NYSEARCH Publications
2008 Annual Report

NYSEARCH technical briefs for natural gas research, development and deployment of projects for member gas companies throughout the United States and Canada.

R&D PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
1. ORACLE: Identification of Advanced, State-of-the-Art Technologies for Application in the Natural Gas Industry.

DAMAGE PREVENTION
2. PIGPEN: An infrasonic sensor system for detecting potential third party threats to pipelines and pinpointing their locations.

3. Automatic-Geographic Alert System (A-Gas): Smart Video Imaging to Prevent Third Party Damage: Smart video imaging applications to prevent pipeline damage caused by third party excavators.

4. Third Party Damage Prevention/Detection Systems: Magal-Senstar Inc.: A multi-technology pipeline monitoring capability that will warn an LDC of impending damage to pipeline facilities.

5. Handheld Pipe Locator: A construction crew check tool that can provide real-time capability to mark out undergroud pipes and facilities including plastic pipe.

6. Harris Cast Iron Joint/PE Pipe Locator: An innovative, ultra-low frequency radar imaging tool that can be used in a wide range of soils for locating both plastic pipe and joints on Cast Iron or Dectile Iron pipe.

7. GASNET: A sensor network for the real-time monitoring of pipeline data that is capable of transmitting information wirelessly through the pipe network.

PIPELINE INTEGRITY -
CASED PIPE RISK ASSESSMENT
8. Mini Camera for Inspection of Cased Pipe: A compact robotic platform for visual inspeciton of carrier pipe from the positin of inside of the casing.

9. Third Party Cased Pipe Risk Assessment Model: A risk-based spreadsheet model to aid users in defensible decision-making for prioritizing assessment, monitoring or other actions on hard-to-reach cased pipe segments.

10. Multi-Technology Validation Testing for Cased Pipe Applications: A program to compare and evaluate the performance of new and ixisting technologies for inspection of live cased pipe.

11. SwRI Long Term Monitoring Using Magnetostrictive Sensors (MsS) for Cased Pipe Applications: A modified approach for Long Range Guided Ultrasonics that offers simple, low-cost senors which remain in place on the pipe to allow continued integrity monitoring from above ground.

12. Design, Construction & Operation of Test Bed Network: An above and below ground pipeline network with engineered features for testing a variety of pipeline integrity technologies.

PIPELINE INTEGRITY -
DIRECT ASSESSMENT
13. Corrosion Camera: A portable imaging system utilizing infrared light to evaluate pipeline corrosion.

14. Testing Program for Remote Inspection using Magnetic Tomography: An evaluation of the magnetic tomography method through standardized testing in live field conditions.

15. Evaluation & Development of Pipeline Inspection Technologies and Direct Assessment Practices: A validation of the external corrosion direct assessment process as described in the NACE standards.

16. Rapid and Accurate Voltmeter for High Contact Resistance Surfaces: Retrofit hardware and software solution to enhance voltmeter measurements and improve accuray in varying impediance conditions.

17. Development of Model for ECDA Decision-Making Criteria: A spreadsheet model intended to prioritize excavations that are associated with ECDA.

18. Expanding the Functions of Commercial DA Tools: A study exploring the possibilities of better utilization of existing ECDA tools and enhancements to data collected from above ground surveys.

19. EXPLORER-II™: An integrated robotic platform and sensor system for the inspection of unpiggable pipelines.

20. TIGRE™: A robotic platform and MFL sensor for the inspection of 20"-26" diameter un-piggable pipelines.

21. Stand-Off Acoustic Sensor for Pipeline Inspection: A revolutionary low power sensor for predicting internal and external pipeline anomalies from a robotic pipeline inspection platform.

22. Variable Geometry Crawler: Robotic internal inspection device for large diameter gas mains using high-resolution video in a live gas environment.

PLASTIC PIPE INNOVATIONS
23. Butt Fusion Repair Sleeve for PE Pipe: An electrofusion fitting designed to reinforce defective PE pipe joints.

24. Variable Length Repair Sleeve for PE Pipe: A Variable Length Repair Sleeve (VLRS) is an electrofusion fitting designed to repair damaged PE pipes.

25. PE Integrity and Effects of Rock Impingement: To determine whether or not modern PE pipe materials are affected by rock impingement conditions and to eliminate the need to install clean fill in lieu of existing soil.

26. Butt Fusion Joint Integrity & NDE Evaluation: To optimize and/or validate the butt fusion process and to evaluate NDE technologies to assure butt fusion joint integrity and long term performance.

27. Investigate the Effects Internal Inspection Tools on PE Pipe: To study the potential effects on internal PE pipe surfaces, if any, when using internal inspection devices.

28. Nondestructive Evaluation of PE Pipe Lap Joints Using Ultrasonic Phased Array: To optimize ultrasonic phased array NDE instruments to detect and size the most common defects found in electrofusion couplings.

29. Angled Electrofusion Fitting for Live Access into PE Mains: An angled electrofusion saddle fitting that enables the live entry of inspection cameras or other equipment into PE mains.

IMPROVED INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
30. Ergonomic Needle Bar: A new ergonomic tool for assisting barhole functions in leak detection surveys that is designed to reduce operator work related injuries.

31. Service Line Inspection & Maintenance Tools: A convenient and innovative system to allow live inspection and maintenance of the gas distribution main and customer service line without excavation.

32. Ionix PE Static Eliminator Field Evaluation: To evaluate the effectiveness of the Ionix PE Static Eliminator.

LEAK DETECTION
33. Development of a Low-Cost Gas Leak Monitor: A project to develop and field test an inexpensive leak monitor device that can be readily installed on inside meter sets or other confined spaces where gas pipe is present.

34. Development of a Prototype Airborne Remote Leak Detector: A product development project to demonstration and adapt a prototype airborne remote leak detector for distribution mobile and walking surveys.

ENVIRONMENT
35. Management of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Impacted Sediments: An investigation of the use of a new analytical method to directly measure sediment pore water PAHs and to establish site-specific clean-up goals for PAH-impacted sediments at MGP sites.

36. Characterization of Cyanides at MGP Sites & Development of Analytical Tools for their Detection: A study to determine th echemical composition and concentration levels of cyanide compounds present at MGP sites and developed improved analytical tools for their detection.

37. Phytoremediation of Cyanides at MGP Sites: A study to examine the feasibility of using engineered wetlands to treat cyanide and hydrocarbon-impacted groundwater at an MGP site.

38. Small Diameter PCB Pipe Sampler: A device designed to perform PCB swab samples from the interior of gas mains and services sized 4” and smaller.

39. Pipeline to Ultra-Clean Generation Phase I: Energy Recovery Generation (ERG): A study and demonstration to evaluate technical and economic performance characteristics of a generation system at pressure reducing stations to to create an additional clean source of energy.

UNDERSTANDING GAS COMPOSITION
40. Gas Interchangeability Study For LDC Infrastructure Integrity: A multi-phase study invstigating LDC coupling components, their associated materials and wheather varying gas compositions can create leakage in these couplings.

41. Gas Interchangeability Study for Installed Residential Appliances: A standardized approach to determining impacts of varying gas composition on performance of installed residential appliances.