Eight US universities will receive $792,685 for oil and gas pipeline safety research, the US Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced. The grants came under the US Department of Transportation agency’s new Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP).
“Safety is our top priority, and we’re committed to investing in innovative technologies that will strengthen our nation’s pipeline system well into the future,” US Sec. of Transportation Anthony Foxx said.
PHMSA said it created the program to introduce graduate and PhD students to common pipeline integrity challenges and demonstrate how their engineering or technical backgrounds might contribute to the field of pipeline safety.
CAAP is similar to other federal programs designed to educate and lure more applicants in technical disciplines with lower federal recruitment rates, it noted. The awards are partially matched by nonfederal funding.
PHMSA is looking for research in four primary technical areas: pipeline corrosion; pipeline defect detection; modeling defects, loads in pipelines; and modeling anomalies and repairs for corroded pipe.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].
