U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Awards $1.6 Million for Pipeline Safety Research

Friday, November 15, 2002

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded seven research contracts totaling $1.6 million to address pipeline damage prevention and leak detection solutions. These awards implement the first phase of a new competitive pipeline safety research partnership. DOT’s awards provide approximately 50 percent of funding equal to $1.6 million, for partnerships totaling $3.4 million.

“By leveraging funding through partnerships, we expect to produce a wide range of research and stimulate the market with beneficial technologies two to three years sooner than would have otherwise been possible,” said Secretary Mineta.

A government-industry leadership team that includes the U.S. Departments of Energy and Interior and several state agencies helped DOT build the blueprint for the new program and move from concept to award in one year. The partnership team reviewed over 85 applications submitted for the program’s first phase. Moreover, the awards are for technologies that are ready for commercialization in three to five years, to move quickly to enhance pipeline safety. Awards for the second phase of the competitive program are pending.

“This is the first comprehensive public/private pipeline safety research program, co-funded by the department, universities and both the oil and natural gas industries,” said Research and Special Programs Administrator Ellen G. Engleman. “It addresses the President’s goal of advancing pipeline safety research and consolidating its management in the DOT for greater effectiveness.”

The project awards are:

• Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH; Pipeline Research Council International, Inc., Washington, DC; Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL; and the ILI Technologies Corp., Calgary, Canada, to develop a simpler and smaller in-line inspection tool that detects and sizes metal loss (i.e. corrosion) and mechanical damage ($380,000);

• Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, and Pipeline Research Council International, Inc., Washington, DC, to modify in-line inspection tools to detect stress measurements that identify corrosion, mechanical damage, cracks, wrinkles, etc. ($80,000);

• Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, and Pipeline Research Council International, Inc., Washington, DC, for alternative in-line inspection technologies that have potential to negotiate unpiggable pipelines (40,000);

• Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, and Pipeline Research Council International, Inc., Washington, DC, for testing remote field eddy current inspection system for unpiggable pipelines ($87,500);

• Witten Technologies, New York, NY; ConEdison, New York, NY; and Electromagnetic Instruments, Inc., at University of California-Berkeley, CA, for development of a 3-D digital mapping system for detecting steel and plastic underground utilities and leaks ($439,000);

• Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL, for development of locatable magnetic signature plastic gas pipe ($95,500); and

• PetroChem Inspection Services, Houston, TX; Pennsylvania State University; and Plant Integrity LTD, Cambridge, United Kingdom, to improve long-range ultrasonic inspection technologies for use in detection of unpiggable pipelines ($500,000)

RSPA has public responsibilities for safe and secure movement of hazardous materials to industry and consumers by all transportation modes, including the nations pipelines; rapid response to emergencies by government agencies; training for transportation safety professionals; and applying science and technology to meet national transportation needs.

For additional information, go to the RSPA website http://primis.rspa.dot.gov/rd or contact James.Mitchell@rspa.dot.gov or Gordon.Delcambre@rspa.dot.gov.