Description:FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

Title:
METHOD FOR PROCESSING INQUIRY AND DATA

(a) Applicant Name: WELSPUN CORP LIMITED

(b) Nationality: Indian

(C) Address- WELSPUN HOUSE, 5TH FLOOR, KAMAL CITY , LOWER PAREL, SENAPATI BAPAT MARG, MUMBAI, MAHARASHTRA, INDIA - 400 013

3. PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.
COMPLETE

Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a method, and in particular, to a method for processing an inquiry and / or data.

Background
A client may have a set of requirements related to one or more components to be procured for a project. The client may inquire about the set of requirements with a company or a vendor. The company may identify one or more requirements from the set of requirements of the client that can be fulfilled by the company. In some cases, upon identification of the one or more requirements, the company may propose deviations or modifications in the one or more requirements which can be fulfilled by the company. Such an inquiry from the client may be time sensitive. A delay in responding to the inquiry may result in a loss of a project bid. Manually responding to the inquiry may be slow and resource intensive.

Summary
In one aspect, a method for processing an inquiry is provided. The method includes receiving an inquiry from a client. The inquiry includes an input file including a specification including at least one identifier and a cost sheet. The method further includes accessing a database including a plurality of existing clients and a plurality of existing models corresponding to the plurality of existing clients. Each existing model includes an existing specification including at least one existing identifier. The method further includes determining if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. The client is a non-existing client if the client is absent in the plurality of existing clients. The client is the existing client if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. The method further includes determining if the at least one identifier matches the at least one existing identifier of the existing specification of one of the existing models. The specification is a non-existing specification if the at least one identifier is absent in the plurality of existing models. The specification is the existing specification if all the identifier(s) matches with the existing identifier(s). The method further includes generating a new client upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. The method further includes extracting a relevant information from a master model stored in the database upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. The relevant information includes at least a work description. The method further includes generating a new work description based at least on the relevant information. The method further includes associating the new client with the new specification. The method further includes receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the work description. The method further includes generating an output file based at least on the new specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.
In various illustrative examples, the method may apply machine learning to an artificial intelligence (AI) engine that is trained with historical documents. The AI engine may be accessed by a system, or be incorporated in whole or part into the system. The analysis algorithms are subject to adjustments from a user through a user interface (UI) that is accessible by the user. The adjustments may be used to improve the method and as a machine learning input to improve a performance of the method.

Brief Description of the Drawings
Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be more completely understood in consideration of the following detailed description in connection with the following figures. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. Like numbers used in the figures refer to like components. However, it will be understood that the use of a number to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labeled with the same number.
FIG. 1 illustrates a computing environment in which a user employs a system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 3 illustrates a specification according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 4 illustrates a specification according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 5 illustrates a cost sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6A illustrates an inspection test plan according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 6B illustrates an inspection test plan according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7A illustrates a comment sheet according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 7B illustrates a comment sheet according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a database according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart depicting various steps of a method for processing an inquiry according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Definitions
As used herein, the term “specification” refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a product. A specification may include inspection requirements, testing requirements, and dimensional requirements of a product. In some cases, a specification may include a technical standard. For example, a specification may include American National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Petroleum Institute (API) 5L, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for a pipe. In another example, a specification may include National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for coatings.
As used herein, the term “identifier” refers to a unique set of characters, typically numeric and/or alphanumeric characters. An identifier may include a number, a revision number, and a date. For example, an identifier may include a document number. In another example, an identifier may include a document revision number. In yet another example, an identifier may include a document date.
As used herein, the term “cost sheet” refers to a file including product requirement for a project. The cost sheet may include a project information including specifications of a product. For example, a project information may include dimensional requirements of a product. In another example, a project information may include a quantity of a product. In yet another example, a project information may include a grade of a product. In yet another example, a project information may include a bare product or a product with coating.
As used herein, the term “acceptance criteria” refers to one or more conditions to be met by a work and defined by a specification.
As used herein, the term “work description” refers to a description of work to be done to ensure that a corresponding acceptance criteria is met. For example, a work description may include raw material review. In another example, a work description may include visual inspection of a product. In yet another example, a work description may include various destructive and non-destructive testing processes to be performed on a product to ensure the product meets a standard.
As used herein, the term “relevant information” refers to a work description and information corresponding to the work description. For example, a relevant information may include a standard defining a work description. In another example, a relevant information may include acceptance criteria of a work.
As used herein, the term “comment sheet” refers to a file including comments corresponding to a work description. For example, a comment sheet may include comments proposing a deviation or a modification in a work description or an acceptance criteria. In another example, a comment sheet may include comments accepting or rejecting a deviation in a work description or acceptance criteria.
As used herein, the term “inspection test plan” refers to a file including information corresponding to a work description. An inspection test plan may include information relating to methods for inspecting certain features of a product. For example, an inspection test plan may include methods for performing a visual inspection of a product.
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Detailed Description
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying figures that form a part thereof and in which various embodiments are shown by way of illustration. It is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense.
As used herein, “at least one of A and B” should be understood to mean “only A, only B, or both A and B”.
The present disclosure relates to a method for processing a data. The method includes receiving an inquiry from a client. The inquiry includes an input file including a specification including at least one identifier and a cost sheet. The method further includes accessing a database including a plurality of existing clients and a plurality of existing models corresponding to the plurality of existing clients. Each existing model includes an existing specification including at least one existing identifier. The method further includes determining if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. The client is a non-existing client if the client is absent in the plurality of existing clients. The client is the existing client if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. The method further includes determining if the at least one identifier matches the at least one existing identifier of the existing specification of one of the existing models. The specification is a non-existing specification if the at least one identifier is absent in the plurality of existing models. In case of a single identifier, the specification is the existing specification if the identifier matches with the existing identifier. In case of more than one identifiers, the specification is the existing specification if all of the identifiers match with the existing identifiers. The method further includes generating a new client upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. The method further includes extracting a relevant information from a master model stored in the database upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. The relevant information includes at least a work description. The method further includes generating a new work description based at least on the relevant information. The method further includes associating the new client with the new specification. The method further includes receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the work description. The method further includes generating an output file based at least on the new specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.
Conventional methods of processing the inquiry of the client may include manual review of the inquiry. In other words, the conventional methods may include a manual review of the specification and the cost sheet provided by the client. In some cases, the specification provided by the client may include 30 to 40 pages of clauses. The specification may further include clauses from various standard specifications defined by standards organizations, such as American National Standards Institute (ANSI), American Petroleum Institute (API) 5L, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), American Society of Testing Materials (ASTM), and Canadian Standards Association (CSA) standards for a pipe. In another example, the specification may include National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and Canadian Standards Association CSA standards for coatings.
Therefore, the manual review of the inquiry may be time consuming and prone to human errors. Furthermore, as inquiries may be time sensitive, the conventional methods of processing the inquiry may cause a delay in responding to the inquiry. Therefore, the conventional methods of processing the inquiry may result in a loss of a project bid.
The method of the present disclosure may extract the relevant information from the specification and the cost sheet provided by the client and generate the output files. Therefore, the method of the present disclosure may reduce a time taken to respond to the inquiry. In other words, the method may reduce a time taken to generate the output files, as compared to the manual review of the inquiry. Further, the method of the present disclosure may reduce errors that may occur during the manual review of the inquiry.
The master model may be trained with historic data of previous clients and standard technical specifications. The method of the present disclosure may utilize the master model along with domain-specific knowledge graphs and neuro linguistic programming algorithms to extract the relevant information when the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. This may further reduce the time taken to generate the output files, particularly when the inquiry is from a new client that has unique specifications for products. In other words, the method may allow quick response to the inquiry for input files having no historic record in the plurality of existing models.
Advantageously, the method of the present disclosure may be executed by one or more processors of one or more computing devices. In some embodiments, a computer programmable product may include a set of instructions, which when executed by a processor, may cause the processor to execute the method of the present disclosure. Therefore, the method may be an automated process. Further, the one or more computing devices and the computer programmable product may apply machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the method of the present disclosure.

Referring now to the Figures, FIG. 1 illustrates a computing environment 10 in which a user 105 employs a system 100. In some embodiments, the system 100 is configured to support a computer programmable product 115. In some embodiments, the computer programmable product 115 includes a set of instructions 116. In some embodiments, the system 100 is configured to execute the set of instructions 116. The computer programmable product 115 may be implemented, for example, as a software application that executes on the system 100. In alternative implementations, the computer programmable product 115 may be implemented using hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof, depending on the needs of a particular implementation of the computer programmable product 115.
The computer programmable product 115 may interface with, or incorporate directly, an artificial intelligence (AI) engine 120 that may be implemented, for example, using a neural or deep-learning network, expert system, or other suitable system that is configured for machine learning. In some embodiments, a Domain-specific Knowledge Graph (DSKG) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) algorithms may be combined with the AI engine 120. Combining the DSKG and the NLP with the AI engine 120 may allow the AI engine 120 to differentiate between words that may have different meanings in a specific domain, while being synonyms in English. For example, “strength” and “toughness” are two different terminologies of metallurgy, but synonyms in English. The AI engine 120 may recognize that “strength” and “toughness” have different meanings in metallurgy, and treat them differently while processing information.
The system 100 may include an electronic device, such as a personal computer, a server, a handheld device, a workstation, a multimedia console, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or the like. Hereinafter, the use of the term “system” is intended to cover all electronic devices that perform some computing operations, whether they be implemented locally, remotely, or by a combination of local and remote operation.
The system 100 may be configured to optionally communicate over a communication network link 125 with a remote system, resource, or service 130. As illustrated in FIG. 1, processing is employed at the system 100 (local processing, as indicated by reference numeral 140). However, it may be noted that other processing allocations and arrangements may also be utilized. For example, the computer programmable product 115 may be instantiated as a remote or cloud-based application. Various combinations of local processing 140 and remote processing (as indicated by reference numeral 150) can be implemented as appropriate for the computer programmable product 115.
The communication network link 125 may be implemented using any of a variety of network types and network infrastructure in various combinations or sub-combinations including local-area networks (LANs), wide-area networks (WANs), cellular networks, satellite networks, IP (Internet-Protocol) networks such as Wi-Fi under Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and Ethernet networks under IEEE 802.3, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and/or short range networks such as Bluetooth® networks. It may be noted that IEEE standards listed above may be upgraded. The communication network link 125 may be implemented using the network types and network infrastructure under the upgraded IEEE standards. Network infrastructure may be supported, for example, by mobile operators, enterprises, Internet service providers (ISPs), telephone service providers, data service providers, and the like. The communication network link 125 may utilize portions of the Internet (not shown) or include interfaces that support a connection to the Internet so that the system 100 may access data or content and/or render user experiences supported by the remote service provider and/or other service providers (not shown).
Various input devices 155 may be utilized in the computing environment 10 to input various data, information, and files to the system 100. Examples of the input devices 155 include, but are not limited to, mouse, keyboards, and joysticks. In another example, the input devices 155 may be incorporated into the system 100 (e.g., touchscreens). In some cases, data and files may be transmitted to the system 100, or to a cloud-based storage service, and then accessed by the system 100 over the communication network link 125. The computer programmable product 115 may further provide a user interface (UI) or a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive a plurality of user inputs 106 from the user 105 via the input devices 155. That is, in some embodiments, the system 100 is configured to receive the plurality of user inputs 106 from the user 105 via the input devices 155.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of the system 100 for processing an inquiry 201 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The system 100 includes a processor 111 and a memory 112 communicably coupled to the processor 111. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the system 100 is configured to support the computer programmable product 115 (shown in FIG. 1) including the set of instructions 116. In some embodiments, the set of instructions 116 may be stored in the memory 112 and executed by the processor 111. In some embodiments, the set of instructions 116, when executed by the processor 111, causes the processor 111 to perform one or more methods and processes described herein.
The inquiry 201 is received from a client 250. That is, the system 100 may receive the inquiry 201 from the client 250. The client 250 may include a company (optionally including sales person(s), sales team, sales manager(s) and/or authorized person(s)), organization (charitable group, boosters club, membership group), or any other person or entity desiring to make the inquiry 201. In some embodiments, the processor 111 is configured to receive the inquiry 201 from the client 250. In some embodiments, the computer programmable product 115 (shown in FIG. 1) causes the processor 111 to receive the inquiry 201 from the client 250.
The inquiry 201 includes an input file 205. The input file 205 includes a specification 206 and a cost sheet 208. In some embodiments, the system 100 may be configured to process the inquiry 201 to generate an output file 270. In some embodiments, the output file 270 includes an inspection test plan (ITP) 271, a comment sheet 272, and a Raw Material Technical Specification (RMTS) 290.
The specification 206 may include a set of description of requirements, such as materials, dimensional requirements, inspection methods, transportation, coating, lab testing, plant requirements, etc., as per the requirements of the client 250. That is, in some embodiments, the specification 206 is a technical specification. The technical specification may include a set of standards defined by standards organizations, such as, API, NACE, and CSA.
In some embodiments, the specification 206 corresponds at least one product. In some embodiments, the at least one product includes at least one of a pipe and / or a coating. The pipe may include, for example, a longitudinal submerged arc-welded (LSAW) pipe, a helical submerged arc-welded (HSAW) pipe, an electric resistance welded (ERW) pipe, a high frequency induction welded (HFIW) pipe, and the like. Moreover, in some embodiments, the coating includes at least one of an internal coating, an abrasion resistant overcoat (ARO) coating, and a fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) coating. In some embodiments, the coating may also include, for example, three-layer polyethylene (3LPE), three-layer polypropylene (3LPP), coal tar enamel (CTE), concrete coating, and the like. An exemplary three-layer polyethylene (3LPE) specification is provided in the Examples section.
The specification 206 further includes at least one identifier 207. The at least one identifier 207 may include a unique set of characters, typically numeric and/or alphanumeric characters. The specification 206 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate examples of the specification 206. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, the specification 206 corresponds to a pipe. In other words, in the illustrated example of FIG. 3, the specification 206 is a pipe specification 206A. The pipe specification 206A may include one or more standards associated with pipes defined by a standards organization (e.g., API). The pipe specification 206A may further include general requirements associated with the pipes defined by the client 250 (shown in FIG 2). In some cases, the pipe specification 206A may include the general requirements of the client 250 in addition to the one or more standards associated with the pipes.
As discussed above, the specification 206 includes the at least one identifier 207. In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, the at least one identifier 207 includes a document number 207A (i.e., 3.0501) and a revision number 207B (i.e., 4.231A). In some cases, a date 207C (i.e., 08/01/16) in the specification 206 may be an identifier, for example, in cases where the specification 206 is an existing specification (described later). However, in some other examples, the specification 206 may not include all of the above described identifiers 207. That is, in some embodiments, the at least one identifier 207 includes at least one of the document number 207A and the revision number 207B.
In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the specification 206 corresponds to a coating. In other words, in the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the specification 206 is a coating specification 206B. Specifically, the coating specification 206B is either FBE, ARO, FBE+ARO, 3LPE, 3LPP, Wet Concrete, or coal tar coating. In some embodiments, the coating specification 206B may correspond to at least one of an internal coating and an external coating of a pipe. The coating specification 206B may include one or more standards associated with coatings of pipes defined by a standards organization (e.g., NACE). The coating specification 206B may further include general requirements associated with the coatings of pipes defined by the client 250 (shown in FIG 2). In some cases, the coating specification 206B may include the general requirements of the client 250 in addition to the one or more standards associated with the coatings of pipes. In the illustrated example of FIG. 4, the at least one identifier 207 includes the document number 207A (i.e., 6.0307) and the revision number 207B (i.e., 1.4). Further, as discussed above, the date 207C (i.e., 02/01/15) may be an identifier in case the specification 206 is an existing specification.
Referring back to FIG. 2, as discussed above, the input file 205 further includes the cost sheet 208. The cost sheet 208 may include project parameters, such as dimensions, quantities, type of coating and grades of products required by the client 250.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of the cost sheet 208. Specifically, in the illustrated example of FIG. 5, the cost sheet 208 includes a project information 208A. As shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the project information 208A includes at least one parameter of at least one product 209. In some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes at least one of dimensions, a quantity, and a grade. In other words, in some embodiments, the at least one parameter includes at least one of dimensions, a quantity, and a grade of the at least one product 209.
In some embodiments, the at least one product 209 includes at least one of a pipe and a coating. It may be noted that the at least one product 209 may include any number of products 209, based on the requirements of the client 250 (shown in FIG. 2).
In the illustrated example of FIG. 5, the at least one product 209 includes a first product 209A and a second product 209B. Further, in the illustrated example of FIG. 5, each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B is a pipe. Therefore, the project information 208A includes parameters, such as a pipe type, a main standard, coatings on the pipe, a grade, an outer diameter, a wall thickness, a length, a quantity, and a density corresponding to each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B.
In some examples, each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B is a bare pipe. Therefore, the project information 208A may include parameters, such as a pipe type, a main standard, a grade, an outer diameter, a wall thickness, a length, a quantity, and a density corresponding to each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B.
In some examples, each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B is either internal coating pipe or external coating pipe or both. Therefore, the project information 208A may include parameters, such as a pipe type, a main standard, a grade, an outer diameter, a wall thickness, a length, a quantity, and a density corresponding to each of the first product 209A and the second product 209B.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the memory 112 stores a database 210 (e.g., a central database, a blockchain database, and the like). Specifically, the database 210 includes a plurality of existing clients 212 and a plurality of existing models 214 corresponding to the plurality of existing clients 212. The plurality of existing models 214 may include historic data corresponding to historic clients that had previously made inquiries. In other words, each existing model 214 may include one or more historic documents of a corresponding existing client 212. The historic documents may include, for example, input files (e.g., the input file 205 including the specification 206), and output files (e.g., the ITP 271 and the comment sheet 272). The ITP 271 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, and the comment sheet 272 will be further described with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, respectively.

FIG. 6A illustrates an example of the ITP 271. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the ITP 271 is an output file 270. Therefore, the ITP 271 includes a relevant information 280. The relevant information 280 may be based upon the specification 206 and the cost sheet 208.
In some embodiments, the relevant information 280 includes at least a work description 275. The work description 275 may refer to a description of work to be done to ensure that corresponding acceptance criteria 276 is met. In the illustrated example of FIG. 6A, the ITP 271 corresponds a pipe. In other words, the ITP 271 is a pipe ITP 271A. Therefore, the work description 275 includes work to be done on a pipe, for example, welding and / or seam annealing for pipe. The work description 275 further includes tests to be performed on the pipe, for example, hydrostatic test and mechanical testing for bare pipe. As shown in FIG. 6A, in some embodiments, the acceptance criteria 276 includes a parameter 277 (i.e., minimum pressure in FIG. 6A) that is calculated based on the cost sheet 208 (shown in FIG. 5). In the illustrated example of FIG. 6A, the relevant information 280 further includes a reference standard 291, a testing frequency 292, a quality assurance document 293, and an inspection type 294 corresponding to the work description 275.

FIG. 6B illustrates another example of the ITP 271. In the illustrated example of FIG. 6B, the ITP 271 corresponds to a coating. In other words, in the illustrated example of FIG. 6B, the ITP 271 is a coating ITP 271B. Therefore, the work description 275 may include work to be done on coatings that are applied on pipes, for example, blasting and powder application. The work description 275 may further includes tests to be performed on the coatings applied, for example, inspection tests, cathodic disbandment tests, etc.
Hereinafter, the relevant information 280 may be interchangeably referred to as “the existing relevant information 280” if a historic record of the ITP 271 is present in the plurality of existing models 214 (shown in FIG. 2). Similarly, the work description 275 may be interchangeably referred to as “the existing work description 275” if a historic record of the ITP 271 is present in the plurality of existing models 214.

FIG. 7A illustrates an example of the comment sheet 272. The comment sheet 272 includes at least one of the acceptance criteria 276. The acceptance criteria 276 may be interchangeably referred to as “the client requirements 276”. The client requirements 276 may include one or more conditions that may not be fulfilled by the company. Therefore, in the illustrated example of FIG. 7A, the comment sheet 272 includes comments 273 proposing a deviation or a modification in the acceptance criteria 276. Furthermore, in the illustrated example of FIG. 7A, the comment sheet 272 includes client comments 274 corresponding to the deviation in the acceptance criteria 276. The client comments 274 may include agreement to the deviation by a client and rejection of the deviation by the client. In the illustrated example of FIG. 7A, the comment sheet 272 is a pipe comment sheet 272A. In other words, the pipe comment sheet 272A includes the acceptance criteria 276, the comments 273, and the client comments 274 corresponding to pipes.

FIG. 7B illustrates another example of the comment sheet 272. As discussed above, the comment sheet 272 includes the acceptance criteria 276/the client requirements 276, the comments 273, and the client comments 274. In the illustrated example of FIG. 7B, the comment sheet 272 is a coating comment sheet 272B. In other words, the coating comment sheet 272B includes the acceptance criteria 276, the comments 273, and the client comments 274 corresponding to coatings.

FIG. 8 illustrates the database 210 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 2 and 8, the database 210 further includes a master model 220. The master model 220 may be trained using historic data of each of the plurality of existing clients 212. In some embodiments, the master model 220 may be further trained using one or more technical standards (e.g., API 5L for pipe and NACE for coating). In some embodiments, the processor 111 may be configured to generate the master model 220 based on at least one of a machine learning (ML) and a neural network (NN) model. In some embodiments, the processor 111 may be configured to generate the master model 220 based on a deep neural network (DNN) model.
As discussed above, the database 210 includes the plurality of existing clients 212 and the plurality of existing models 214 corresponding to the plurality of existing clients 212. In some embodiments, each existing model 214 may be based on one of a ML model, an NN model, and a DNN model. In some cases, each existing model 214 may be trained for the corresponding existing client 212 using the master model 220 via transfer learning.
In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the plurality of existing clients 212 includes a first existing client 212-1, a second existing client 212-2, and a third existing client 212-3. However, it may be noted that the plurality of existing clients 212 may include any number of existing clients 212. Further, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the plurality of existing models 214 includes a first existing model 214-1 corresponding to the first existing client 212-1, a second existing model 214-2 corresponding to the second existing client 212-2, and a third existing model 214-3 corresponding to the third existing client 212-3. However, it may be noted that the plurality of existing model 214 may include any number of existing models 214.
Each existing model 214 includes an existing specification 216 including at least one existing identifier 217. The existing specification 216 may be a historic record of the specification 206 previously provided by a client that is stored in the database 210. Specifically, the existing specification 216 may be a historic record of the specification 206 present in one or more of the plurality of existing models 214. Further, the specification 206 is a non-existing specification if the at least one identifier 207 is absent in the plurality of existing models 214. In other words, if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 is absent in the plurality of existing models 214, the plurality of existing models 214 may not include the historic record of the specification 206. Further, the specification 206 is the existing specification 216 if the at least one identifier 207 matches with the at least one existing identifier 217. In other words, if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 matches with the at least one existing identifier 217, the plurality of existing models 214 include the historic record of the specification 206. Further, the at least one existing identifier 217 may include the date 207C (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) in addition to the document number 207A and the revision number 207C.
Moreover, in the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the first existing model 214-1 includes a first existing specification 216-1 including a first existing identifier 217-1. The first existing specification 216-1 may be a historic record of a specification provided by the first existing client 212-1. The second existing model 214-2 includes a second existing specification 216-2 including a second existing identifier 217-2. The second existing specification 216-2 may be a historic record of a specification provided by the second existing client 212-2. The third existing model 214-3 includes a third existing specification 216-3 including a third existing identifier 217-3. The third existing specification 216-3 may be a historic record of a specification provided by the third existing client 212-3. It may be noted that each existing model 214 may also include multiple existing specifications 216 including multiple existing identifiers 217 corresponding to a respective existing client 212.
The client 250 is a non-existing client if the client 250 is absent in the plurality of existing clients 212. In other words, if the client 250 is absent in the plurality of existing clients 212, the plurality of existing models 214 may not include historic data of the client 250. Further, the client 250 is the existing client 212 if the client 250 is present in the plurality of existing clients 212. In other words, if the client 250 is present in the plurality of existing clients 212, a corresponding model 214 from the plurality of existing models 214 includes the historic data of the client 250.
In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the database 210 further includes a new client 252. In some embodiments, the processor 111 may generate the new client 252 upon determining that the client 250 (shown in FIG. 2) is the non-existing client. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the database 210 further stores a new model 254 corresponding to the new client 252. The new model 254 includes a new specification 256 including at least one new identifier 257. However, it may be noted that the new model 254 may include multiple new specifications 256 provided by the new client.
The new client 252 may become one of the plurality of existing clients 212 for subsequent inquiries by other clients. The new model 254 may become one of the plurality of existing models 214 for subsequent inquiries by the other clients. The new specification 256 may become one of the plurality of existing specifications 216 for subsequent inquiries by the other clients. The at least one new identifier 257 may become the at least one existing identifier 217 for subsequent inquiries by the other clients.

FIG. 9 illustrates a process 300 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The process 300 may be executed by the system 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, in some embodiments, the processor 111 of the system 100 may be configured to execute the process 300. In some embodiments, the computer programmable product 115 (shown in FIG. 1) may cause the processor 111 of the system 100 to execute the process 300.

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, 8, and 9, the process 300 includes receiving the inquiry 201 from the client 250. In some embodiments, the process 300 may include accessing the database 210 of the system 100.
At block 310, the process 300 includes determining if the client 250 is present in the plurality of existing clients 212 stored in the database 210.
For descriptive purposes, the database 210 may include only the first existing client 212-1 and the second existing client 212-2.
In a first example, the client 250 may be the first existing client 212-1. Therefore, the first existing model 214-1 corresponding to the first existing client 212-1 may also correspond to the client 250. Furthermore, in the first example, the second existing client 212-2 is different from the client 250. Therefore, the second existing model 214-2 corresponding to the second existing client 212-2 may not correspond to the client 250.
If the client 250 is the existing client 212, the process 300 moves to block 320. Further, if the client 250 is the existing client 212, the process 300 may further include determining the existing model 214 corresponding to the existing client 212. However, if the client is absent in the plurality of existing clients 212, i.e., the client 250 is the non-existing client, the process 300 moves to block 340.
In the first example, the client 250 is the first existing client 212-1. Therefore, the process 300 moves to block 320.
At block 320, the process 300 includes determining if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 matches the first existing identifier 217-1 of the first existing specification 216-1 of the first existing model 214-1. Upon determining that the at least one identifier 207 matches the first existing identifier 217-1, the process 300 determines that the specification 206 is the first existing specification 216-1, and the process 300 moves to block 330. However, upon determining that the at least one identifier 207 does not match the first existing identifier 217-1, the process 300 determines that the specification 206 is not the first existing specification 216-1, and the process 300 moves to block 350.
At block 330, the process 300 includes extracting the relevant information 280 from the first existing model 214-1 corresponding to the client 250 (i.e., the first existing client 212-1) to generate the output file 270 based at least on the specification 206 (i.e., the first existing specification 216-1), the plurality of user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208. The output file 270 generated at block 330 may have a high accuracy level.
At block 350, the process 300 includes determining if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 matches the second existing identifier 217-2 of the second existing specification 216-2 of the second existing model 214-2 corresponding to the second existing client 212-2. If the at least one identifier 207 matches the second existing identifier 217-2, the process 300 moves to block 360. However, if the at least one identifier 207 does not match the second existing identifier 217-2, the process 300 moves to block 370.
At block 360, the process 300 includes extracting the relevant information 280 from the second existing model 214-2 corresponding to the second existing client 212-2 to generate the output file 270 based at least on the second existing specification 216-2, the plurality of user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208. The output file 270 generated at block 360 may have a lower accuracy level than the output file 270 generated at block 330.
At block 370, the process 300 includes extracting the relevant information 280 from the first existing model 214-1 corresponding to the client 250 (i.e., the first existing client 212-1) to generate the output file 270 based at least on the first existing specification 216-1, the plurality of user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208. The output file 270 generated at block 370 may have a lower accuracy than the output file 270 generated at block 360.
In a second example, the client 250 is not present in the plurality of existing clients 212. Specifically, in the second example, the client 250 is neither the first existing client 212-1 nor the second existing client 212-2. In other words, the client 250 is the non-existing client. Therefore, as discussed above, the process 300 moves from block 310 to block 340.
At block 340, the process 300 includes determining if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 matches the first existing identifier 217-1 of the first existing specification 216-1 of the first existing model 214-1 corresponding to the first existing client 212-1. The process 300 further includes determining if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 matches the second existing identifier 217-2 of the second existing specification 216-2 of the second existing model 214-2 corresponding to the second existing client 212-2. If the at least one identifier 207 matches the first existing identifier 217-1 or the second existing identifier 217-2, the process 300 moves to block 360. However, if the at least one identifier 207 of the specification 206 does not match the first existing identifier 217-1 or the second existing identifier 217-2, the process 300 moves to block 380.
At block 380, the process 300 includes extracting the relevant information 280 from the master model 220 stored in the database 210 to generate the output file 270 based at least on the specification 206, the plurality of user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208. The output file 270 generated at block 380 may have a lower accuracy level than the output file 270 generated at block 370.

FIG. 10 illustrates a method 400 for processing the inquiry 201 (shown in FIG. 2) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 may be executed by the system 100 (shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). Specifically, in some embodiments, the processor 111 (shown in FIG. 2) of the system 100 may be configured to perform various steps of the method 400. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the computer programmable product 115 (shown in FIG. 1) may cause the processor 111 of the system 100 to perform the steps of the method 400. The method 400 will be described with reference to FIGS 1-8 and 10. The method 400 includes the following steps:
At step 402, the method 400 includes receiving an inquiry from a client. The inquiry includes an input file including a specification including at least one identifier and a cost sheet. For example, at step 402, the method 400 may include receiving the inquiry 201 from the client 250. As discussed above, the inquiry 201 includes the input file 205 including the specification 206 including the at least one identifier 207 and the cost sheet 208.
At step 404, the method 400 further includes accessing a database including a plurality of existing clients and a plurality of existing models corresponding to the plurality of existing clients. Each existing model includes an existing specification including at least one existing identifier.
For example, at step 404, the method 400 may further include accessing the database 210 including the plurality of existing clients 212 and the plurality of existing models 214 corresponding to the plurality of existing clients 212. As discussed above, each existing model 214 includes the existing specification 216 including the at least one existing identifier 217. Each existing model 214 may further include historic records of input files and output files of the corresponding existing client 212.
At step 406, the method 400 further includes determining if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. The client is a non-existing client if the client is absent in the plurality of existing clients. The client is the existing client if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients. For example, at step 406, the method 400 may further include determining if the client 250 is present in the plurality of existing clients 212. As discussed above, the client 250 is the non-existing client if the client 250 is absent in the plurality of existing clients 212. Further, the client 250 is the existing client 212 if the client 250 is present in the plurality of existing clients 212.
At step 408, the method 400 further includes determining if the at least one identifier matches the at least one existing identifier of the existing specification of one of the existing models. The specification is a non-existing specification if the at least one identifier is absent in the plurality of existing models. The specification is the existing specification if the at least one identifier matches with the at least one existing identifier.
For example, at step 408, the method 400 may further include determining if the at least one identifier 207 matches the at least one existing identifier 217 of the existing specification 216 of one of the existing models 214. As discussed above, the specification 206 is the non-existing specification if the at least one identifier 207 is absent in the plurality of existing models 214. Further, the specification 206 is the existing specification 216 if the at least one identifier 207 matches with the at least one existing identifier 217.
At step 410, the method 400 further includes generating a new client upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. For example, at step 410, the method 400 may further include generating the new client 252 upon determining that the client 250 is the non-existing client and the specification 206 is the non-existing specification. The new client 252 and corresponding data (the input files and the output files) of the new client 252 may be stored in the database 210 for future inquiries.
At step 412, the method 400 further includes extracting a relevant information from a master model stored in the database upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification. The relevant information includes at least a work description. For example, at step 412, the method 400 may further include extracting the relevant information 280 from the master model 220 stored in the database 210 upon determining that the client 250 is the non-existing client and the specification 206 is the non-existing specification. As discussed above, the relevant information 280 includes at least the work description 275. The method 400 may utilize the AI engine 120 along with Domain Specific Knowledge Graph (DSKG) and Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) algorithms to extract the relevant information 280 from the specification 206, and the historic documents (e.g., the ITP 271 and the comment sheet 272) stored in the master model 220.
At step 414, the method 400 further includes generating a new model based at least on the relevant information. For example, at step 414, the method 400 may further include generating the new model 254 based at least on the relevant information 280.
At step 416, the method 400 further includes associating the new client with the new specification. For example, at step 416, the method 400 may further include associating the new client 252 with the new specification 256.
At step 418, the method 400 further includes receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the work description 275. For example, at step 418, the method 400 may further include receiving the plurality of user inputs 106 corresponding to the work description 275. The plurality of user inputs 106 may be used to correct or amend discrepancies that may occur during extraction of the relevant information 280. For example, the plurality of user inputs 106 may include rejecting an incorrect portion of the work description 275, and adding a correct portion of the work description 275 in place of the incorrect portion of the work description 275. In some cases, the method 400 may include providing a prompt to the user 105 to confirm whether a portion of the work description 275 is correct. The prompt may include binary options, such as correct or incorrect, yes or no, confirm or reject, etc.
At step 420, the method 400 further includes generating an output file based at least on the new specification or the cost sheet or both. For example, at step 420, the method 400 may further include generating the output file 270 based at least on the new specification 256, the user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208.
In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes generating an output file based on the existing model corresponding to the existing client upon determining that the client is the existing client and the specification of the input file is the existing specification. For example, the method 400 may further include generating the output file 270 based on the existing model 214 corresponding to the existing client 212 upon determining that the client 250 is the existing client 212 and the specification 206 of the input file 205 is the existing specification 216.
In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes retrieving the existing model corresponding to the existing client upon determining that the client is the existing client and the specification of the input file is the non-existing specification. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes extracting an existing relevant information from the existing model corresponding to the existing client. The existing relevant information comprises at least an existing work description. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes identifying an existing model based on the existing relevant information. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes associating the existing client with the new specification. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the existing work description. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes generating an output file based at least on the new specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.
For example, the method 400 may further include retrieving the existing model 214 corresponding to the existing client 212 upon determining that the client 250 is the existing client 212 and the specification 206 of the input file 205 is the non-existing specification. The method 400 may further include extracting the existing relevant information 280 from the existing model 214 corresponding to the existing client 212. The existing relevant information 280 includes at least the existing work description 275. The method 400 may utilize the AI engine 120 along with DSKG and NLP algorithms to extract the relevant information 280 from the existing specification 216, and the historic documents (e.g., the ITP 271 and the comment sheet 272) stored in the existing model 214 corresponding to the existing client 212.
The method 400 may further include addressing (or terming) the non-existing specification as the new specification 256. The method 400 may further include associating the existing client 212 with the new specification 256. The method 400 may further include receiving the plurality of user inputs 106 corresponding to the existing work description 275. The method 400 may further include generating the output file 270 based at least on the new specification 256, the user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208.
The output file 270 consists of the comment sheet 272, the ITP 271, and the RMTS 290. The method 400 may further include sharing of either comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290, or either of the documents in combination, or all the documents with the existing client. The method 400 may further include receiving comment(s) on either comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290, or either of the documents in combination, or all the documents from the existing client. The method 400 may further include generating the revised comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS as the case may be, by updating the comments in the existing comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS as the case may be. The method 400 may further include saving the revised comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290 as the case may be in the database 210 and eventually in the new model 214.
In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes generating a new client and retrieving the existing model comprising the existing specification upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification of the input file is the existing specification. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes associating the new client with the existing specification. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes extracting an existing relevant information from the existing model comprising the existing specification. The existing relevant information comprises at least an existing work description. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the existing work description. In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes generating an output file based at least on the existing specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.
For example, the method 400 may further include generating the new client 252 and retrieving the existing model 214 including the existing specification 216 upon determining that the client 250 is the non-existing client and the specification 206 of the input file 205 is the existing specification 216. The method 400 may further include associating the new client 252 with the existing specification 216. The method 400 may further include extracting the existing relevant information 280 from the existing model 214 including the existing specification 216. The existing relevant information 280 includes the at least the existing work description 275. The method 400 may utilize the AI engine 120 (shown in FIG. 1) along with DSKG and NLP algorithms to extract the relevant information 280 from the existing specification 216, and the historic documents (e.g., the ITP 271 and the comment sheet 272) stored in the existing database 210 and eventually in the new model 214. The method 400 may further include receiving the plurality of user inputs 106 corresponding to the existing work description. The method 400 may further include generating the output file 270 based at least on the existing specification 216, the user inputs 106, and the cost sheet 208.
In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes calculating one or more parameters based on the cost sheet and inputting the one or more parameters in the output file. For example, the method 400 may further include calculating the one or more parameters 277 based on the cost sheet 208 and inputting the one or more parameters 277 in the output file 270. For example, the parameter 277 (i.e., minimum pressure in FIG. 6) may be calculated based on the cost sheet 208 and inputted in the ITP 271.
In some embodiments, the method 400 further includes modifying the inspection test plan based on the comment sheet. For example, the method 400 may further include modifying the ITP 171 based on the comment sheet 172.
The method 400 may further include sharing of either comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290, or either of the documents in combination, or all the documents with the existing client. The method 400 may further include receiving comment(s) on either comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290, or either of the documents in combination, or all the documents from the existing client. The method 400 may further include generating the revised comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS as the case may be, by updating the comments in the existing comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS as the case may be. The method 400 may further include saving the revised comment sheet 272, or ITP 271, or RMTS 290 as the case may be in the database 210 and eventually in the new model 214.

Examples
The following illustrative example(s) are merely meant to exemplify the present invention, but they are not intended to limit or otherwise define the scope of the present disclosure.

Example 1: Specification for three layer polyethylene (3LPE) coating of line pipes
(1) Scope: This specification covers the requirements for material qualification, application, handling, and storage of materials required for plant-applied Three Layer Polyethylene (3LPE) coating on external surface of bare steel pipe conforming to ISO 21809 — 1: 2018 "Petroleum and natural gas industries — External coatings for buried and submerged pipeline transportation systems — Part 1: Polyolefin Coatings (3-layer PE and 3-Layer PP)" and the requirements of this specification.
(2) Reference Standard: ISO 21809-1:2018.
(3) Requirement of Quality: (a) The Applicator shall have established within his organization and, shall operate for the contract, a documented Quality System that ensures that the requirements of this specification are met in all respect. The Quality System shall be based upon ISO 9001 or equivalent.
(b) The Applicator shall submit the procedures that comprise the Quality System to the Company for agreement.
(4) Coating System Classification: The three layer coating as per this specification shall belong to coating Class B of ISO 21809-1: 2018 and shall be suitable for design temperature range of (-) 40 °C to (+) 80 °C.
(5) Coating Thickness: Minimum overall thickness of finished coating shall be as per Table 1 below.
Table 1: Minimum thickness of finished Coating
Pipe Size
(Specified Outside Diameter) Minimum Coating Thickness
(mm)
< 273.1 mm 2.5
= 323.9 mm to 457 mm 2.8
= 508.0 mm to .762 mm 3.0
= 813.0 mm 3.5
All coating thickness readings must meet the minimum requirements. However, localized coating thickness of less than the permissible minimum thickness can be tolerated on the condition that it does not attain a total extent of more than 5 cm2 per meter length of coated pipe, and the actual coating thickness does not drop more than 10% below the permissible minimum coating thickness at these locations.
(6) Coating Materials: (a) The three layer coating system shall comprise of a powder epoxy primer, copolymeric or grafted adhesive, and a high density polyethylene (HDPE) topcoat. Coating materials shall be suitable for the service conditions and the pipe sizes involved.
(b) The coating materials, i.e., epoxy powder, copolymeric or grafted adhesive, and polyethylene compound shall have proven compatibility.
(c) Applicator shall choose brand of epoxy powder and adhesive as per ‘Annexure I’ of this specification that will achieve the functional requirements and properties of coating system as specified in clause 6 (b) and Table 5 of this specification.
(7) Qualification of Coating Materials: (a) The coating system and materials shall be pre-qualified and approved by Company in accordance with provisions of Annexure I of this specification. Applicator shall obtain prior approval from Company for the coating system and coating materials.
(b) The coating materials manufacturer shall carry out tests for all properties specified in Table 6 of ISO 21809-1:2018 for each batch of epoxy, adhesive, and polyethylene compound. In addition, the manufacturer shall also furnish infra-red scan for each batch of epoxy powder. The manufacturer shall issue Inspection Certificate 3.1 B in accordance with EN 10204 for each batch of materials supplied to Applicator and same shall be submitted to Company for approval prior to their use.
(8) Coating Material Properties:
(a) Epoxy Properties: Epoxy properties shall meet the properties listed in Table 2 below.
Table 2: Epoxy properties
Sr. No. Properties Unit Requirement Test Method
Raw material
1 Gel time at 205°C ± 3°C seconds Within 20% of the nominal value specified by the manufacturer ISO 21809-1 Annexure J
2 Density g/cm3 Within ±0.05 of the manufacturer’s specified nominal value ISO 21809-1 Annexure M
3 Particle Size - Within manufacturer’s specification ISO 21809-2 Annex A.6
4 Moisture Content % mass =0.5 ISO 21809-1 Annexure K
5 Minimum glass transition
temperature (Tg2) °C =95 and within manufacturer's specification ISO 21809-1 Annexure D
6 Infrared scan % transmittance As per manufacturer’s specification --
As-applied
7 Hot water adhesion 24h@65°C - Rating of 1 to 2 ISO 21809-2 Clause A.16
8 Hot water adhesion 28d@65°C - Rating of 1 to 3 ISO 21809-2 Clause A.16
9 Flexibility at 0°C - No cracking, tears, disbondment, or
delamination at 2.0° ppd length ISO 21809-2 Annex A.13
10 Impact resistance at 0°C J =1.5 ISO 21809-2 Clause A.14
The color of epoxy powder shall be either green or dark red or any other color approved by Company except grey color.
(b) Adhesive Properties: Copolymeric or grafted adhesive material shall meet the properties listed in Table 3 below.
Table 3: Co-polymeric or Grafted Adhesive Material Properties
Sr. No. Properties Unit Requirement Test Method

Raw Material
1 Density kg/m3 = 930 Kg/m3 and within manufacturer's specification ISO 1183
2 Melt flow index/rate gm/10 minutes = 1.0 and within manufacturer's
specification ISO 1133
3 Moisture/water content % = 0.1 ISO 15512
As – applied
5 Elongation at Break at 23 ± 2°C % = 600 ISO 527-2
6 Tensile Yield Strength at 23 ± 2°C MPa = 8 ISO 527-2
7 Vicat Softening Temperature A/50 (9.8N) °C = 100 ISO 306
8 Flexural Modulus (by agreement) MPa > 350 ASTM D790
(c) PE (topcoat) material properties: The topcoat polyethylene used shall be a black readymade compound, fully stabilized against influence of ultraviolet radiation (i.e., sunlight), oxygen in air, and heat (due to environmental temperature up to + 80°C). No visible change shall occur during exposure to such environments up to at least a period of 8,500 hours. The Applicator shall submit certificate from Manufacturer in this regard. PE material shall meet the properties listed in Table 4 below.
Table 4: PE (topcoat) material properties
Sr. No. Test Name Unit Requirement Test Method
Raw Material
1 Density g/cm3 = 0.930 ISO 1183
2 Melt flow rate g/10 minutes = 0.25 and within manufacturer's specification ISO 1133
3 Water Content % = 0.05 ISO 15512
4 Carbon black content % = 2 ASTM D1603
5 Melting point °C = 120 ISO 3146
As – applied
6 Hardness Shore D = 55 ISO 868
7 Elongation at break at 23°C ± 2 °C % = 600 ISO 527
8 Tensile strength at 23°C± 2 °C MPa = 17 ISO 527
9 Vicat softening temperature A/50 (9.8 N) °C = 110 ISO 306
10 Environmental Stress Cracking Resistance (ESCR) (50°C, F50, cond. B) Hours = 300 ASTM D1693
11 Oxidative induction time (intercept in the tangent method) in oxygen at 220°C, Aluminium pan, no screen Minutes = 10 ISO 11357
12 UV resistance and Thermal ageing % ? MFR = 35 ISO 21809-1 Annex G
13 Indentation (mass kg) mm = 0.2 @ 20°C
= 0.4 @ 80°C ISO 21809-1 Annex F
14 Impact resistance J/mm = 7 ISO 21809-1 Annex E
15 Volume Resistivity
@ 23°C ± 2 °C Ohm-cm = 1016 ASTM D257
16 Dielectric withstand, 1000 Volts/second rise @ 23°C± 2°C V/mm = 30,000 ASTM D149
(d) In addition to manufacturer's Certificate, the Applicator shall draw samples from each batch of epoxy, adhesive, and polyethylene in the presence of Company Representative and test for the following properties at the coating yard at least one week prior to its use, to establish compliance with the manufacturer's Test Certificates.
(i) Epoxy Powder: gel time, cure time, moisture content, and thermal Characteristics (Tg1, Tg2, ?H).
(ii) Adhesive: density, melt flow rate (MFR), Vicat softening temperature, and water content.
(iii) Polyethylene: MFR, density, water content, oxidation induction time (as per ASTM D3895).
(9) Application of Coating: (a) Pipe Surface Preparation: (i) Applicator shall visually examine the pipes as per Table 5 of this specification and shall ensure that all defects and irregularities (i.e., slivers and scratches), flats, and other damages have been repaired or removed. Grinding of steel defects shall not reduce the wall thickness of the pipes below the specified wall thickness of the pipe.
(ii) Any oil, grease, salt, or other contaminants detrimental to the formation of a good coating bond or coating quality shall be removed prior to coating application. Contaminants may be removed by the use of non-oily solvents. Gasoline or kerosene shall not be used for this purpose. Visible oil and grease spots shall be removed by solvent wiping in accordance with SSPC-SP 1. Steel surface shall be allowed to dry before abrasive blast cleaning.
(iii) All pipes shall be preheated to a temperature of 65°C to 85°C prior to abrasive blast cleaning. The external surface of the pipes shall be cleaned using two (2) dry abrasive blast cleaning units to achieve the specified surface cleanliness and profile as per Table 6 of this specification.
(iv) Abrasive blast cleaning shall be carried out using metallic abrasives complying with ISO 11124-3.
(v) Abrasive blast cleaning carried out shall be such that the resultant surface profile is not dished and rounded when viewed with 30x magnification. The standard of finish for cleaned pipe shall conform to near white metal finish and surface profile shall be as per Table 5 of this specification. This shall be measured by a suitable instrument such as surface profile depth gauge or surface roughness gauge.
(vi) In addition, the pipe surface after blast cleaning shall be checked for the degree of cleanliness, degree of dust, and shape of profile as per Table 5 of this specification. Tape used for assessment of degree of dust shall comply ISO 8502-3.
(vii) All pipes shall be tested for salt contamination after blast cleaning as per Table 5 of this specification. An approved salt meter (SCM 400 or equivalent) shall be used to carry out salt test.
(viii) Upon completion of the blasting operations, the quality control supervisor shall accept the pipe for further processing or return for re-blasting after removal of defects/ imperfections.
(ix) The total allowable elapsed time between completion of the blasting operations and commencement of the pre-coating and heating operations shall be such that no detectable oxidation of the surface occurs. The maximum elapsed time shall not exceed the duration given below.
Relative Humidity % Maximum Elapsed Time
>80 2 hours
70 to 80 3 hours
<70 4 hours
Any pipe not processed within the above time-humidity requirement shall be completely re-blasted. Any pipe showing flash rusting shall be re-blasted even if the above conditions have not been exceeded.
(b) Coating Application: The external surface of the cleaned pipe conforming to clause 9 (a) of this specification shall be immediately coated with 3-layer extruded polyethylene coating in accordance with the procedures approved by Company, relevant standards, and this specification.
(i) External surface of the pipe shall be heated to about 190°C or within a temperature range (min.to max.) as recommended by the epoxy powder manufacturer. However, application and curing temperature shall not exceed 250°C in any case. Required pipe temperature shall be maintained as it enters the coating chamber.
(ii) Subsequent to pipe heating, coating consisting of following layers shall be applied onto the pipe.
-Electrostatic application of epoxy powder of minimum dry film thickness of 200 microns. The maximum thickness shall not exceed the epoxy thickness specified by epoxy powder manufacturer.
-Copolymeric or grafted adhesive application by extrusion of minimum thickness of 200 microns. Extruded adhesive layer shall be applied before gel time of the epoxy coating has elapsed and within the window recommended by the manufacturer.
-Polyethylene application by extrusion. Extruded polyethylene layer shall be applied over the adhesive layer within the time limit established during PQT stage and within the time/ temperature range recommended by the manufacturer.
Minimum overall thickness of finished coating shall be as per Table 1 of this specification.
(iii) Resultant coating shall have a uniform gloss and appearance and shall be free from air bubbles, wrinkles, holidays, irregularities, discontinuities, separation between layers of polyethylene and adhesive, etc.
(iv) Coating and/or adhesive shall terminate 120 mm (+) 20 / (-) 0 mm from pipe ends.
(10) Inspection and Testing: Visual Inspection: Immediately following the coating, each coated pipe shall be visually checked for imperfections and irregularities of the coating. The coating shall be of natural color and gloss, smooth and uniform, and shall be blemish free with no dust or other particulate inclusion. The coating shall not show defects such as blisters, pinholes, scratches, wrinkles, engravings, cuts swelling, disbonded zones, air inclusions, tears, voids, or any other irregularities. Special attention shall be paid to the areas adjacent to the longitudinal weld (if applicable), adjacent to the cut back at each of the pipe, and within the body of the pipe. Inspection and testing shall be performed as per Table 5 provided below.
Table 5: Requirements for plant applied coating
Sr. No. Properties Requirement Test Method Test Frequency
PQT Regular
A. Surface Preparation
1 Surface condition of pipe before blasting Visual Inspection Free of contaminations and surface defects Each pipe Each pipe
2 Relative humidity Measurement / as required Record (relative humidity shall be < 80%) Every ½ h Every ½ h
3 Pipe temperature before blasting Thermocouple min. 3°C above dew point Each pipe Every 1 h
4 Water soluble contamination
abrasive ASTM D4940 Conductivity
< 60 µS/cm Once 1/Shift
5 Soluble salt after blasting Conductive Measurement / ISO 8502-9 / SSPC Guide 15 Salt (Chloride) content as (NaCI)
max. 20 mg/m2 Each pipe Each pipe
6 Surface roughness of blasted surface ISO 8503-4 Rz /Ry5:
75µm to 100 µm Each pipe Every 1 h
7 Visual inspection of blasted surface ISO 8501-1 Grade Sa 2½ Each pipe Each pipe
8 Visual inspection of pipes prior to introduction to coating line Visual No rust Each pipe (100% surface area) Each pipe (100% surface area)
9 Preheating temperature before coating Pyrometer Compliance to APS Each pipe Each pipe
B. Epoxy Layer
10 Pipe feed speed As per approved procedure As per approved procedure Each pipe Continuous Monitoring
11 Air pressure in epoxy spray guns As per approved procedure As per approved procedure Each pipe Continuous monitoring & recording
12 Induction coil setting As per approved procedure As per approved procedure Each pipe Continuous monitoring
13 Pipe surface temperature As per clause 0 (b) of this specification As per clause 9 (b) (i) of this specification Continuous monitoring & recording Continuous monitoring & recording
14 Minimum epoxy layer thickness (DFT) = 200 µm ISO 2808 One pipe once/shift
15 Degree of Cure, Percentage Cure, ?H and Tg 95%
= 5°C ISO 21809-1 Annex D 4 samples on one pipe once/shift
16 Holiday detection (test voltage set to exceed 5V per µm of epoxy thickness No holidays ISO 21809-1,
Annex B One pipe Not required
17 Dry adhesion test Rating of 1 or 2 ISO 21809-2 Clause
A.4 One Pipe once/shift
18 Cross-section porosity = compared with Fig. A.11 of ISO 21809-2 ISO 21809-2 Clause A.12 Each pipe Not required
19 Interface porosity = compared with Fig. A.12 of ISO 21809-2 ISO 21809-2 Clause A.12 Each pipe Not required
20 Hot water adhesion
24 h @ 65 °C Rating of 1 to 3 ISO 21809- 2, Clause
A.16 One Pipe Not
required
21 Flexibility at 0 °C No cracking, tears, disbondment, & delamination at 2.0° ppd length ISO 21809-2,
Clause A.13 One Pipe Not required
C. Adhesive Layer
22 Minimum thickness = 200 µm ISO 2808 One pipe once/shift
23 Extrusion temperature of adhesive As per approved procedure As per clause 9 (b) (ii) of this specification Continuous monitoring & recording Continuous monitoring & recording
D. PE Layer
24 PE extrusion temperature As per approved procedure As per approved procedure Each pipe Continuous monitoring & recording
25 Coating thickness Table 1 of this Specification ISO 2808 Each pipe Each pipe
26 Tensile strength @ 23°C ± 2°C = 17 MPa ISO 527 One Pipe Not required
27 Air entrapment test = 10% - 2 samples
from 4 pipes
(1 body + 1 weld, if there) 2 samples
(1 body + 1 weld, if there)/shift
28 Elongation at break = 400% ISO 527-3 6 samples each from
3 pipes Once per PE batch
E. All Three Layers
29 Water quenching As per approved procedure As per approved procedure Each pipe Continuous monitoring & recording
30 Visual inspection As per clause
10 of this specification Visual Each pipe 100% surface area Each pipe 100% surface area
31 Holiday detection (test voltage shall be min. 25 kV & travel speed shall not exceed 300 mm/s) Maximum 2 holidays per pipe As per ISO 21809-1,
Annex B Each pipe 100% surface area Each pipe 100% surface area
32 Bond Strength (Peel Test)

@ 23±2°C
@ 80±2°C
= 15 N/mm
= 3 N/mm

(No disbondment between steel & epoxy) ISO 21809-1
Annex C, (clause C.2 or
C.5 hanging mass)
3 tests on each 4 pipes (at both ends & middle) [for both temperatures] Every 15 for pipe ends (cutback portion) & 60 for middle of pipe [for both temperatures]
33 Specific electrical
coating resistance @ 23 °C ± 2 °C = 108 Om2 Annex J of
DIN 30670 One Pipe Not
required
34 Impact Strength (min. of 30 impacts located equidistant on body along the length) = 7 J/mm of coating thickness
(No breakdown allowed when tested at 25 kV) ISO 21809-1
Annex E and clause 10.6 & 7.6.2(b) of this spec. 3 pipes 2 pipes/shift
35 Indentation Test
@ 23±2°C
@ 80±2°C 0.2 max
0.3 max ISO 21809-1 Annex F
2 samples from each 4 pipes) [for both temperatures] 2 pipes/ shift) [for both temperatures]
36 Cathodic Disbondment Test
- @+65°C for 24 h; -3.5 V
- @+23°C for 28 d; -1.5 V
- @+80°C for 28 d; -1.5 V = 7 mm
= 7 mm
= 15 mm (Average disbondment radius) ISO 21809-1 Annex H One pipe for each condition) Once/day
(Only 1st condition, i.e., @+65°C for 24 h; -3.5 V)
37 Hot Water Immersion test Avg. = 2 mm &
max. = 3 mm, 48 hours ISO 21809-1 Annex M One pipe Once/day
38 Flexibility No cracking at an angle of 2.0° ppd
length ISO 21809-1 Annex I One Pipe Not required
39 Hardness = 55 Shore D ISO 868 One Pipe Not required
40 Residual magnetism of line pipe Avg. of the four readings
= 20 gauss & no single reading = 25 gauss Hall — effect Gaussmeter 4 readings on One pipe (approx. 90° apart around the circumference of both ends of the pipe) Once/shift
ANNEXURE - I: LIST OF ACCEPTABLE COMBINATIONS OF COATING MATERIALS
The following combination(s) of coating materials are considered acceptable. In the event of award of contract, Applicator shall furnish the combination(s) proposed and reconfirmation of compatibility and properties of the proposed combination(s) from the raw materials Manufacturers & system properties.
Epoxy Powder (Manufacturer) Adhesive (Manufacturer) PE Compound (Manufacturer)
CORRO-COAT EP-F 2001 (JOTUN) FUSABOND 158D (DUPONT) SCLAIR 35 BP HDPE (NOVACOR)
CORRO-COAT EP-F 2002HW (JOTUN) or SCOTCHKOTE 226N (3M) LUCALEN G3710E (LYONDELLBASELL) LUPOLEN 4552 D SW 00413 (LYONDELLBASELL)
PE 50-6109 (BASF) or CORRO-COAT EP-F 2001/2002HW/1003HW (JOTUN) or SCOTCHKOTE 226N (3M) ME 0420 (BOREALIS) HE 3450 (BOREALIS/BOROUGE)
CORRO-COAT EP-F 2001 (JOTUN) LE – 149 V (HYUNDAI ENGINEERING PLASTICS) ET 509 B (HYUNDAI ENGINEERING PLASTICS)
Although the above combination(s) would be acceptable to Company, the responsibility of suitability for application, performance, properties, and compliance to the coating system requirements shall unconditionally lie with the Applicator.
In case the contractor proposes coating material other than above mentioned combination of epoxy, adhesive, and polyethylene, coating procedure and qualification as per project specification need to be carried out by an internationally recognized agency by the coating material manufacturer.
In the present detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. The illustrated embodiments are not intended to be exhaustive of all embodiments according to the invention. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.
Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing feature sizes, amounts, and physical properties used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the foregoing specification and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by those skilled in the art utilizing the teachings disclosed herein.
As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” encompass embodiments having plural referents, unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term “or” is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.
The techniques described herein may also be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Any features described as modules, units or components may be implemented together in an integrated logic device or separately as discrete but interoperable logic devices. In some cases, various features may be implemented as an integrated circuit device, such as an integrated circuit chip or chipset. Additionally, although a number of distinct modules have been described throughout this description, many of which perform unique functions, all the functions of all of the modules may be combined into a single module, or even split into further additional modules. The modules described herein are only exemplary and have been described as such for better ease of understanding.
If implemented in software, the techniques may be realized at least in part by a computer-readable medium including instructions that, when executed in a processor, performs one or more of the methods described above. The computer-readable medium may include a tangible computer-readable storage medium and may form part of a computer program product, which may include packaging materials. The computer-readable storage medium may include random access memory (RAM) such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), read-only memory (ROM), non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), FLASH memory, magnetic or optical data storage media, and the like. The computer-readable storage medium may also include a non-volatile storage device, such as a hard-disk, magnetic tape, a compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disk, holographic data storage media, or other non-volatile storage device.
The term “processor,” as used herein may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniques described herein. In addition, in some aspects, the functionality described herein may be provided within dedicated software modules or hardware modules configured for performing the techniques of this disclosure. Even if implemented in software, the techniques may use hardware such as a processor to execute the software, and a memory to store the software. In any such cases, the computers described herein may define a specific machine that is capable of executing the specific functions described herein. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements, which could also be considered a processor.
In one or more examples, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over, as one or more instructions or code, a computer-readable medium and executed by a hardware-based processing unit. Computer-readable media may include computer-readable storage media, which corresponds to a tangible medium such as data storage media, or communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another, e.g., according to a communication protocol. In this manner, computer-readable media generally may correspond to (1) tangible computer-readable storage media, which is non-transitory or (2) a communication medium such as a signal or carrier wave. Data storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by one or more computers or one or more processors to retrieve instructions, code and/or data structures for implementation of the techniques described in this disclosure. A computer program product may include a computer-readable medium.
By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. It should be understood, however, that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do not include connections, carrier waves, signals, or other transient media, but are instead directed to non-transient, tangible storage media. Disk and disc, as used, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.
Instructions may be executed by one or more processors, such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), general purpose microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuitry. Accordingly, the term “processor”, as used may refer to any of the foregoing structure or any other structure suitable for implementation of the techniques described. In addition, in some aspects, the functionality described may be provided within dedicated hardware and/or software modules. Also, the techniques could be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.
The techniques of this disclosure may be implemented in a wide variety of devices or apparatuses, including a wireless handset, an integrated circuit (IC) or a set of ICs (e.g., a chip set). Various components, modules, or units are described in this disclosure to emphasize functional aspects of devices configured to perform the disclosed techniques, but do not necessarily require realization by different hardware units. Rather, as described above, various units may be combined in a hardware unit or provided by a collection of interoperative hardware units, including one or more processors as described above, in conjunction with suitable software and/or firmware.
It is to be recognized that depending on the example, certain acts or events of any of the methods described herein can be performed in a different sequence, may be added, merged, or left out altogether (e.g., not all described acts or events are necessary for the practice of the method). Moreover, in certain examples, acts or events may be performed concurrently, e.g., through multi-threaded processing, interrupt processing, or multiple processors, rather than sequentially.
In some examples, a computer-readable storage medium includes a non-transitory medium. The term “non-transitory” indicates, in some examples, that the storage medium is not embodied in a carrier wave or a propagated signal. In certain examples, a non-transitory storage medium stores data that can, over time, change (e.g., in RAM or cache).
Various examples have been described. These and other examples are within the scope of the following claims.

DATED THIS : 12th OCTOBER 2022
, C , Claims:CLAIMS:
1. A method for processing an inquiry, the method comprising:
receiving an inquiry from a client, wherein the inquiry comprises an input file comprising a specification comprising at least one identifier and a cost sheet;
accessing a database comprising a plurality of existing clients and a plurality of existing models corresponding to the plurality of existing clients, wherein each existing model comprises an existing specification comprising at least one existing identifier;
determining if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients, wherein the client is a non-existing client if the client is absent in the plurality of existing clients, and wherein the client is the existing client if the client is present in the plurality of existing clients;
determining if the at least one identifier matches the at least one existing identifier of the existing specification of one of the existing models, wherein the specification is a non-existing specification if the at least one identifier is absent in the plurality of existing models, and wherein the specification is the existing specification if the at least one identifier matches with the at least one existing identifier;
generating a new client upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification;
extracting a relevant information from a master model stored in the database upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification is the non-existing specification, wherein the relevant information comprises at least a work description;
generating a new specification based at least on the relevant information;
associating the new client with the new specification;
receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the work description; and
generating an output file based at least on the new specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an output file based on the existing model corresponding to the existing client upon determining that the client is the existing client and the specification of the input file is the existing specification.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
retrieving the existing model corresponding to the existing client upon determining that the client is the existing client and the specification of the input file is the non-existing specification;
extracting an existing relevant information from the existing model corresponding to the existing client, wherein the existing relevant information comprises at least an existing work description;
generating a new specification based on the existing relevant information;
associating the existing client with the new specification;
receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the existing work description; and
generating an output file based at least on the new specification, the user inputs, and the cost sheet.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:
generating a new client and retrieving the existing model comprising the existing specification upon determining that the client is the non-existing client and the specification of the input file is the existing specification;
associating the new client with the existing specification;
extracting an existing relevant information from the existing model comprising the existing specification, wherein the existing relevant information comprises at least an existing work description;
receiving a plurality of user inputs corresponding to the existing work description; and
generating an output file based at least on the existing specification, the user inputs, and the cost.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating the master model based on at least one of a machine learning and a neural network model.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification corresponds to at least one product, and wherein the at least one product comprises at least one of a pipe and a coating.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the coating comprises at least one of an internal coating, an abrasion resistant overcoat (ARO) coating, and a fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) coating.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating one or more parameters based on the cost sheet and inputting the one or more parameters in the output file.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost sheet comprises a project information comprising at least one parameter of at least one product, and wherein the at least one parameter comprises at least one of dimensions, a quantity, and a grade.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the specification is a technical specification.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the output file comprises an inspection test plan and a comment sheet.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising modifying the inspection test plan based on the comment sheet.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of a document number and a revision number.
Dated this 12th OCTOBER 2022