Turning Research into Reality: Department of Energy Grant for Next-Gen AI

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded E2G | The Equity Engineering Group, Inc. (E2G) a $1.5 million USD grant for the Phase II expansion and commercialization of its explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) technology, BENGI (Bayesian Engine for Insights), for the aging energy industry.?

E2G is developing the core BENGI technology that leverages XAI for probabilistic financial optimization of aging assets to help companies maximize profit, minimize cost, increase safety, reduce failures, and benefit from many other desired outcomes. BENGI is a web-based, cloud-computing engine that uses Bayesian Decision Networks (BDNs) to graphically represent cause-and-effect relationships between uncertain factors, practical decisions, and financial consequences. The single, comprehensive, wholistic software framework simultaneously considers many interrelated complex factors to determine the best overall decisions.

“Our Innovative Software & Research team is at the forefront of innovation. The platforms and software they are developing innovatively solve major industry problems by combining advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning with expert knowledge and engineering analysis,.” says David Osage , P.E., President and CEO at E2G.?

During Phase II, E2G will leverage BENGI to financially optimize inspection and maintenance activities for aging assets subject to progressive damage from many possible mechanisms. E2G is initially focusing BENGI on piping systems, as they will yield the greatest financial benefit from reducing the number of unnecessary inspections and/or decreasing maintenance expenses due to excess or unexpected failures. In the future, BENGI will also consider all asset lifecycle decisions and asset types.??

BENGI is next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). One shortcoming of current AI technology is its focus on pure data analysis. BENGI goes beyond traditional AI technology by integrating human engineering and scientific knowledge with AI and ML. BENGI is explainable AI (XAI). A primary benefit of BENGI is the proper blending of expert knowledge and physics-based models with new inspection findings and maintenance records, in real-time.

“With this grant, we will develop technology that optimizes piping system inspection and maintenance activities to help companies reduce the number of unnecessary inspections, decrease maintenance expenses, reduce unexpected failures, and improve operational safety. We are turning research into reality,.” says Dr. Chuck Panzarella , Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Principal Researcher II at E2G.

E2G will integrate BENGI’s technological developments into its suite of software solutions, including the specialty engineering analysis tools available on the Equity Engineering Cloud (eec) and future E2G software products. BENGI’s flexible design will also allow seamless integration with third-party software platforms. PipeSight, a pipeline integrity management software, will also leverage the BENGI technology to fully utilize all pipeline inspection data, including incomplete and uncertain information, to financially optimize asset management lifecycle decisions.

E2G is launching a beta testing program for PipeSight. If energy companies with aging pipelines and/or facility piping systems are interested in optimizing inspection and maintenance activities, please contact E2G directly. Additionally, if there are other industrial applications and problems that you would like to see solved with BENGI, please contact Dr. Charles Panzarella.?