Celebrating companies with a state-of-the-art product or service making a significant impact in advancing the trenchless industry in the areas of rehabilitation or new installation. The award is named for the late Joseph L. Abbott, Jr., an active NASTT member since its founding in 1990 and a champion of innovation.

Eligibility: Applicants must be an exhibitor or sponsor who will be on site at the upcoming NASTT No-Dig Show. Applicants can apply in one or both categories. Prior award recipients may submit different products or services in subsequent years.

Criteria: Submissions will be judged in three categories:

• Innovation (concept, method, development)
• Value (need, advantages, cost); and,
• Impact (sustainability, social/environmental responsibility and potential).

Requirements:

1. Submit a recording of your presentation which will be available at nastt.org following the show. (Preparation instructions will be provided.)
2. Participate in a brief Q&A with award judges prior to the No-Dig Show. Interviews will take place using MS Teams or other online platform.
3. Present your product at the Innovative Products Forum on site at the NASTT 2023 No-Dig Show in Portland. The Forum is scheduled for Monday, May 1 from 9:55-11:35 a.m.  Please Note: The Forum is a showcase of innovative product releases in the trenchless industry and not part of the judging process. 

Application: The applications for 2024 will open soon. If you have any questions contact Carolyn Hook.

2022 Recipients

View the presentations from the 2022 Innovative Products Forum.

New Installation

Boyd Tech, Inc.  for their B-Tech Connections

A means to mechanically connect HDPE piping for pulling, pushing and transitions, B-Tech Connections provides a pipe-to-pipe connection wherein ID & OD remain the same. Either permanently locked or temporarily installed, connections are water-tight with a broad range of applications in trenchless and non-trenchless applications. Pull-ability of connections exceed 70% of virgin pipe strength while retaining flexibility. Connections can be applied to a wide range of pipe sizes and wall thicknesses. Transitions to other pipe materials can also be provided to ease with compatibility issues. In confined space applications, work crews save time and resources when compared to other, time-consuming connection techniques or bulky mechanical methods. Connections can be supplied in short spools to 36″, or pre-fused to any length of pipe to produce custom length spools. Long life span, fast assembly times, make this connection method, efficient and cost-effective for any HDPE project or application.

 

Rehabilitation

Aegion LLC for their CIPP Carbon Filter System

A carbon filtration solution for CIPP steam-cured product that exhausts Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and accompanying odors. The innovative filtering system uses selected carbon and other filtration media in a filter canister design to capture the VOC. The steam hose is attached to the uncured liner and connects to the plumbing attachment of the filter. This allows the steam to flow down into the canister and then outward through the openings in the four sides. Each of the 4 sides has carbon filter panelsso that gas exiting must pass through before discharge into the environment. In addition, a mesh screening system is deployed inside of the unit which helps remove water from the steam emissions and prevent contact with the carbon filter panels. In order to monitor VOC levels, a PID sensor can be added to the unit to provide measurement efficiencies. This device will significantly reduce or eliminate (depending on the diameter of the CIPP installation) the amount of VOCs from the emissions. Potential reduction of reportable greenhouse gas emission is greater than 90 percent.

 

 

 

2021 Recipients

New Installation

Digital Control Incorporated for their Teratrak R1

A terrain mapping tool with accompanying mobile app that enables a crew to quickly gather continuous terrain data with a bore plan to get around terrain changes and cross utilities with confidence.

 

 

Rehabilitation

Logiball, Inc. for their Long Span Grouting Packer

A structural stabilization technique, which prevents pipe joint defects from progressing from a crack to a fracture or from a fracture to a break.  It does this by eliminating the erosive effects of water infiltration through the defects and by the solidifying of the pipe bedding.

 

 

2019 Recipients

New Installation

Geonex for their DTH-hammer drilling system.

Geonex’s system works with steel casing or without casing in solid rock and performs best in hard rock and mixed soil conditions, where rock quality creates significant costs with tricone bits or in mixed soil conditions that cannot be supported with drilling fluids. Method is direct pipe installation method and operates with an air percussion hammer.

Rehabilitation

Kobus Services Ltd. for their Kobus Pipe Puller KPP400 Series

The Kobus Pipe Puller KPP400 Series is an innovative trenchless technology for the replacement of water and gas service pipes.  The device is a self-contained hydraulic winch which mounts on the arm of a typical compact excavator found on most construction sites.  The powerful hydraulic motors are driven from the auxiliary hydraulics of the excavator and are capable of delivering 60,000 lbs of pulling force.