Distribution Topics

This session will look at the DSO’s activities promoting, developing and facilitating the maintenance and expansion of the market for natural gas. Key topics to explore will be the i) DSO-customer interaction for maintaining existing customers and encouraging new attachments; ii) new technologies and techniques for expanding the infrastructure and attaching new customers; and iii) strategies for expanding the availability of natural gas “beyond the mains” to isolated areas or orphaned industrial or power plants.

Papers should focus on successes and lessons learned. Panel discussions of interacting topics with gas industry (and other underground utility) representatives and contractors /manufacturers /vendors may also be assembled.

This session will look at operational excellence (OE) as a strategy and goal of the distribution companies to fulfill costumer (and society) expectations. The OE will be considered from the following points of view: Safety management systems including System integrity, Safety of personnel and customer safety; Improvement of customer experience; Optimization of training and competence assessment of personnel with special focus on Blue Collars as field work force; Certification of distribution companies as a way to achieve OE.

This session will focus on the integration of green gases in the gas distribution system.   It will include case studies and innovative approaches for the deployment and facilitation of green gas in a gas distribution system. Specific considerations include:

The natural gas industry is relying more and more on mobile devices and smart sensors to manage its system. As it also moves increasingly to Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, such as low-power Bluetooth sensors, the network becomes increasingly sensitive to cyber-security issues.
This session explores the developing technologies making the network more prone to security issues and the tools being developed to secure it. Key topics will be in the: i.) application of IoT devices to operations and maintenance; ii.) development of security software applications; iii.) advantages and limitations to remote monitoring; and iv.) data storage of customer data.
Papers should focus on successes and lessons learned. Panel discussions of interacting topics with gas industry (and other underground utility) representatives and contractors /manufacturers /vendors may also be assembled.

Natural gas operations, in particular gas distribution, has benefited from an increase in new technologies over the last decade. These advances have been in materials for pipe, as well as construction and maintenance activities.
This session explores the latest in materials developments, construction and system maintenance practices; as well as applications for renewable technologies in gas operations. Key topics are i) integrity management; ii) underground locating/marking of facilities; iii) third-party damage mitigation; iv) 3D design; v) ILI technologies; and vi) UAV use in gas operations.
Papers should focus on successes and lessons learned. Panel discussions of interacting topics with gas industry (and other underground utility) representatives and contractors /manufacturers /vendors may also be assembled.

The need for knowledge transfer, and the increase in data relating to system operations and conditions are pushing the natural gas industry to use technologies from social media and the retail business industries.
This session explores the use of augmented reality for knowledge transfer and Big Data analytics in managing the new reality of natural gas distribution operations. Key topics are i) integrity and risk management; ii) underground locating/marking of facilities; iv) third-party damage mitigation; v) adapting social media tools to gas operations; vi) knowledge transfer and training.
Papers should focus on successes and lessons learned. Panel discussions of interacting topics with gas industry (and other underground utility) representatives and contractors /manufacturers /vendors may also be assembled.