Robotic Technology Aids in Gas Line Repairs in Brooklyn, NY

By Brad Kramer April 20, 2015 View Profile

: ULC Robotics deployed its advanced Cast Iron Joint Sealing Robot (CISBOT) technology into a live, large diameter cast iron gas main for National Grid in the Bay Ridge area.

: The CISBOT seals gas mains by internally drilling and injecting each joint with a sealant using a method that has been proven by Cornell University studies to last for 50 years.

ULC Robotics Inc. unleashed one of its units to repair National Grid infrastructure in Brooklyn, New York.

The company deployed its advanced Cast Iron Joint Sealing Robot (CISBOT) technology into a live, large diameter cast iron gas main for National Grid in the Bay Ridge area. Unlike other methods of rehabilitating or replacing cast iron gas mains, ULC’s technology enables gas utilities to repair leak-prone joints while minimizing excavation and disruption to the public.

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The CISBOT seals gas mains by internally drilling and injecting each joint with a sealant using a method that has been proven by Cornell University studies to last for 50 years. The robot enters the gas main through a small excavation to seal up to 1,500 ft — or three average city blocks — of gas main line from that single excavation.

By using ULC’s CISBOT technology, non-intrusive work performed on live gas mains means local residents and businesses benefit because their gas services remain intact and online during the procedure without costly and disruptive shutdowns. ULC’s advanced robotic system makes quiet work of critical repairs to National Grid’s gas distribution system.

“Gas utilities go to great lengths to make pipeline safety and reliability a top priority,” said Gregory Penza, president of ULC Robotics. “CISBOT technology helps gas utilities such as National Grid maintain the safety and reliability of large diameter cast iron gas mains by renewing the joints, where methane gas is most likely to escape.”

While this deployment of CISBOT at the intersection of 64th Street and 17th Avenue in Brooklyn marked the first deployment of this robotic technology for National Grid in New York since 2010, the gas utility has been consistently using CISBOT to seal joints in the Boston operating area since 2011.

ULC Robotics Inc. is a leading robotics, energy services and research and development company focused on the energy and utility industries.