Phoenix, Ariz. — The American Gas Association (AGA), representing the nation’s gas utilities, today honored George Vradis, Ph.D., of the Northeast Gas Association and the NYSEARCH program, as the recipient of this year’s Gas Industry Research Award for his extensive research and development work in making natural gas distribution/transmission operations safe and efficient.
The annual award recognizes an individual whose research has helped the natural gas industry reduce operating costs, improve safety and support environmental compliance with national and state standards.
Among other accomplishments, Vradis was recognized for work on un-tethered robotic inspection platforms, such as TIGRE, Explorer I and Explorer II, which inspect unpiggable transmission and distribution lines for pipeline safety. He has also made significant contributions to the development of Variable Length Repair Service (VLRS), Butt Fusion Repair Patch (BFRP) and Non-Interrupt Service Transfer Tee (NIST) for polyethylene pipe; as well as the development of WeatherStats software for analyzing weather data.
The award was presented today as part of the American Gas Association’s 2008 Operations Conference, and is sponsored by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), which was recently created by the merger of the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association and the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute.