The commercially-available Explorer 20/26 robot, an inspection device for unpiggable natural gas pipelines, is a result of public-private R&D partnerships.
The mission of PHMSA’s Pipeline Safety Research & Development Program is to sponsor projects focused on providing near-term solutions that will improve pipeline safety, reduce the environmental impact of failures, and enhance the reliability of the Nation’s pipeline transportation system.
The research strategic plan includes the following objectives:
Employ a coordinated and collaborative approach to address mutual pipeline challenges
Help remove technical and sometimes regulatory barriers on a given challenge
Measure our research results, outputs, and impacts
Exercise transparency by posting online R&D program processes, actions, and products.
