Monitoring and maintenance of pipelines costs energy companies approximately $1.4 billion every year . But what if innovative solutions could help rein in this cost by automating monitoring processes and communicating maintenance issues through smart technology? We’re already starting to see the use of drones for pipeline monitoring purposes, but some companies are going directly to the source by creating smart solutions for pipelines. Smart pipelines are one of the ways the industry is tackling the issue of monitoring and maintenance. They would allow for remote tracking, monitoring, and control, to communicate any problems as soon as they occur. The Bytepipe , created by a Californian company, is expected to be ready by 2021, with a modified version in 2022. The idea is to integrate sensors and electronic components into pipeline casings to provide them with smart capabilities, in a market with over 14 million metric tons of demand […]