This week Project STASS has been completing field trials under a busy 4 way intersection in the centre of Huddersfield.
In the first trail the short wheel base STASS robot – Robot B – was launched into the 36″ cast iron gas main and drove 105m in one direction and around two 90 degree bends in order to test the drive capability.
The second and third trials saw the debut of the all NEW long wheel base STASS robot – Robot C – using a wheeled version and a tracked version respectively. The new STASS robot successfully negotiated the two bends faster and easier than Robot B, and even completed the full circumferential spraying of eight joints; which was made easier by the NEW laser alignment system.
The System Two Assess & Seal Solution (STASS) project is a robotic crawler platform that is designed to assess the condition of joints in cast iron gas pipes, and to spray sealant fluid into the joint as a leak prevention technique. The STASS project is a Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) funded innovation project in collaboration with Northern Gas Networks (NGN). It combines three gas network approved technologies; ALH ‘Bond & Bolt’ access system, Synthotech’s Synthotrax™ robotic platform, and ALH Flexspray sealant. If you would like to know more about Project STASS please contact us here.
