Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR)
Project Title:ÌýTesting and Analysis of Pipeline Encapsulation Technologies
Funding Agency:ÌýDOE/ARPA-E: Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR)
Lead: Â鶹ӰԺ
Partners:ÌýUniversity of Southern Queensland, Cornell University, Gas TechnologyÌýInstitute
Industry Partners:ÌýSanexen Environmental Services Inc., Insituform Technologies, Inc.Ìý
Primary Investigator: Prof. Brad Wham; co-PIs: ÌýProf. Shideh Dashti, Prof.ÌýMija Hubler
CIEST Personnel: Patrick Dixon, John Hindman,ÌýDavis Holt, ÌýCory Ihnotic, Katherine O'Dell, Kent Polkinghorne, Dustin Quandt, Yao Wang; ÌýGraduate Researchers: Jacob Klingaman, Sina Senji, Molly Sickler, Deeptesh Pawaskar; ÌýUndergraduate Researchers: Jonah Cook, William Flood, Coen Hines, Alyssa McCarthy, Ketan Kamat, Daniel Mascarenas, Samuel MohnacsÌý
Year:Ìý2020-2024
Postdoctoral researcher sets up a digital image correlating camera to track displacement during a 4-point bending test on a steel pipe specimen
Project Summary:ÌýCast iron, wrought iron, and bare steel natural gas distribution pipes—legacy pipes—make up 3% of the nearly 2 million miles of utility pipes in use, but account for a disproportionate number of gas leaks and pipe failures compared to more recently replaced infrastructure. REPAIR seeks to reduce natural gas leaks from these pipes by developing a suite of technologies to enable the automated construction of new pipe inside existing pipe. The new pipe must meet utilities’ and regulatory agencies’ requirements, have a minimum life of 50 years, and have sufficient material properties to operate throughout its service life without reliance on the exterior pipe. REPAIR will advance the state of gas distribution pipelines by incorporating smart functionality into structural coating materials and developing new integrity/inspection tools. It will also create three-dimensional (3D) maps that integrate natural gas pipelines and adjacent underground infrastructure geospatial information with integrity, leak, and coating deposition data. The cost target is $0.5-1 million per mile, including gas service disruption costs.
The CIEST lab at the Â鶹ӰԺ isÌýleading a multi-institutional team, including Cornell University, Gas Technology Institute, and University of Southern Queensland, to develop a data-driven framework of laboratory testing and modeling. This framework will enable the gas industry to better evaluate products to rehabilitate cast iron and steel natural gas pipes and enhance their performance and longevity. The objective is to validate a 50-year design life for innovative internal replacement pipe (IRP) systems by developing numerical, analytical, and physical testing protocols. The process will merge attributes of each approach to deliver a comprehensive framework for IRP technologies composed of a variety of materials and deposition methods. CU Â鶹ӰԺ’s framework characterizes failure modes and establishes performance criteria for IRP rehabilitation technologies to support recommendations for PIP material properties suitable for acceptable design-life performance.
View ARPA-E's program descriptionÌý.
Project Deliverables & Reports:Ìý
IRP Analyzer Application:ÌýÌý(free download)
Test Report: Service Life Assessment of Internal Replacement Pipe: External Load Testing of ALTRA-10TMÌýÌý
Test Report: Service Life Assessment of Internal Replacement Pipe: External Load Testing of I-MainTMÌý