A Compact Repair System for Shipboard Fuel Piping

Navy ships often develop small, pinhole leaks in stainless steel fuel piping while at sea. Due to the long duration between in-dock maintenance cycles (typically one and a half to three years), temporary patches are often used to repair the leaks. The current composite patches that represent the state of the art are expensive, difficult and potentially hazardous to install, are not durable, and may not be compatible with JP-5 fuel or thin-walled, stainless steel piping. Our novel solution to repair small leaks in fuel system piping is our Compact Repair System (CRS). We have adapted a conventional welding process currently used for large-scale manufacturing and miniaturized the technology to facilitate the repair. Our CRS is ideally suited to portable systems for shipboard repair applications. During the Phase I project, we will assemble the CRS, complete repair testing on relevant materials, and design the prototype for shipboard repair. During Phase II, we will complete the system design, fabrication, and testing and transition the technology to the Navy fleet.