Future Industry Innovation Studio

Industries such as aviation and oil and gas face significant challenges in sustainability and operational efficiency, with many processes still reliant on manual labour. With growing demand and environmental concerns, there is a need for innovative solutions that optimise workflows and reduce environmental impact.

This studio aims to leverage digital technologies such as IoT, digital twins, and automation to enhance safety, streamline operations, and minimise waste. By collaborating with industry partners, participants will gain hands-on experience addressing real-world problems, helping industries transition towards more sustainable and efficient practices.

Project supervisors:

Studio timeslot in Semester 2 AY2024/2025:

  • Wednesday 9 am to 12 pm @ iDP Studio 1 (E2A-02-01)

Digital applications for sustainable aviation

Project partner: Boeing

Airport operations worldwide remain labour-intensive, often using equipment and processes that are not the most eco-friendly or optimised to minimise environmental impact. The increase in air travel post-COVID-19, coupled with a shortage of manpower to support the time-sensitive aircraft turnaround process, exacerbate these challenges resulting in unpleasant travel experiences, operational bottlenecks, and unnecessary waste with environmental implications.

This project focuses on building a comprehensive understanding of ground service operations during aircraft turnaround at airports. Our primary focus will be on sustainability issues within specific sub-areas of operation, such as baggage/cargo handling, waste management, and catering (food and water) replenishment. We will explore the use of digital analytics and internet-of-things (IoT) technology to better monitor sustainability metrics and help optimise these operations.

Digitalisation of oilfield equipment

Project partner: SPM Oil & Gas / Caterpillar Inc

The exponential growth in global oil production has led to extensive equipment deployment across many oilfields around the world. However, most of the processes in the oil and gas industry are still being done manually. This poses safety risks to workers and hampers operational efficiency. Digitalising critical components like Christmas trees (an assembly of gate valves that are installed on a well head to control the flow of fluids during production) enables real time monitoring and adoption of predictive maintenance strategies, thereby enhancing workers’ safety, optimize workflow and ensure competitiveness in the evolving market landscape. Parameters such as pressure, temperature, valve position, flow rates are typically monitored at the Christmas trees to ensure good well performance.

The aim of this project is to develop a digital twin for monitoring oil production equipment (through integration of suitable sensors connected to dashboard software), taking into consideration field conditions and industry requirements.

Design of automated flange connection system for heavy duty applications

Project partner: SPM Oil & Gas / Caterpillar Inc

In heavy industries, flange connections are critical for creating secure seals between high-pressure components like valves and risers. These flanges can be huge and must endure extreme forces and harsh conditions, which makes manual tightening a labor intensive process. The automotive industry on the other hand has adopted automation for its hub connections, improving speed, accuracy and safety. We are looking to implement a similar automated solution that can handle a wide variety of flange sizes and ensure consistent, reliable connections without manual intervention.

This project aims to develop a system capable of automatically tightening and securing flange connections of varying sizes, replacing the current manual method.