Small Diameter Pipe Robot

navigates 90° bends

Small Diameter Pipe Robot
This new pipe crawler is designed to move through 3 inch to 4 inch diameter pipes at longer distances, carrying more weight, than existing crawlers. Compact and flexible, the new crawler moves horizontally and vertically and navigates 90° bends.

Market Assessment
Most commercially available pipe crawlers are designed for large industrial uses in piping greater than six inches. The
$5,000 cost of the small diameter robot is well under the $15,000 to $20,000 cost of the currently available crawlers. “Snakes” used in smaller piping are limited in the distance they can travel and the bends they can navigate. This invention should find uses in refineries, nuclear and chemical facilities, and government sites.

Patent Status
U.S. Patent No. 6,427,602 has been issued on this invention.

Stage of Development
A prototype has been successfully tested in 4 inch pipe.

Contact
Dale K. Haas, Licensing Associate
803-725-4185
dale.haas@srnl.doe.gov

For More Information
See tech brief.