A method for rapidly thawing ice buildup within a pipeline

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for rapidly melting ice inside pipelines, belonging to the field of pipeline de-icing technology. The steps include: monitoring flow rate and temperature through a detection module to determine the degree of icing; sending liquid through two-stage filtration into a hot water boiler, using a ground source heat pump or electric heating network to heat and store the liquid in stages; providing auxiliary heating to the iced pipeline to create a 2mm-5mm flow gap between the ice and the pipe wall; closing adjacent valves according to the severity of icing, and supplying high-pressure water in stages for de-icing; and real-time monitoring and automatic valve switching to complete the unblocking of the entire pipeline. This invention solves the problems of easy hot water flow cross-flow, uneven de-icing, and low efficiency in traditional de-icing methods, and has the advantages of rapid de-icing, high heat utilization, and strong automation, making it suitable for rapid de-icing of water pipelines in high-altitude and cold regions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of pipeline de-icing technology, specifically relating to a method for rapidly melting ice inside water pipelines suitable for use in cold and high-altitude regions. Background Technology

[0002] In high-altitude and cold regions, winter temperatures are extremely low, making water pipelines highly susceptible to freezing and blockage. Traditional de-icing methods have many drawbacks. 1. Directly flushing hot water into the pipe results in ice adhering tightly to the pipe wall with no flow gaps, making it difficult for hot water to penetrate and resulting in low ice-melting efficiency; 2. When multiple pipes are connected in parallel, hot water is prone to flow along unobstructed pipes, and the frozen section cannot be effectively heated; 3. The heating method was not differentiated based on pipe diameter and ice thickness, resulting in low energy efficiency and poor adaptability; 4. Impurities and ice crystals in the liquid can easily cause equipment wear and pipe blockage if they directly enter the heating equipment. 5. It relies on manual operation of valves and monitoring, resulting in low automation, poor operational safety, and long processing time.

[0003] No synergistic technical solution combining "preheating to create gaps + segmented valve closure to prevent crossflow + high-pressure interval impact melting" has been found in the existing technology, and there is no relevant technical inspiration. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies and provide a method for rapidly melting ice inside pipes that features fast melting speed, high heat utilization rate, high degree of automation, and no hot water crossflow.

[0005] A method for rapidly melting ice inside pipes includes the following steps: S1. Monitor the liquid flow rate and temperature in the pipeline through the detection module, comprehensively determine the icing level, and determine the icing status of the pipeline. S2. The liquid is filtered through two stages to remove impurities and ice crystals, and then pumped to the hot water boiler. S3. The liquid in the boiler is heated by a scene-specific auxiliary heating method, and then sent to the insulated water tank for storage and insulation. S4. The outer wall of the frozen pipe is heated by auxiliary de-icing technology to create a fixed flow gap of 2mm-5mm between the ice and the pipe wall. S5. According to the severity of icing, close the valves of adjacent pipelines and implement high-pressure intermittent water supply to melt the ice in the pipeline sections; S6. Real-time monitoring of flow rate and temperature, automatic valve switching, and automatic unblocking of the entire pipeline.

[0006] Furthermore, the detection module mentioned in S1 includes a fluid flow rate sensor 201, a temperature sensor 202, and an analysis module 203; the analysis module 203 combines the flow rate and temperature data to classify the icing into three levels: slight, moderate, and severe, based on the ice thickness and blockage rate.

[0007] Furthermore, in S2, the liquid first passes through a primary filter 301 to remove large particulate impurities, and then passes through a secondary filter 302 to remove ice crystals; the pore size of the primary filter is larger than that of the secondary filter.

[0008] Furthermore, the scenario-specific auxiliary heating described in S3 is as follows: ground source heat pumps are suitable for large-diameter, thin-ice pipes; electric heating grids are suitable for small-diameter, thick-ice pipes; and S-shaped heating pipes 405 are all installed in an S-shape on the outer edge of the pipe.

[0009] Furthermore, in S4, the pipe wall temperature is raised to 5-10°C by heating the pipe wall and heated for 3-8 minutes to form a stable gap; the formation of the gap is judged based on pressure fluctuation and slight increase in flow rate signals.

[0010] Furthermore, the high-pressure interval water supply parameters are: water temperature 40℃–80℃, pressure 0.3MPa–1.0MPa, and interval period 10s–60s; the de-icing sequence prioritizes melting pipes with lighter ice buildup; the de-icing completion standard is when the flow rate returns to more than 90% of its normal value.

[0011] The beneficial effects of this invention are: Preheating first creates a flow gap of 2mm-5mm, allowing hot water to easily enter and not stick to the wall, significantly improving heat utilization; By closing adjacent valves in sections, hot water cross-flow can be fundamentally prevented, ensuring effective melting of ice in the frozen section. Heating is available for different scenarios based on pipe diameter and ice thickness, offering strong adaptability and lower energy consumption; Two-stage filtration protects the heating equipment, reducing malfunctions and wear; The entire process is automated, with automatic detection, automatic temperature control, and automatic valve switching, requiring no manual supervision and ensuring high safety. It has high ice-melting efficiency and strong stability, making it particularly suitable for long-distance water transmission pipelines in cold and high-altitude areas. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the overall process of the method of the present invention, 100. Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the structure and signal connection of the detection module of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the liquid two-stage filtration, heating, and heat preservation system of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the pipeline segmentation, valve control, and high-pressure interval water supply system of the present invention.

[0013] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures Flowchart of 100 methods 201 Fluid Flow Rate Sensor 202 Temperature Sensor 203 Analysis Module 301 Primary Filter 302 secondary filter 303 water pump 304 hot water boiler 305 heating device 306 Insulated Water Tank 401 Pipe 402 Automatic Control Valve 403 booster water pump 404 controller 405S heating element Detailed Implementation

[0014] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figures 1-4 The present invention will be described in further detail below.

[0015] S1 Icing Detection and Level Determination like Figure 2 As shown, the detection module includes: fluid velocity sensor 201 (LSH10-1QC), temperature sensor 202 (PT500-950), and analysis module 203. Icing level quantification standard: Slight icing: Flow rate ≥ 60% of normal value, ice thickness < 5mm, local blockage; Moderate icing: flow rate 30%–60%, ice thickness 5–15 mm, partial blockage; Severe icing: Flow rate < 30%, ice thickness > 15 mm, complete blockage. Analysis module 203 determines the icing level in real time based on flow rate and temperature and outputs a signal to controller 404.

[0016] S2 Two-Stage Liquid Filtration and Delivery like Figure 3 As shown, the liquid conveying and filtration steps are as follows: A1. Primary filtration: Primary filter 301 (2-3mm pore size filter screen) is used to remove large particulate impurities such as mud and sand; A2. Secondary filtration: Secondary filter 302 (0.5-1mm pore size filter screen) is used to remove ice crystals from the liquid; A3. The filtered clean liquid is sent to hot water boiler 304 by water pump 303.

[0017] S3 Scene-Specific Heating and Thermal Insulation Storage like Figure 3 , Figure 4 As shown, heating methods are categorized by scenario: Ground source heat pump: used for large diameter, thin ice pipe 401, S-type heating pipe 405 with coil spacing of 50-80mm, power 80-120W / m; Electric heating mesh: Used for small-diameter, thick ice pipes 401, S-type heating tubes 405 tightly coiled with a spacing of 20–30mm, power 150–200W / m. After heating, the high-temperature liquid is sent to an insulated water tank 306 for constant temperature storage and later use.

[0018] S4 assists in melting ice to create flow gaps. like Figure 4 As shown, the outer wall of the icing pipe 401 is heated to raise the pipe wall temperature to 5–10℃ and heated for 3–8 minutes to form a fixed flow gap of 2mm–5mm between the ice and the pipe wall; the formation of the gap is judged based on pressure fluctuation and slight increase in flow velocity signals.

[0019] S5–S6 High-Pressure Interval Water Supply and Automatic Segmented Ice Melting like Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, the ice melting control steps are as follows: B1. De-icing sequence: Slight icing → Moderate icing → Severe icing; B2. When melting ice, close the adjacent automatic control valve 402 to block the hot water flow path; B3. The pressurization method uses a booster water pump 403; the insulated water tank 306 is only used for high-temperature water storage and pressure stabilization. B4. High-temperature and high-pressure water jets are used to remove ice and slag adhering to the inner wall of the pipe. B5. Monitor the flow rate and temperature inside pipe 401 in real time to determine the progress of de-icing; B6. When the flow velocity of a single section of pipeline 401 recovers to more than 90% of the normal value, the controller 404 (DVP-ES2 / EX2) will automatically close the automatic control valve 402 of this section and open the valve of the next section, thus completing the unblocking of the entire pipeline in sequence.

[0020] High-pressure intermittent water supply parameters: water temperature 40℃–80℃, pressure 0.3MPa–1.0MPa, interval period 10s–60s. Specific Implementation

[0021] Operating conditions: DN50 water transmission pipeline 401, ambient temperature -15℃, ice thickness 10mm (moderate freezing); Heating method: Electric heating grid heating device 305; Operating parameters: water temperature 65℃, pressure 0.6MPa, interval 30s; Ice melting result: It took 12 minutes for the flow rate to recover to 95%, meeting the ice melting standard.

[0022] This invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Equivalent substitutions and improvements made by those skilled in the art based on the essential content of this invention all fall within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for rapidly melting ice inside a pipe, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. The flow rate and temperature of the liquid in the pipeline are monitored by the detection module to determine the icing level of the pipeline; S2. After two-stage filtration, the liquid is pumped into the hot water boiler. S3. The liquid in the hot water boiler is subjected to auxiliary heating in different scenarios, and after heating, it is sent to the insulated water tank for storage. S4. Heating the frozen pipe through auxiliary de-icing technology to create a fixed flow gap of 2mm-5mm between the ice and the pipe wall; S5. Close the valves of adjacent pipelines in order of the severity of icing, and supply high-pressure water to the pipeline sections at intervals to melt the ice. S6. Real-time monitoring and automatic valve switching to complete the unblocking of the entire pipeline.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The detection module S1 includes a fluid flow rate sensor (201), a temperature sensor (202), and an analysis module (203); the icing level is divided into three levels: slight, moderate, and severe, based on ice thickness and blockage rate.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary filter (301) in S2 has a mesh size of 2–3 mm, and the secondary filter (302) has a mesh size of 0.5–1 mm, used to remove impurities and ice.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The auxiliary heating methods described in S3 are: ground source heat pumps for large-diameter, thin-ice pipes; electric heating grids for small-diameter, thick-ice pipes; and S-shaped heating pipes (405) arranged in an S-shape on the outer edge of the pipe.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, In S4, the pipe wall is heated to 5–10°C and held for 3–8 minutes to form a gap; the gap is determined by pressure fluctuations and slight increases in flow rate.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, High-pressure intermittent water supply parameters: water temperature 40℃–80℃, pressure 0.3MPa–1.0MPa, interval 10s–60s; the de-icing sequence prioritizes slightly iced pipes.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The booster water supply uses a booster pump (403); the standard for ice melting is that the flow rate is restored to more than 90% of the normal value.

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