work for you, and it’s easier to implement than you may think. An AMI solution, like FlexNet, will have your system prepared and secured for any future changes in the natural gas industry. FlexNet goes beyond reading meters remotely by enabling sensor monitoring, distribution automation and control, cathodic protection monitoring, and remote disconnect of service.
There are various options available to add an AMI solution to your distribution system at a pace that works for your utility.
Let’s take a closer look.
Gas Measurement
With Sensus FlexNet, the most robust advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) network for natural gas system operators, utilities, and universities can quickly realize a greater impact on revenue. Meter data collection is a vital process in any utility and an AMI network can minimize costs associated with that revenue. FlexNet mitigates the labor costs that can burden the business by reducing truck rolls. On-demand readings can be performed with a click of a mouse from the comfort of an office, and the steady flow of hourly consumption data helps administrative staff field customer complaint calls.
Pressure Monitoring
Utilities have been collecting pressure data since the inception of the chart recorder in the late 1800’s to ensure the safety of their team and customers, as well as to identify pressure trends in their natural gas distribution systems. With advances in remote communication of data over the past decade, utilities are benefiting from real-time pressure data in critical asset locations. Smart Gas solutions such as the Sensus FlexNet AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure) or SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) platforms enable operators to keep a finger on the pulse of their gas systems. Near real-time alarms and trending analysis of system pressure profiles can help mitigate over-pressure events before they happen.
Cathodic Protection
Corrosion is the enemy of all steel assets, which is why operators institute cathodic protection practices. Ensuring the continuity of that protection year-round can be a labor-intensive initiative, but with deployment of the FlexNet AMI network, gas utilities can monitor cathodic protection assets in their system from anywhere and perform all compliance tests from the comfort of an office. True 2-way communication with rectifier monitor and controllers in conjunction with test station monitors enables utilities to perform PHMSA instant-off tests in seconds rather than hours. This saves valuable labor resources for work tasks such as critical asset maintenance.
Communications
All AMI solutions transmit data over-the-air from field radios to collector antennas on specific radio frequencies (RF). Sensus’ FlexNet is the only utility-grade AMI solution that transmits data on primary, licensed frequencies. What does that mean? The FlexNet licensed frequencies are private, ensuring no other RF operators can use them. A private network means your utility data will never encounter transmission interference through the forced sharing of frequencies, which is commonplace with other vendors. Your data is always the priority and is communicated securely and reliably over spectrum that is protected by federal law. FlexNet’s technology transmits data at over two times the power of competitive systems, resulting in increased range and fewer collectors to maintain over the life of the system. In fact, that increase in power means FlexNet typically requires just 1/10th of the network infrastructure compared to competitor solutions which equates to lower operating costs.
Distribution Automation
Every utility customer has a Distribution Automation (DA) need - you just might not realize it yet. Do you manually operate valves to adjust pressures or flow rates during times of peak demand? Would you sleep more soundly if you knew that real-time mitigating actions could be performed automatically and instantaneously with a detection of change in pressure? An operator using Sensus’ DA software, Automation Control, can visualize a variety of data points on flow rate, pressure, temperature for critical assets and automate follow-on processes that prevent potentially hazardous situations such as over-pressure events.