SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is pleased to announce that
François Rongere, Manager of Research and Development (R&D) and
Innovation within the company’s Gas Operations, was honored today by the
American Gas Association as the 2018 recipient of the John B. McGowan,
Sr. Research Award. This prestigious award recognizes an individual or
company who has made an outstanding contribution to improving natural
gas system safety, delivery, design, construction, operation,
maintenance or efficiency through their research efforts.
Rongere was recognized for his visionary work to develop predictive and
proactive technologies and tools that enhance the safety, reliability,
affordability and reduced emissions of PG&E’s natural gas system. Under
his leadership, PG&E works collaboratively with other forward-thinking
companies, research institutions and government agencies to develop
tools for PG&E, often with the goal to make them available to the global
natural gas industry. Some of these new tools now used by PG&E and
others in the energy industry include:
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Picarro leak detection: A vehicle-mounted anemometer that
measures wind speed and collects air samples and measures methane in
parts per billion. Combined with sensors and computer software inside
the car, the technology measures the amount of methane in the air.
Prior to PG&E’s deployment of vehicles equipped with Picarro leak
detection technology, leak surveys were primarily conducted on foot.
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Pipetel Explorer: A customized robot able to travel inside
transmission pipelines, in which complex geometry or operation
conditions prevent the use of traditional gas propelled devices. The
tool captures detailed information about the inside of the pipe
without disrupting gas service to PG&E customer.
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GPS based Damage Prevention system: This solution automatically
detects when heavy equipment used for construction and farming dig in
the vicinity of a buried pipeline to alert the machine operator and
the pipeline owner.
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NASA Sensor as Gas Leak Detection: In collaboration with NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, PG&E has championed the adaptation and
testing of laser-based technology that was originally built for
Curiosity to find methane on Mars. Light and very sensitive, this
instrument is ideal for handheld devices and has enabled the use of
Small Unmanned Aerial Systems for leak detection and localization.
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As-built electronic field data collection for new Distribution
plastic assets: Directly used by construction crews, this solution
leverages ASTM 2897 material traceability standard and high accuracy
GPS to document and record in real time the geometry and
characteristics of gas pipelines and fitting as they are installed.
Strongly involved with the gas industry R&D consortia, François is the
Chairman of the Research Steering Committee at PRCI, the Pipeline
Research Council International, and of NYSEARCH, the R&D committee of
the Northeast Gas Association.
“François and our R&D team are developing transformational tools that
help perform detailed analysis of our gas system in less time and with
improved accuracy and safety. The intelligence gathered from these tools
helps us drive toward our goal to be the safest, most reliable,
affordable and clean energy company in the U.S.,” said PG&E Chief
Operating Officer and President Nick Stavropoulos.
Francois joined PG&E’s emerging technology group within the energy
efficiency department and drew on his 20 years of experience at
Electricité de France to develop innovative methods to improve the
performance of PG&E’s customer data centers and many other energy saving
solutions. In 2012, François was enlisted to establish PG&E’s Gas
Operations R&D and Innovation department.
“Francois is leading gas innovation at PG&E and has helped position us
as a global leader on the development of new technologies. By forming
strategic relationships with leading innovators and some of the best
scientific minds in the world, he and the R&D team have helped pioneer
technologies that are advancing how we monitor, test and maintain our
natural gas system. His work is integral to our commitment to deliver
safe and reliable natural gas to our customers and communities,” said
PG&E Gas Operations Senior Vice President Jesus Soto.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric utilities in the United States. Based in San Francisco,
with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the
nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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PG&E Corporation
Media Relations, 415-973-5930
Source: PG&E Corporation