Efficient collection of relevant production data and technical parameters is a crucial industrial challenge. Since current Industrial IoT solutions are facing several drawbacks (energy consumption, maintenance, pricing, etc.), we aim to introduce cutting-edge solutions by providing:

1) New product INDU4S (intent for Explosion Zones Environment – ATEX and using Narrowband IoT – NB-IoT technology) and connected to different Digital Ecosystems
2) An intelligent infrastructure and algorithms which solving logistic and manufacturing challenges in gas industry.

By introducing the new MAKEEN Cylinder Body Leak Detector, the LPG industry is now offered the
possibility to increase the safety level for all LPG cylinder types. Combining the body leak detector with leak detection of a simulated regulator connection we have for the first time, a 100% check of the complete cylinder as if it was placed at the end-user with the regulator connected. This is by far the most important safety check you can do. The automatic body leak detector is using the same technology as the Crisplant InfraRed detector (CIR II) which is a newly developed and patented test head for leak testing of cylinder valves in a closed-loop position.
Since the body leak detector is fully automated, we eliminate the human error in connection to leak detection, where the traditional method is checking for bubbles while the cylinder is forced under water.

Most LPG storage plants are composed of a lot of various elements for product storage, product transfer, utilities, fire protection, safety, etc. It could be complex for the operators to have a full overview of plant activities and supervise easily process, safety, stock management, and maintenance. DEC developed an integrated SCADA system: all site data from equipment & instruments are connected through an industrial PLC to a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) consisting of an industrial touch panel/screen to be installed in a supervision room. Remote online supervision is also possible and offers the possibility to do remote inventory management.

The SCADA system is customized for each site and/or client and could show all process and safety information including specific control equipment. SCADA system was developed for offering a global and robust supervision solution in order to increase the safety at site and provide optimized site supervision.

The Visible Felt Leadership (also known as VFL) Road Map, based on the Dupont Bradley Curve approach, is used to assess the health and safety maturity level of the culture of an organisation. It provides tools to complete the journey all the way from a Reactive through to an Interdependent safety performance and behaviours. It enables a site or business unit to establish where they are on the journey and to prioritise the areas to address through actions that will enable the business to progress to the next level of Bradley Curve.

The main aim of this journey is to involve everyone, not only employees, but also all stakeholders, in preventing incidents and protecting them from potential harm; However, and above all, the aim of the VFL roadmap is to bring people to understand the importance of health and safety ownership in looking after their own and their colleagues’ health & safety at all times. The VFL Road Map is such an important tool that enables the company to advance its operations to the best in class by benchmarking across its business units and industry.

Reducing the manual handling risk in industry remains a challenge. The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported musculoskeletal conditions as a leading contributor to disability worldwide, with lower back pain being the single leading cause of disability in 160 countries (2020). Studies and data from the LPG industry have shown that the significant risks in filling plants and during last-mile delivery are lifting, lowering, and carrying cylinders. There is an opportunity to reduce the manual handling risk by implementing a risk-based human factors engineering program focusing on designs or changes at facilities, developing specific risk reduction measures, and training end-users to recognize ergonomic risks and steps to take to reduce the risk.

Product traceability is a must in the modern trade world, where optimization is sought at each step of the product life cycle to gain a competitive edge against the rest. Besides the benefit of process optimization, traceability also enables an additional layer of security for the customers in terms of quality assurance. Moreover, it provides the ability to focus on LPG cylinder consumption habits of end-users. Current solution providers in the LPG cylinder market are not at the level of providing an economic, practical and reliable way of tracing LPG cylinders during their life cycle.
With this study, AYGAZ presents its own patented methodology and its actual application in AYGAZ filling plants for the much needed economic, robust, practical and reliable LPG cylinder traceability in the sector.

Hybrid Technology enhances the power delivery of generators, improves efficiency by up to 40%, and reduces emissions by 50% over conventional engine-driven generators. It also provides the means to integrate renewable energy sources lending itself to critical power applications and off-grid and remote microgrids.

The new Reinforced Thermoplastic (RTP) FP-Flex designed for Biogas applications is a logical consequence on the well-known LPG-Flex® pipe.
This pipe offers a lot of advantages against steel pipes, think about time-saving (read: cost-saving), no need for external nor internal corrosion protection, no underground welds. These are all major assets making this new system the most cost-efficient pipework to install. Furthermore, the elimination of both welding and internal & external corrosion increases the safety of the Biogas installation, which is the authority’s and owners most important objective!

We recently successfully completed a 1st pilot installation in France and many more installations are in the pipeline.

Circular Fuels Limited is a joint-venture between SHV Energy and KEW Technologies, aiming to fast-track innovative Advanced Conversion Technology for renewable and low-carbon DME (rDME) production. The first dedicated rDME plant will be built in the UK in 2023, producing 50ktonnes/year of low-carbon fuel for the LPG sector. This multimillion GBP investment is the first concrete commitment from a major global LPG player in rDME, and will dramatically accelerate the ability of the LPG industry to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. From a first commercial plant in the UK, Circular Fuels Limited already has plans to develop subsequent plants across Europe and North America in the mid-2020s.

SHVE has an extensive Open Innovation programme, and here we report a collaboration with Aston University. Renewable LPG (as biopropane) can be produced via catalytic decarboxylation of biomass-derived butyric acid without the need for hydrogen addition. 5 wt% platinum on carbon (Pt/C) has been found to be an effective catalyst for hydrothermally decarboxylating butyric acid in order to produce mainly propane and carbon dioxide. Optimisation of the reaction conditions was required to minimise secondary reactions and increase hydrocarbon selectivity towards propane. The highest yield of propane obtained was 47 wt% (close to the theoretical decarboxylation yield of 50 wt% on butyric acid basis), corresponding to 96% hydrocarbon selectivity towards propane. The reusability of the catalyst was also investigated, showing little or no loss of catalytic activity after four cycles. The presentation will build on on-going work which has recently been published, describing progress at substituting Platinum as the active catalyst.

Our System “Electrical Field Reducer” is a new technology to prevent lightning strikes by reducing electrical field in the air and in the ground, neutralizing dangerous frequencies during the leader creation of the downward/upward lightning strike. This technology uses the energy from the earth to atmosphere and harmonize the chaotic movement of the charge during a storm or in dangerous electromagnetic field, by absorbing all the unnatural and dangerous radio emission.
Our technology is important also to prevent and to neutralize the formation of micro-spark and microplasma, which are responsible of explosions or fires of the hazardous areas like tank of oil, gas, LPG and any other sensible structure. In the end we have applied to this System a digital technology, a series of sensors able to have an overview of the protection and show the charge dissipated. All the data are collected to a big database, and with this data we will be able to have a situation of our installation and with a special algorithm we have the state of maintenance.

In refugee and displacement settings, biomass-use exacerbates many risks. This paper details an innovative pilot project in remote Kachin State, Myanmar. The pilot provided 332 households in two internally displaced person (IDP) camps with an LPG cooking option aimed at enabling IDPs – having significant fuel need and minimal prior LPG exposure – to better manage the risks associated with biomass use.

Initial project work involved understanding and removing barriers in the supply chain. A baseline survey then allowed Spectrum, the project facilitator, to position the intervention for economic sustainability beyond the subsidized pilot and address key concerns of IDPs (e.g. safety). Mid-term and end of trial surveys allowed for monitoring, project adaptation, and evaluation. These surveys also recorded a successful majority transition to “customers exercising choice”, and a range of benefits from LPG use not recognised in Myanmar’s current humanitarian framework.

Most IDPs in Myanmar lack a modern cooking option.

Adaptive Energy designs and manufactures propane-powered Solid Oxide Fuel Cells for critical, low-watt loads in remote or harsh environments. Innovative microtubular technology has made us the industry leader for resilient, rugged and flexible energy solutions.

While other products are vulnerable to freezing, our SOFC can operate from -40°C to 50°C, partly due to propane’s performance in extreme cold. And unlike other SOFC, ours are engineered to cycle, contributing to their fuel efficiency.

Adaptive Energy’s SOFC technology is important for regions that lack hydrogen infrastructure and rely on LPG to facilitate decarbonization efforts: Our products can replace diesel-powered or other technologies that are far less fuel-efficient.

Since middle of 2019 Gasco GLP has been deploying a diesel substitution by LPG strategy for offshore salmon industry facilities in the south of Chile. The project consists in to replace diesel generators by LPG generators mounted on a platform that can provide 100% of the energy required by farming operations. Up to now, Gasco has implemented an innovative offshore network with more than 1,8 MW total power installed distributed in six facilities with three main customers, contributing to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions and to improve security in customer’s processes. Based on technology, Gasco is able to manage the energy dispatch requirement for each off shore facility. Finally, due to its physical and chemical characteristics, LPG reduces the risk of accidental spills into the water and their impacts.

GASCO, Saudi Arabia’s national LPG supplier embarked on a digital transformation programme which has transformed the 57-year old public company. The programme spearheaded transformation by introducing 6 paradigms: intelligent enterprise, integrated safety, employee experience, omnichannel ordering and fulfilment, smart forecasting, and OT modernization. The whole process has been underpinned by the pursuit of customer-focused excellence. A comprehensive ERP platform and mobile apps for customers and drivers, supported by a modern contact centre have been operationalized to improve the consumer proposition. GASCO’s 7 gas filling plants have been installed with terminal automation and SCADA for loading and unloading bays, supported by LPG level gauging technology. The digital revamp has reduced operational risk, enhanced safety and sustainability, improved resource planning, optimized supply chain, and modernised customer engagement. GASCO is deriving multi-faceted results including efficient stock market reporting, decreased accident rate, sustained LPG revenues, higher cylinder sales, and improved customer satisfaction rating.

This new device helps the driver to connect and disconnect this new nozzle on the small bulk underground and above tank when they need to be refilled. It will facilitate the driver’s operation. To make the connection, the driver pushes the female coupling onto the male one and turns 90° right
The handles on the hose unit can easily be changed, depending if it’s an underground or an above ground storage tank. The long handles are for underground tanks and the short handles are for above ground tanks

Engerising for tomorrow requires our industry to connect and engage with the customers of tomorrow. This means providing a full, end-to-end experience via a mobile app, enabling LPG marketers to accomplish their digital consumer engagement strategies in 2022.

As the industry hones in on its messaging, Anova innovations help reinforce and deliver those messages to consumers in the fastest, broadest way possible.

The Anova Connect ™ mobile app provides LPG marketers a digital connection with consumers for bi-directional communication and information exchange.

Anova Mobile Marketer ™ empowers LPG marketers to segment, direct and hone campaigns, product and service promotions, and educational materials with unprecedented target audience precision.

Adopting affordable, reliable telemetry equipment, such as Anova’s UTM ™ and IIoT SigFox devices, energizes large-scale deployments. This compells LPG marketers to offer consumers more comprehensive capability, like Anova Connect. Complemented with the precision of Anova Mobile Marketer, these innovations advance LPG’s positive impact, industry-wide.

Ultragaz 24/7 is a new sales channel for household customers that aims to sell cylinders (13 kg) in a faster and innovative way through a vending manchine 100% automated. The technology can be implemented in multiple customers touchpoints during their day-to-day journey, such as gas stations and parking lots. When a customer places an order through the self service totem, the vending machine system grabs the cylinder and delivers it to the customer via a secure conveyor belt. This product provides a 24/7 automated service to the cylinders customers, also, enhance the whole purchase experience to a new level. The entire process takes almost 3 minutes only. In addition, there is a real-time management system for the company, which allows to control all the important variables for the business, such as sales price and stock management, contributing to the supply and distribution chain. All technology was developed in Brazil in partnership with technology suppliers.

This paper primarily aims at extending the reach of LPG in Rural India through Micro LPG Distributorships while leveraging technology for Business enhancement, improvement in customer service, and safety.
1. This paper would attempt to highlight the role of Technology in improving the consumption of LPG in rural areas through Micro LPG Distributorships (MLD).
2. Then the paper would focus on the opportunities and challenges in Logistics &Operations in the distribution of LPG rin rural markets
3. Digital initiatives to improve safety & training of LPG consumers and way forward
4. Technology interventions for ease of booking & cashless transactions in rural India.
5. Exploring allied LPG business opportunities in rural markets for additional revenue of
the stakeholders.