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DE2005837017

Publication Date	2005
Personal Author	Kothari, K. M.; Pittard, G. T.
Page Count	58
Abstract	Utilities in the U.S. operate over 75,000 km (47,000 miles) of old cast-iron pipes for gas distribution. The bell-and-spigot joints that connect pipe sections together tend to leak as these pipes age. Current repair practices are costly and highly disruptive. The objective of this program is to design, test and commercialize a robotic system capable of sealing multiple cast-iron bell and spigot joints from a single pipe entry point. The proposed system will perform repairs while the pipe remains in service by traveling through the pipe, cleaning each joint surface, and installing a stainless-steel sleeve lined with an epoxy-impregnated felt across the joint. This approach will save considerable time and labor, avoid traffic disruption, and eliminate any requirement to interrupt service to customers (which would result in enormous expense to utilities).
Keywords	Gas utilities Gas distribution Pipe joints Cast-iron Gas pipelines Pipelines Joints Leaks Repair Design Test Commercialize Robotic system Sealing
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Institute of Gas Technology, Des Plaines, IL.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.; Maurer Technology, Inc., Sugar Land, TX.
Supplemental Notes	Prepared in cooperation with Maurer Technology, Inc., Sugar Land, TX. Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200601

Sealing Large-Diameter Cast-Iron Pipe Joints Under Live Conditions. (Quarterly Report, September 25, 2004-December 24, 2004).

Sealing Large-Diameter Cast-Iron Pipe Joints Under Live Conditions. (Quarterly Report, September 25, 2004-December 24, 2004).
DE2005837017

Publication Date	2005
Personal Author	Kothari, K. M.; Pittard, G. T.
Page Count	58
Abstract	Utilities in the U.S. operate over 75,000 km (47,000 miles) of old cast-iron pipes for gas distribution. The bell-and-spigot joints that connect pipe sections together tend to leak as these pipes age. Current repair practices are costly and highly disruptive. The objective of this program is to design, test and commercialize a robotic system capable of sealing multiple cast-iron bell and spigot joints from a single pipe entry point. The proposed system will perform repairs while the pipe remains in service by traveling through the pipe, cleaning each joint surface, and installing a stainless-steel sleeve lined with an epoxy-impregnated felt across the joint. This approach will save considerable time and labor, avoid traffic disruption, and eliminate any requirement to interrupt service to customers (which would result in enormous expense to utilities).
Keywords	Gas utilities Gas distribution Pipe joints Cast-iron Gas pipelines Pipelines Joints Leaks Repair Design Test Commercialize Robotic system Sealing
Source Agency	Technical Information Center Oak Ridge Tennessee
Corporate Authors	Institute of Gas Technology, Des Plaines, IL.; Department of Energy, Washington, DC.; Maurer Technology, Inc., Sugar Land, TX.
Supplemental Notes	Prepared in cooperation with Maurer Technology, Inc., Sugar Land, TX. Sponsored by Department of Energy, Washington, DC.
Document Type	Technical Report
NTIS Issue Number	200601