Summary
- Profile Type
- Technology offer
- POD Reference
- TOGB20241129001
- Term of Validity
- 29 November 2024 - 29 November 2025
- Company's Country
- United Kingdom
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
- Targeted Countries
- All countries
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General information
- Short Summary
- This UK-based SME leads in innovative pipe cleaning technology with applications across multiple sectors. They are looking for partners experienced in collaborating with multinational manufacturing businesses that seek a cost effective and energy efficient pipe cleaning process. The company provides technical support to potential partners for installing their technology under a commercial agreement with technical assistance.
- Full Description
-
UK SME established in 2021 are pioneers of a technology known as ice pigging, a novel and advanced method of using slurry ice to provide enhanced cleaning to pipe systems in manufacturing and industrial processes.
This technology is a highly efficient technique that uses a thick ice mixture to offer high levels of cleaning in pipelines and is offered as an alternative to other pipe cleaning techniques. The ice is pumped into the pipe forming a plug profile (the Ice Pig) in the pipe. The nature of the ice mixture means that it is flowable and can be pumped as a liquid but also take on the properties of a solid plug within the pipe. The plug flow establishes high levels of wall shear stresses resulting in significant cleaning improvements over flushing techniques. The Ice Pig is propelled along the pipe and removed at the outlet.
Ice pigging is capable of navigating complex pipework found in most installations including changes in pipe diameter and bends that a conventional pig would not be able to navigate. Ice pigging is used in many applications. It is used to clean drinking water pipe systems and also wastewater systems in many parts of the world. It is also used in industrial and manufacturing applications.
As innovators in this technology, the company have developed and refined the process over several years. They operate in many industrial sectors, paints and surface coatings, high value engineering, automotive, personal care, pharmaceutical through to defence, maritime and chemical. They work across the globe including UK, Germany, Estonia, Spain, Czech, USA, Canada, Japan, Middle East, Australia, providing customers with a superior level of cleaning than cannot be achieved with conventional techniques such as flushing.
The Company has the technical know-how and expertise to work with clients in a number of ways:
They can design and build the ice pigging equipment for customers who need their own equipment for use in factories (manufacturing) or in municipalities where the customer is responsible for maintaining the quality of different products or services, for example drinking water pipe networks.
The company can provide ice pigging as a total service, whereby the UK company provides the engineering team, the equipment and take responsibility for implementation of the ice pigging operations.
Provide service, support, maintenance, health checks, training for existing ice pigging systems.
Engineering consultancy unrelated to ice pigging but usually process focused.
The company are seeking collaboration partners for mutual growth and developing new opportunities for ice pigging. With their international experience, they recognise the importance of understanding the local market. Partnerships are sought under commercial agreement with technical assistance. - Advantages and Innovations
-
A core benefit of ice pigging is that it is a transferrable technology, other key features are:
The superior cleaning ability of a slurry ice over conventional flushing. Higher levels of system clean are achieved by a single pass (for difficult applications two or even three) of ice propelled by a short water push.
There is no need for high energy flushing or circulation.
Often ice pigging is completed in seconds/minutes and even very large applications are normally measured in minutes.
Saves water and the same ratio of wastewater, often saves chemicals.
When deployed as a product recovery technique it saves products from going to waste.
The company can provide a bespoke and elaborate design and build service.
The company can address the challenges that the end user may not wish to discuss in public or even acknowledge officially. Ice pigging is often deployed to remove bio contamination from processes which should not have biofilms present.
The company has many multi-site, multinational businesses as customers. The sector diversity stretches from the defence industry through to French cosmetics brands. - Stage of Development
- Already on the market
- Sustainable Development Goals
- Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
- IPR status
- IPR granted
- IPR notes
- IP information available on request
Partner Sought
- Expected Role of a Partner
-
The company are looking for partners who understand process engineering. Partners are likely to have worked with multinational manufacturing businesses in their production facilities:
personal care products,
paints and coatings manufacture,
defence,
maritime
pharmaceutical, chemical etc.
There are also untapped markets for the use of this technology including data centres, semi-conductor, district heating through to mining.
The company will support partners with the necessary resources to develop and promote the technology, including marketing, commercial and engineering, including technical training as and when required. - Type and Size of Partner
- SME <=10
- SME 11-49
- SME 50 - 249
- Big company
- R&D Institution
- Type of partnership
- Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Dissemination
- Technology keywords
- 03002 - Process Plant Engineering
- 03001001 - Cleaning Technology
- Market keywords
- 09004008 - Other manufacturing (not elsewhere classified)
- Sector Groups Involved
- Energy-Intensive Industries
- Targeted countries
- All countries