Neilson Road
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
United Kingdom
NE10 0EW
Company Registration Number - 04208985
Place of Registration - England
tel +44 (0) 191 478 4999
fax +44 (0) 191 478 9919
email info@dpt.co.uk
DPT bristle-actuated pipeline tractors, also known as “pipeline crawlers”, operate in a “natural” way, they use the conditions in which they operate instead of fighting against them. The bristles can be of natural origin, synthetic polymers, ferrous or non-ferrous metals, or a combination of these, and are designed to provide a relatively high stiffness coupled with a high rate of elasticity.
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The principle of operation is based on the observation that it is easier to push forward an oversized circular brush located inside a tubular conduit than to pull it back. Where two sets of such brushes are interconnected by a mechanism that generates a reciprocating motion towards and away from each other, the whole assembly moves in successive steps.
The reciprocating motion can be generated by a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder or an electrical motor. Tethered tractors are powered from external power supplies through umbilicals. Free-flow tractors have either an onboard power supply, such as a rechargeable battery, or use a turbine to generate their own power requirements from the pipeline flow.
The principle of operation also applies to external vehicles with bristles directed inwardly, and we are able to supply external tractors that are able to travel along cables, pipes, or any other tubular sections.