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Will Partner with Pacific Gas & Electric To Develop and Demonstrate New Capabilities Rochester N.Y., - December 15, 2006 - ITT has received financial support from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to enhance the capabilities of its ANGEL Service to provide rapid response information on leaks in natural gas or other hazardous-materials pipelines in times of natural or manmade disasters. The funding comes through an extension of a contract with USDOT PHMSA (Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration) under which ITT's current airborne leak detection sensor technology used in the ANGEL Service was successfully enhanced to remotely detect and quantify small leaks of hazardous liquids, such as gasoline, diesel fuels and propane. ITT's ANGEL Service uses laser-based remote sensing technology aboard a small aircraft to detect and quantify pipeline leaks with a high degree of sensitivity, and it does so 100 times faster and with 30 times more right-of-way survey coverage than traditional, ground-based inspection methods. The primary goal of the USDOT contract is to develop a rapid response and quick reporting capability for emergency situations following disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, landslides, or explosions. "We plan to create and demonstrate a process by which the nation's energy pipelines and infrastructure can be inspected from the air soon after a disaster, and rapid assessments and reports can be communicated to first responders," said Daniel Brake, Business Development Manager for ITT's ANGEL Service. "The ability to accurately detect, visualize and report dangerous leak locations from the air in real time will be a major advance for both our ANGEL Service and the energy pipeline industry," Brake noted. "And we are pleased by the USDOT's continued confidence in our ANGEL technology." The study and testing of the system improvements will be done in partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), one of the largest combination natural gas and electric utilities in the United States. The company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation, serves approximately 15 million people in northern and central California. Donald Price, senior consulting scientist at PG&E, said today: "We believe ITT's ANGEL system provides an important new technology for pipeline inspection. We are highly supportive of this research project funded by USDOT. If it is successful, we believe it will advance PG&E's ability to respond quickly and effectively to pipeline emergencies." About ITT ITT Corporation (www.itt.com) supplies advanced technology products and services in several growth markets. ITT is a global leader in the transport, treatment and control of water, wastewater and other fluids. The company plays a vital role in international security through its defense communications and electronics products; space surveillance and intelligence systems; and advanced engineering and related services. It also serves the growing leisure marine and electronic components markets with a wide range of products. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the company generated $7.0 billion in 2005 sales. In addition to the New York Stock Exchange, ITT Corporation stock is traded on the NYSE Arca, Paris, London and Frankfurt exchanges. For free B-roll/video content and logo about ITT Corporation, please log onto http://www.thenewsmarket.com/itt to preview and request video. You can receive broadcast-standard video quality digitally or by tape from this site. Registration and video are free to the media. Editor's Note: For additional information about ITT Industries Space Systems visit our Web site at http://www.ssd.itt.com/ For additional information about ITT Industries Airborne Natural Gas Emission Lidar (ANGEL) Service visit our Web site at http://www.ssd.itt.com/angel/ © ITT Industries, 2006. |
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