Evaluation of Below Grade Pipe Surface Preparation Tools – Final Report

Project Objective:
In this project, researchers investigated and evaluated new pipe-surface-preparation tools with the potential to improve the surface-preparation process for below-ground piping applications.

Project Description:
Current methods for preparing and cleaning underground gas-pipe surfaces can be time consuming and difficult to conduct.

Common techniques include the use of hand wraps, pneumatic de-scalers, wire wheels, and sand blasting. However, these surface-preparation methods are labor intensive, inefficient, and can create airborne particulates. They also require the operator to spend considerable time in the trench to clean the underside of the pipe in a uniform manner.

In this project, a research team investigated technologies with the potential to reduce operator trench time while providing more uniformly cleaned surfaces.

One of the products under investigation was the Rustibus® Pipe Tool, a new machine designed for de-scaling and cleaning outer pipe surface (360 degrees) in one
operation. It has been used to clean horizontal steel pipes in refineries, ships, and on offshore installations. The cleaning process is executed with rotating hammers with an attached cemented carbide unit hammer to scrape off the coating and rust on the pipe surface. Rustibus is a clamp-on system and includes models designed for various pipe sizes ranging from 4-inch to 12-inch outside diameters. The system is driven by air and simple to operate, with no extra tools or skilled labor required. The Rustibus can hammer and scrape off coatings and rust at a capacity of up to 75 linear feet per hour.

Researchers also examined the MBX® Bristle Blaster® Technology from MONTI-Werkzeuge GmbH, based in Bonn, Germany. The MBX system is a new process that uses a specially designed rotary bristle tool for achieving both corrosion removal and an anchor profile. The rotating bristles are dynamically tuned to the power tool, which results in impact and immediate retraction of the bristle tips from the corroded surface. The bristle tips strike the corroded surface with kinetic energy that is equivalent to grit blast media, generating a texture and visual cleanliness that mimics the grit-blasting process. The tool has excellent mobility and eliminates the need for complex equipment, work suites, breathing apparatus, and grit-recovery systems that are commonly required for ordinary abrasive blasting processes.