21st-Century Repairman: The Robot in the Gas Main

[thackney]

21st-Century Repairman: The Robot in the Gas Main
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/26/nyregion/con-ed-robot.html

...He and Con Edison officials say that even though the gas remains flowing, there is no danger of fire or explosion because oxygen would be necessary for a spark, and the gas mains are oxygen-free. The robot enters and exits the main through a “launch tube” from which oxygen is expelled before the robot slides into the main. The robot, controlled by a technician in a trailer on the street, goes into the gas main at the start of the workday and comes out at quitting time.

The robot has proved so reliable that it has found work in other parts of the United States and in other countries. It goes by the matter-of-fact name Cisbot (pronounced SISS-bot), for cast-iron sealing robot. As the acronym suggests, the gas mains the robot travels through are made of cast iron.

Mr. Kodadek did some calculations. On the stretch of West End Avenue between West 102nd and West 103rd Streets where the robot was working on a recent sunny morning, he said, there were about 109 joints in the gas main beneath the pavement.

So, he said, 109 holes did not have to be drilled.

The robot is also less expensive than the old methods of maintaining the mains. John Ciallella, Con Edison’s section manager for gas engineering reliability, said that hiring ULC Robotics for the work with the robot on West End Avenue cost $400,000. To do the job the way such work used to be done would have cost $1.5 million to $1.8 million, he said.....

[thackney]

http://ulcrobotics.com/services/cisbot-robotic-cast-iron-joint-sealing/

Live internal joint sealing allows gas utilities to avoid the tremendous cost of cast iron pipe replacement or other forms of pipeline rehabilitation. ULC’s Robotic Joint Sealing service with CISBOT rehabilitates leaking joints, prevents joints from leaking and extends the life of your cast iron natural gas mains with minimal excavation and continuous service to utility customers. ULC Pipeline Robotics has sealed thousands of cast iron joints for gas companies in the United States and Europe in major cities such as Boston, New York, London and Edinburgh. Save money, time and improve customer satisfaction by greatly reducing permit, engineering and restoration costs, and eliminating the disruption caused by direct burial construction.



CISBOT precisely drills into each joint and injects sealant using a computer-controlled system. The drill pressure and flow rate are continuously monitored to ensure a full joint seal every time.

By sealing all joints in the main, utilities eliminate the need to return to the same locations year after year to carry out maintenance and leak monitoring.

We internally drill and inject every joint with a well-proven anaerobic sealant that has a 50-year effective life as tested and verified by Cornell University.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Robots used like this make lots of sense.

I have a mechanical engineering friend who retired from the oil industry and went into business for himself with a robot he designed to clean out storage tanks like at tank farms.

He now goes all over the world with his robot.  Neat stuff/

[thackney]

Robots used like this make lots of sense.

I have a mechanical engineering friend who retired from the oil industry and went into business for himself with a robot he designed to clean out storage tanks like at tank farms.

He now goes all over the world with his robot.  Neat stuff/

Far too many have died doing that work, confined space, fumes and insufficient oxygen.  Good for him, I hope he has continued success.

[IsailedawayfromFR]

Far too many have died doing that work, confined space, fumes and insufficient oxygen.  Good for him, I hope he has continued success.

He is a solid Aggie friend.  Being a Longhorn, I do not say that frequently.