Project GRAID has successfully completed one of its last offline trials at DNV-GL’s site at RAF Spadeadam.
This was undoubtably the toughest trial yet – a 12 hour long pressure test, where the robot was subjected to 77bar with a 5.0m/s flow of natural gas.
Project GRAID (Gas Robotic Agile Inspection Device) is being developed with National Grid Transmission and three UK SME’s (Synthotech Ltd, Premtech Ltd and Pipeline Intergrity Engineers Ltd). It aims to deliver a solution to the problem of analysing the condition of high pressure gas transmission pipelines. It is able to navigate the complex geometries of these pipelines in order to take measurements and provide a visual assessment of these critical assets.
The next step will be ‘live’ trials in mid-June which will be held at National Grid’s sites in Pannal near Harrogate and Bacton in Norfolk.
If you would like to know more about GRAID’s trials please click here to read National Grid’s press release. For more information about the project please take a look at the videos in our knowledge base or contact us.
Photo Credit: John Manktelow Photography