Sturt Leslie has recently joined IK Trax as our Global Head of Tendering.
With a decade of experience in proposals and tendering, Stuart brings invaluable expertise that enhances our commercial strategy.
Outside of work, Stuart enjoys family trips, spending time on the golf course and supporting his favourite football teams.
Meet Sergey, an integral part of the IK Trax team and the driving force behind the development of our newly released 4003 Pig Signaller App.
Tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Sergey and I am an Android App Developer at IK Trax. I was born in Moldova and moved to Italy when I was 14. I came to the UK in 2014, firstly living in London and then moving to Aberdeen where I decided to study Software Development. I attended college for three years and I am now completing my Honours year at Robert Gordon University.
Outside of work, I have a passion for music – I attended music school and have participated in numerous theatre productions. I also enjoy martial arts and spending time with my wife and our three-year-old son.
Can you share your journey at IK Trax, from being a summer intern to your current position?
At University, we were encouraged to seek a summer placement to give us further hands-on experience and develop our professionalism. This is something that has helped me in my studies as well as the workplace. My primary task during my internship was modifying and improving the EMRx Receiver App. This was challenging, and I was pushed to conduct my own research utilising online sources and AI technologies to navigate the process.
I have found my colleagues to be very approachable and constructive during my time here. This has allowed me to grow both as a developer and a professional. At the end of my internship, I was lucky enough to be offered a part-time position which I am now balancing alongside the completion of my degree.
What are some of the key highlights and some of the biggest challenges you have faced during your time at IK Trax?
During my time at IK Trax, one of the key highlights (and challenges) has been developing the 4003 App. Prior to this, I was mainly tweaking and fixing applications which were already in existence. Starting a project from the ground up was a first for me and it allowed me to work on my weaknesses and grow professionally. Building the 4003 App was a significant achievement, and I found great enjoyment in the process.
Another key highlight was presenting the completed Apps to my colleagues, explaining updates made and demonstrating the functionality. I have always enjoyed public speaking and consider it one of my best skills. I would like more opportunities to do this in the future.
How do the Apps you have worked on and developed contribute to pig tracking and detection and what specific functionality do they offer?
All of our Apps allow the operator to input their required parameters directly into a phone or tablet. This is often a simpler and more user-friendly method compared to using the single push button on the receiver or signaller.
The EMRx App provides a visual display of the received electromagnetic or magnetic signal whilst the 4003 Pig Signaller App provides pig passage information in real-time to the device. Information can also be exported from the Apps for further review. This all provides the user with more flexibility and control during their operations.
Looking ahead, what are your career goals in the field of App Development?
I don’t want to limit myself to App development. As a software developer I believe I should be expanding my horizons and my goal is to learn about different technologies across various fields. I look forward to broadening my knowledge in all areas of software development.
Our new and improved App allows you to view real-time pig passages directly on your phone or tablet via Bluetooth connection.
With the App you can download up to 100 stored events and adjust settings in real time straight from your device. Additionally the App provides a live graphical representation of gauss readings from the 4003 Pig Signaller.
The App is available to download from the Google store or our Apps page today.
Head to the videos page of our website to see the app in action!
Pig tracking using Electromagnetic Transmitters is not a new concept, yet we are still uncovering ways to improve detection. Testing by IK Trax challenged the industry standard frequency of 22Hz, revealing that it is not optimal for pig detection. By scrutinising the performance of different frequencies, we aim to optimise pig tracking methods for enhanced reliability and efficiency.
Methodology
The testing explored the implications of using various EM Transmitter frequencies, ranging from 15Hz to 22Hz, on pig detection. IK Trax’s EM transmitters can be wirelessly configured from 10-30Hz using the EMTx Config App. By conducting comprehensive testing in controlled environments, we assess the signal strength at different distances from the pipeline surface. This analysis not only sheds light on the efficacy of lower frequencies but also offers insights into the potential improvements that can be made in pig tracking methodologies.
Setup
The testing was conducted a 3015X EM transmitter which was placed inside a pig within a 608mm outer diameter, 538mm internal diameter, 35mm wall thickness, 10.5m long pipe. Readings were taken every metre 5m either side of the centre position. At each of these positions 3 readings were taken. These were on the pipe at 0m, 0.5m from the pipe and 1m from the pipe all in air. The image below shows the EMRx at the centre of the pipe 1 m away. The EM Tx was set to 4 different frequencies: 15Hz, 17Hz, 19Hz, 22Hz.
Results in Figure 1 show that reducing the frequency from 22Hz to 15Hz consistently increased the received signal on the pipe. The largest increase was 700 or 58% from 17Hz to 15Hz. Decreasing from 22Hz to 19Hz resulted in a 55% increase, while going from 19Hz to 17Hz saw a 41% increase.
Figure 1: EM Tx @ 15Hz, 17Hz, 19HZ & 22Hz with Receiver 0m from pipe
Figure 2: EM Tx @ 15Hz, 17Hz, 19HZ & 22Hz with Receiver 0.5m from pipe
In Figure 3, results at 1m from the pipe demonstrate consistent signal increases with each frequency reduction, at 38%, 50% and 58% respectively. Despite lower signal levels due to increased air attenuation, trends remain similar to previous distances.
Figure 3: EM Tx @ 15Hz, 17Hz, 19HZ & 22Hz with Receiver 1m from pipe
Conclusion
The results show that with this configuration of pig and pipe parameters, the lower EM frequencies are easier to detect outside the pipe due to the increased received signal levels over those of the higher frequencies at all 3 distances in air from the pipe surface. Our findings highlight how significant reevaluating industry standards can be. These insights can not only lead to improved pig tracking methodologies but also highlight the need for continuous innovation and adaptation.
We are thrilled to announce that Nathan has joined our Technical Team as a Assembly Technician.
Nathan started his career as an electrical apprentice and before joining IK Trax, spent 8 years working in the electrical maintenance and installation industry across various fields such as renewables and electrical safety inspections.
Outside of work, Nathan enjoys going to concerts, cooking and spending his weekends watching football and rugby.
