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ILC Dover gets patents for floodproofing systems

Katie Peikes
/
Delaware Public Media
ILC Dover showed off one of its floodproofing devices — the Resilient Tunnel Plug — in June 2017. This one does not have a patent yet.";s:

Delaware’s ILC Dover has been awarded patents for three systems that help protect buildings, tunnels and other systems during floods.

 

The systems, called the Flex-Gate, Flex-Wall and Flex-Cover are all stored in openings where flood waters could enter, and are designed to stop water from the top down. Once they’re deployed, they expand within 30 minutes to block water from going through.

 

The patents protect ILC Dover’s investments in flood-proofing technologies, said Alan George, an ILC Dover technical sales specialist.

 

“We are now using these as flood protection systems for coastal areas, riverine areas, and it allows us to grow our business a little better in that area,” George said.

 

George said there has been a market for flood protection systems ever since Hurricane Sandy cost billions of dollars in damage when it slammed into the East Coast.

 

“We’re protecting people, we’re protecting assets, buildings, subway systems, and the like,” George said. “Wastewater treatment plants, for example, are on the waterways; if they flood during a hurricane, raw sewage can get into water and that becomes a health hazard.”

 

ILC Dover has already sold New York City 24 Flex-Gates for use in its subway system. The Flex-Gates go over the top of stairwells and George said once they’re deployed, they act just like a pool cover.

 

The company unveiled its latest flood protection system called “the Resilient Tunnel Plug” last June. George said they’re still seeking a patent for that.

 

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