US DOE Pipeline Unplugging Requirements Development -9361

Department of Energy (DOE) sites around the country have an ongoing effort to transport and process several tons of radioactive waste in the form of slurry (liquids and solids) from storage tanks to processing facilities. The system of pipes used for the transportation of this waste needs technology for maintenance and for the prevention (and correction) of pipeline plugging. The unplugging technologies that have been tested and evaluated at Florida International University include ones from NuVision Engineering, AIMM and AquaMiser. NuVision’s technology acts as an ocean wave does on beach erosion. It can operate on a long pipeline that has drained down below a blockage. AIMM Technology’s Hydrokinetic™ process uses a sonic resonance with a cleaning water stream. This sonic resonance travels through the water stream and transfers vibration to both the pipe and the blockage. The AquaMiser line of water blasting equipment combines 15,000- to 40,000-psi water injection technology to unplug pipelines. Some sites cannot allow this level of pressure in their pipes. After reviewing the results of every test, including the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of each technology, requirements were developed for pressure, personnel training, environmental concerns, safety, and compatibility with current systems, operability, reliability, maintainability and cost.