Pipeline exterior blasting system

Abstract

A pipeline exterior blasting system, movably mounted to a pipeline, to blast only uncoated end sections of a first and second pipe at a weld site where the first and second pipes were welded together. Uniquely, there is a blasting containment device having: a fixed portion 22; a rotating containment portion 24 rotatably mounted to the fixed portion 22, and releasably and rotatively coupled to the second pipe 20B; a support devices system 106, coupled to the blasting containment device 12 via connections 107, including: a blasting device 16, a vacuum device 18; and an electrical power generator 14. Finally, there is a lateral movement system, coupled to the blasting containment device 12, having: a first position that holds the grit blasting containment device 12 in a fixed position as the grit blasting containment device blasts particles circumferentially around the two pipes; a second position that moving the grit blasting containment device off of the two pipes; and a third position that provides movement of the grit blasting containment device along the two pipes.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 766,993, having the at least one inventor in common, filed Nov. 14, 2018, titled: “THE ROBOTIC GRIT BLASTER.”BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION(1) Field of the Invention[0002]This invention relates generally to the field of robotic grit blasting tool, and more particularly to a system and device for automatically blasting the welded site of a pipeline or two pipes with blast material, to clean and prepare the surface prior to coating that portion of the pipe with an environmental protective coating layer, and blasting without contaminating the surrounding work site with the grit material and unwanted dust, and providing a safer work site for workers by eliminating the need to wear full hazardous containment suits to perform such blasting operations.(2) Background of the Invention[0003]The present invention relates generally to the field of robotic grit blasting t...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent is for a device that moves a containment device for grit blasting from one location to another. The device moves smoothly over the pipeline without causing any friction. This means that the device can easily move along the pipeline to different work sites without getting stuck or causing any damage to the pipeline.

Problems solved by technology

It is well known that pipeline are often buried in the ground for many years, which expose the iron based pipe to environmental conditions that often will cause an eroding of the pipe due to rusting and oxidation effects.

However, it is found that the coating material will interfere with the welding process taking place at the ends of the pipes, so those portions, from 2 to 24 inches at each end of the pipe, are typically left exposed and not coated prior to shipment.

The common process for preparing the welded pipe ends is currently complex and hazardous to the environment and toxic to the workers.

This tent erection and takedown step will take a great deal of employee time.

These “haz-mat” suits make it difficult for the workers to do their job in that they are cumbersome and create a very hot personal space for the workers, especially during sunny days where the ambient temperatures may reach 90 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

This operation requires both visual inspect as the work advances, and to specifically inspect not only the sides and top, but also the bottom section of the pipe, which is only one to two feet above ground, and requires the worker to get on their hands and knees each time on each side of the pipe to inspect the cleaning quality all while wearing a haz-mat suit that has restricted visual capabilities or flexibility.

In short, one can imagine that it is very difficult to achieve a consistent high quality blast cleaning product under these conditions in a single blasting of an individual pipe weld section, let alone repeat this process consistently for tens of thousands of operations.

Ideally, the blast material is contained in the tent, but now the hazardous blast material is now all over the ground under the tent.

Therefore, it s now clear and obvious that the current methods and took used in cleaning the welded pipe sections is time consuming, and adds great costs to the overall pipeline construction project.

Further, pipeline blasting is also fraught with unsafe and hazardous working conditions.

Additionally, the overall goal of achieving consistent and uniform quality cleaning and the pipeline coating preparation is completely out of quality control by any process engineering guidelines.

Many methods and systems are currently utilized to clean and prep pipes, but none of them teach by themselves or in combination thereof the key elements of the currently disclosed pipeline cleaning and surface preparation machine enabling environmental and safe working conditions and other features taught in the subsequent specification.

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