The United States Department of Energy (DOE) (Washington, D.C., USA) recently awarded a total of $33 million to 10 projects from various universities, research labs, and technology companies that will develop natural gas transmission pipeline retrofitting technologies. These 10 projects to rehabilitate existing cast iron and bare steel pipes falls under the auspices of the Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) program within the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
“Enhancing America’s energy infrastructure, particularly for our abundant, reliable and affordable natural gas, is one of the highest priorities of this Administration,” says Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes. “In order to keep up with this growing industry, it is imperative we modernize and build out infrastructure to safely and efficiently bring this product to market.”
“Natural gas is a crucial energy source for 75 million American households and businesses,” says ARPA-E Director Lane Genatowski. “REPAIR teams will develop technology that enables gas utilities to update their distribution systems at low cost and continue to reliably service commercial and residential gas delivery needs nationwide.”
The 10 REPAIR projects include smart coatings, robotic systems to line the inside of pipes, inspection tools to verify the integrity of the pipes, and mapping tools to enable 3D renderings of pipes and adjacent underground infrastructure. REPAIR teams are also developing technologies that aim to extend the life of rehabilitated pipes by a minimum of 50 years and ensure sufficient material properties to operate without reliance on the exterior pipe—all while meeting utility and regulatory requirements for use in natural gas distribution pipes.
Legacy pipes, which make up about 3% of distribution pipes in use, account for a disproportionate number of leaks compared to modern infrastructure, according to the DOE. With that in mind, REPAIR teams are developing technologies to address legacy pipe deficiencies while simultaneously working toward a 10-to-20-times reduction in cost per mile.
A complete list of the REPAIR teams and their respective projects can be found on the ARPA-E website.