Cadent Gas is looking for innovative solutions which enable the emergency control valve in a domestic building to be remotely isolated to make the building safe in an emergency such as a fire. Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to pitch their innovation to Cadent Gas who is leading the work on behalf of all UK network operators.

Selected solution(s) will be trialled by Cadent in 10-30 homes, with the possibility of further adoption upon successful trials.

Cadent Gas is the UK&rsquo;s largest Gas Distribution Network Operator (GDNO), bringing gas to 11 million homes and businesses. They manage a network of more than 82,000 miles of pipes, most of them underground, which transport gas throughout the North West, West Midlands, East Midlands, South Yorkshire, East of England and North London.
Cadent Gas is responsible for the safety of the gas network in their regions. The approach to managing an issue on the gas network such as gas escape, pressure problems, fire, explosion etc is quite reactive but Cadent Gas is moving towards a more proactive approach with leak detection and remote monitoring of the system.&nbsp;

Background

Currently in an emergency, a customer will be asked to manually turn their gas supply off at the emergency control valve (ECV), if they are able. If they are not able to use the valve or if they are not at home at the time of the incident a Cadent engineer is sent out to isolate the gas supply. If the ECV is inside the property and there is no access to the property, the engineer will isolate the gas supply at the gas main.
In the event of a serious incident such as a fire or explosion, the time it takes for the engineer to arrive at the property and isolate the gas supply manually can be critical. The ability to isolate the ECV immediately and remotely would improve the safety of the gas network.
Cadent Gas is looking for innovative solutions which enable the ECV in a domestic building to be remotely switched off, coupled with sensors which confirm that the gas flow into the building has stopped, within minutes of the command being sent from Cadent&rsquo;s offices. The diagram below illustrates the manual operation of the ECV.

The Challenge

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If the solution requires hardware to be fitted at the property it should be fitted to the ECV with no significant changes to the gas pipework itself (sensors are permitted within the gas pipe to allow the solution to confirm the gas supply has been isolated). However, the solution should not replace the ability for the valve to be manually switched off if required and should meet all relevant aspects of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulation 1996.

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The diagram above provides the dimensions of the ECV which vary depending on the type of meter and supply to the property.&nbsp;
As the gas supply is being remotely monitored and controlled cyber security will be an important aspect of the solution. The solution needs to conform with the NIS (Network and Information Systems) Security Regulations.&nbsp;
As an additional security feature, the solution should only isolate the gas supply. It should not have the ability to reinstate the gas supply. A Cadent engineer will go out to the property to inspect the ECV and pipework before turning the gas supply back on manually.
Cadent Gas is open to all ideas (TRL 4 and above) however, the solution needs to be intrinsically safe for use on a ECV with gas under 25mbar pressure flowing through it.

<ul>
<li>The solution must comply with the relevant aspects of the Gas Safety (Management) Regulation 1996 and the Network and Information Systems Security Regulations 2018.</li>
<li>The solution must be capable of interacting with the existing ECV with minimal changes to the gas pipework itself.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Any device fitted to the ECV must function within a live gas network (gas flowing under 25mbar pressure) and ideally be retrofitted without isolating the gas supply for more than an hour.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Manual operation of the ECV must be maintained once the device is fitted as a failsafe.</li>
</ul>

Technical & Functional Requirements

There is currently no minimum/maximum price requirement. It is estimated that 10-30 units would be sufficient for the trial with the possibility of further adoption across the gas network if successful. Cadent Gas supply gas to 11,000 homes in the UK and there will be interest in the solution across all the gas distribution network operators.

Cost Requirement & Market Opportunity

Successful applicants will be given the opportunity to pitch their innovation to Cadent Gas.
Selected solution(s) will be trialled in real, representative gas installations, with the potential for successful solutions to be rolled out nationally in the future.
Further support may also include:
<ul>
<li>Support from KTN</li>
<li>Technical support</li>
<li>Invitation to attend or present at KTN events</li>
<li>Support if any Innovate UK or similar competitions are relevant.</li>
</ul>

Rewards & Benefits

<ul>
<li>Launch of the Competition: 19/06/23</li>
<li>Deadline for applications: 28/07/23</li>
<li>Selection and notification of finalists: 18/08/2023</li>
<li>Date of Pitch day: w/c 4/09/2023</li>
</ul>

Competition Timescales

Entrants to this competition must be:
<ul>
<li>Established businesses, start-ups, SMEs, academics or individual entrepreneurs</li>
<li>UK based or have the intention to set up a UK base</li>
</ul>
Partnerships and consortia of organisations are welcome to apply to this competition.
If you feel you can only address part of this challenge, please apply and clearly state which aspects of the challenge your solution can address.
Applications will be assessed on:
<ul>
<li>Relevance to the topic</li>
<li>Innovative nature</li>
<li>Feasibility/ economic viability</li>
<li>Development potential</li>
<li>Maturity of project/solution</li>
<li>Ability to launch project quickly/Ease of implementation</li>
<li>Price/quality ratio</li>
<li>Suitability for the UK and European Market</li>
</ul>

Eligibility & Assessment Criteria

<ul>
<li>Existing background IP associated with a potential solution will remain with Solution Provider(s). Where any new IP generation is envisaged, it will be subject to the mutual IP agreement of the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.</li>
<li>Any commercial deployment of a transferred solution or newly developed solution, through licensing, joint venture, partnership or direct investment, will be subject to the commercial agreement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger.</li>
<li>Where necessary, a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) may be signed to uphold confidentiality in the engagement between the Solution Provider(s) and Innovation Challenger. (This would be expected to be after company selection, it is suggested that details of IP be not disclosed, Focus on the outcomes of the technology proposed).</li>
<li>Innovate UK and KTN do not take any share of IP ownership or enter into commercial ventures through the iX programme.</li>
</ul>

IP & Potential Commercial Route

A selected panel of assessors will review and score your application. The panel of assessors will meet and agree a consensus score. Successful solutions will be selected by the Challenge holder. Success will be based upon total consensus scores, a portfolio approach and capacity within the challenge holders to carry out the projects.
This Innovation Exchange challenge is one of many innovation activities with which Innovate UK KTN supports energy networks. &nbsp;We would encourage you to explore Innovate UK's partnership with Ofgem, the energy regulator on the <a href="https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/strategic-innovation-fund-sif">Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)</a>. &nbsp;With funding of around &pound;450 million, the SIF responds to key mid-term challenges facing energy networks as they look to decarbonise and create a net zero power system by 2035. &nbsp;To find out more sign up to the <a href="https://ukri.innovateuk.org/ofgem-sif-subscription-sign-up">SIF newsletter</a>. You may also be interested in exploring the <a href="https://smarter.energynetworks.org/energy-innovation-basecamp-problem-statements/">Energy Network Association&rsquo;s Problem Statements</a> to understand wider issues the energy networks are seeking to tackle.

Remote isolation of the gas supply to a domestic building

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Remote isolation of the gas supply to a domestic building