Development of a Hardness Tester for Quantification of Material Properties in Live Natural Gas Transmission Pipelines

Main Objective

The purpose of this project is to complete design, develop, test and commercialize a device for live, in-line non-destructive quantification of material properties (toughness and strength) for piggable and un-piggable pipelines. The goal would be to integrate this device onto the commercial Explorer 20/26 inspection platform in (12) months and to complete a design that is scalable to other Explorer inspection platform sizes in the future.

Public Abstract

This project presents a plan for the development, laboratory testing, field testing and commercialization of a device for the live, in-line non-destructive quantification of material properties (toughness and strength) for piggable and unpiggable natural gas pipelines. The testing device will be integrated on the Explorer 20/26 robotic platform (20" - 26" pipelines) which was developed with PHMSA cofunding and commercialized in 2013 by NYSEARCH and Invodane Engineering (through Pipetel Technologies, the commercial service company of Invodane Engineering). While the testing device will be built for the 20" - 26" pipe size range, the design is expected to be scalable to other pipe sizes. This robotic platform is already capable of carrying sensors for the detection of corrosion defects, cracks, dents and ovality in pipelines. The proposed device will add to these existing capabilities, further enhancing the ability of the industry to characterize its pipeline assets, in particular as per the proposed PHMSA Integrity Verification Process (IVP). Prior to this proposal, NYSEARCH has provided funding to Invodane Engineering for a feasibility study that is now completed where the basic concept for the hardness tester device has been proven for further development, testing and commercialization as proposed here.

Quarterly Status Reports

1st Quarterly Report NYSEARCH Project Management - Public Page

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2nd Quarterly Report NYSEARCH Project Management - Public Page

Hardness-Tester-DoT-2nd-Quarterly-Report-PUBLIC-PAGE.doc (33,792 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]

3rd Quarterly Report NYSEARCH Project Management - Public Page

Hardness-Tester-DoT-3rd-Quarterly-Report-PUBLIC-PAGE.doc (34,304 bytes) [View] [Download/Save...]