Sizzling Savings From Pipe Inspection 'Sausage'.

Oil Daily, The, November, 2004

Inspecting natural gas pipelines is a necessary but tedious enterprise, as evidenced by the recent difficulties caused by Hurricane Ivan in the US Gulf of Mexico. But help may be on the way, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).

Earlier this month, DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) announced a successful test of a remote- controlled robotic system that can be used to inspect pipes while they are being used. Named Explorer and resembling a six-foot long sausage-string, the device was developed by NETL, the Northeast Gas Association and Carnegie Mellon University. During the tests it maneuvered its way through a set of right angle turns in an 8-inch pipeline in Brockport, New York.

The 60-psi Rochester Gas line continued in operation...