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Montana Innovators- Timberline Tool – Keyhole Squeeze-off Tool Proves To Be an All-around Win for Gasline Repair

When Ken Green approached Northwest Natural Gas Company (NW Natural) in Portland, Oregon, to talk about his company’s TopReach tools, it soon became apparent that his technology was just what NW Natural was looking for. Timberline Tool manufactures a line of tools based on keyhole technology. A la arthroscopic surgery, keyhole technology enables crews to remain above ground while working on the buried natural gas pipe through a core hole. The gas industry is moving toward this technology to make pipeline installation and repair safer and more efficient, and both NW Natural and Timberline Tool are on the leading edge of that effort.

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Timberline Tool

Location: Columbia Falls

Incorporated: 1995
Owners: Ken Green, president/CEO; Jeanine Green, CFO

Employees: 8

SBIR Awards: Phase I and Phase II

Web Site: http://www.timberlinetool.com

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from the Montana Department of Commerce SBIR in the News
http://sbir.state.mt.us/BRD_SBIR_News1.0.asp

“We use keyhole technology to install new services through a 12-inch core hole [the industry standard is 16 inches] and we were looking for a new squeeze-off tool that would allow us to also do repairs through that small of a core. When we told Ken what we were looking for, it fit right in with what he was doing,” says Don Brost, construction quality assurance supervisor, NW Natural, Portland, Ore. (See accompanying article.)

Green’s timing wasn’t any accident. In 2001, Timberline Tool received an SBIR Phase I Award from the U.S. Department of Energy, administered by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), to develop a keyhole squeeze-off tool for polyethylene (PE) pipe four to six inches in diameter. Because he makes it a priority to stay current with who’s doing what in his markets, he knew that NW Natural was a good candidate for evaluating and testing his prototype in the field. Not only was the utility actively looking for a large diameter squeeze-off tool, Timberline Tool offered advantages not otherwise available. “With our proprietary clamp design, we’re able to approach the pipe from the top and do the work from ground level, whereas everybody else has to enter the ditch and position their tools under the pipe,” says Green, president of Timberline Tools.

The difference is staggering. Typically when a PE gas line is damaged, crews dig a trench at least four by five feet along both sides of the damaged pipe. Then at least two workers get into the ditch and work with large squeeze-off tools that weigh 200 to 300 pounds and that have to be towed to the site and positioned with yet another piece of equipment. The Timberline Tool innovation, on the other hand, weighs less than 60 pounds, fits in the back of a pickup and can be used by a single person working above ground.

A Direct Path to Market Via SBIR

The large-diameter tool now in development is the latest in a series of squeeze-off tools developed by Timberline Tool. The basic design is based on a fire hose shut-off clamp for canvas and cotton hose developed and manufactured by an inventor several years ago. When the now-defunct Montana Power Company saw the firehouse design, it worked with the inventor to develop a gas line clamp. Ken and Jeanine Green purchased that proprietary design along with the inventor’s other company assets and opened Timberline Tool in 1995. “Our goal was to take the line, expand and diversify it, and continue to grow,” Green says.

By the late 1990s Timberline Tool offered a range of TopReach models for various types of one-half- to two-inch diameter pipe. When Green learned of the SBIR solicitation for solutions to repair and maintain aging PE pipes without large and invasive excavations, he grabbed at the opportunity to go after some research and development funding.

“As a small business, R&D is really difficult to accomplish. Our cash is limited to begin with, and what we have, we spend on labor, supplies and other operating expenses. The SBIR program gave us the cash to fully fund our R&D efforts without impacting the daily operating budget of Timberline’s core business,” says Green. “We would have developed the large-diameter squeeze tool anyway, but I think it would have taken three to four years; instead, we’re looking at a two-year turnaround.”

Hand in Hand with Industry

The company’s Phase I project included field-testing of the large-diameter tool by San Diego Gas & Electric as well as NW Natural. Both companies provided feedback leading to adjustments to the design and will field-test the redesign during Phase II which is now under way. KeySpan Energy, of Long Island, New York, will also participate in field testing.

Green plans to continue to look for SBIR R&D opportunities even as he leverages his current awards. Timberline Tool has already entered into a cooperative agreement with NETL for another project for the repair of damaged PE pipe. “The SBIR program gave us the chance to network with NETL personnel and discuss other ideas we had. We also believe there are other SBIR projects we can go after. We’re just catching our breath and then we’ll start out again,” he says.

Target Markets—Gasline Tools

Gas and water utilities

Fire departments

Federal agencies, including U.S. Navy

Landscaping companies

Target Markets—Fire Clamps

Fire departments

Local, state and federal agencies

Other Opportunities

Timberline Tool operates a foundry and is always looking for other Montana businesses working with aluminum to partner with.

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