A detachable refrigeration clamp for water pipe freezing repair

Abstract

This invention discloses a detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes, belonging to the field of HVAC maintenance. It includes left and right shells, each with a semi-circular structure that closes to form a ring-shaped covering. The inner wall of the shell has circumferential refrigerant channels and inlet / outlet ports, and the inner surface has a high thermal conductivity and cold conductivity contact layer. An insulation layer is provided on the outer side of the channels. The joint has a flexible locking assembly, including a flexible buckle, a locking hook, and multiple locking grooves. An elastic cold conductivity sealing gasket is also provided on the inner surface. This clamp achieves rapid assembly and disassembly and adapts to various pipe diameters through the elastic deformation of the flexible locking mechanism and multiple locking positions. Combined with the cold conductivity contact layer and sealing gasket, it improves fit and heat exchange efficiency, and can quickly form a stable ice plug without shutting down the system. It is suitable for the maintenance of air conditioning chilled water and industrial cooling water systems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of HVAC maintenance technology, and in particular to a water pipe freezing device for performing maintenance operations under pressurized conditions. Specifically, it is a detachable, double-lobed external clamp water pipe refrigeration clamp, suitable for air conditioning chilled water systems, industrial cooling water systems, and other scenarios requiring on-site freezing and sealing of fluid pipelines. Background Technology

[0002] In the HVAC systems of large buildings, chilled water systems of data centers, and industrial cooling circulation systems, water pipes typically maintain a continuous flow. When maintenance, replacement, or modification of air conditioning units, valves, heat exchangers, or specific pipe sections is required, traditional methods often necessitate shutting down, depressurizing, and draining the entire system. However, large chilled water systems are characterized by large circulating water volumes, complex pipe topologies, and high static and dynamic pressures. Draining these systems is not only time-consuming and severely impacts continuous system operation but also results in significant energy waste and increased maintenance costs. Therefore, on-site pipe freezing technology is widely adopted. This technology rapidly and locally cools the outer wall of the target pipe section, causing the water inside to form a dense "ice blockage" within a short time. This physically isolates the pipe, allowing maintenance personnel to safely carry out downstream operations without shutting down the system or draining the pipe.

[0003] Existing external clamp-on pipe freezing devices typically consist of two semi-circular shells joined together, with internal channels for the flow of refrigerant or cryogenic coolant. The clamps are secured to the outer wall of the pipe using bolts, clamps, or heavy-duty mechanical fasteners, and the cold energy is transferred to the water inside the pipe through the contact between the shell and the pipe wall. While such devices meet the basic requirements for on-site freezing to a certain extent, long-term engineering practice has revealed numerous structural defects in the existing technology, which limit the reliability, efficiency, and economy of freezing operations.

[0004] Existing freezing clamps mostly use rigid integral structures or fixed-size semi-shell molds, with a fixed radius of curvature for their internal cavities, which can only match a single or a very limited number of pipe sizes. When the pipe diameter changes on-site, the entire clamp set must be replaced, resulting in maintenance units needing to keep multiple sets of clamps of different sizes on hand, leading to high equipment redundancy and significantly increased maintenance costs. More importantly, the rigid shell lacks radial flexibility compensation capability. Even if the nominal pipe diameter matches, uncontrollable gaps can still easily appear between the shell and the pipe wall when faced with pipe manufacturing tolerances, ellipticity deviations, or local surface irregularities, making it impossible to form an effective contact surface.

[0005] Traditional clamps generally rely on bolt tightening, clamping, or heavy-duty clips for mechanical locking. The operation is cumbersome, requiring multiple tools to tighten each component individually in confined machine rooms or densely packed pipework. Each clamping operation is time-consuming, making it difficult to meet the stringent time requirements of emergency repairs. Furthermore, some locking mechanisms excessively compress the rigid housing in pursuit of a tight seal. When there are deviations in pipe diameter or misalignment of the housing, severe stress concentration occurs at the junction of the latch and the housing, easily leading to bolt deformation, housing cracking, or thread stripping, significantly reducing the clamp's cycle life.

[0006] Because the existing shell is a rigid metal structure, its inner surface cannot adapt to the microscopic morphology of the pipe wall, easily leading to the formation of localized air gaps between the shell and the pipe wall after assembly. The extremely high thermal resistance of air severely hinders the conduction of refrigerant cooling to the water inside the pipe, resulting in slow freezing, prolonged ice blockage formation time, and even the formation of unevenly distributed "weak freezing zones" around the pipe wall, making it impossible to establish a reliable ice block seal. While some existing technologies attempt to add a soft padding layer inside the shell, the low thermal conductivity of the padding material actually creates a new thermal resistance barrier, failing to fundamentally resolve the contradiction between "fitting" and "cooling conduction."

[0007] Existing clamp-on freezing devices often neglect or simplify insulation design; some products simply wrap the outer surface of the casing with insulation cotton, or even leave it completely exposed. During the refrigeration process, a large amount of cold energy is directly lost to the surrounding ambient air, which not only increases the reactive load of the refrigeration unit and raises energy consumption, but also prolongs the nucleation and growth time of ice plugs. Especially in high-temperature computer room environments, ineffective cold energy loss has become a prominent bottleneck restricting freezing efficiency.

[0008] Traditional clamps often use ordinary rubber or general-purpose plastics for their sealing or locking components. These materials harden and become brittle rapidly at temperatures of tens of degrees below zero Celsius, leading to failure of elastic seals, breakage of latches, or detachment of jaws. This poses a safety hazard as the clamp may accidentally come loose during freezing.

[0009] Some existing products use a simple single-channel straight line or local loop design for the refrigerant flow channel, which concentrates the cooling capacity near the inlet and outlet. It is difficult to achieve uniform coverage along the circumference of the pipe wall, resulting in uneven ice plug thickness, insufficient strength, and even the risk of local overfreezing cracking of the pipe wall after prolonged freezing.

[0010] In summary, existing external clamp-type water pipe freezing devices have significant shortcomings in terms of pipe diameter adaptability, ease of installation and disassembly, shell sealing, cold energy transfer efficiency, thermal insulation performance, low-temperature material durability, and flow channel uniformity. The industry urgently needs a new type of detachable refrigeration clamp that can be quickly installed and disassembled, adaptable to various pipe diameters, combines high thermal conductivity for a tight fit with effective thermal insulation, and maintains structural stability and reliable locking at low temperatures. This would address the structural deficiencies of existing technologies in terms of applicability, efficiency, and durability. Summary of the Invention

[0011] The purpose of this invention is to address the technical problems of existing water pipe freezing devices, such as poor adaptability, low installation efficiency, insufficient fit between the shell and the pipe wall leading to low freezing efficiency, and easy damage to the locking structure. This invention proposes a detachable, double-lobed external clamp water pipe refrigeration clamp with flexible compensation function, suitable for various pipe diameters. This clamp aims to provide a portable freezing device for maintenance of air conditioning chilled water systems and other circulating water systems without shutting down the system or draining water. Through structural innovation, it achieves comprehensive performance advantages such as reliable structure, convenient installation, wide adaptability, and high freezing efficiency, thereby meeting the needs of various application scenarios such as computer room maintenance, building HVAC system operation, and on-site maintenance of industrial circulating cooling systems.

[0012] To achieve the above objectives and technical effects, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: A detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes includes: a first half-shell and a second half-shell, both being semi-circular rigid structures that, when closed, form an annular covering structure for enclosing the outer wall of the water pipe; a refrigerant flow channel disposed on the inner wall of the first and second half-shells and extending circumferentially; a refrigerant inlet and a refrigerant outlet disposed on the first and / or second half-shells and respectively connected to the refrigerant flow channel; a heat-conducting contact layer disposed on the inner surface of the first and second half-shells on the side closest to the water pipe, the heat-conducting contact layer being made of a high thermal conductivity metal material and forming a heat conduction path with the refrigerant flow channel; and an insulation layer disposed on the side of the refrigerant flow channel away from the water pipe. A flexible locking assembly is disposed at the junction of the first and second half-shells. The flexible locking assembly includes a flexible buckle, a locking hook, and a locking groove. The flexible buckle is disposed on the first half-shell, the locking groove is disposed on the second half-shell, and the locking hook is disposed at the end of the flexible buckle and engages with the locking groove. The flexible buckle is made of a low-temperature resistant elastic material, undergoes elastic deformation during locking, and rebounds after engagement, keeping the two shells locked. A sealing gasket is disposed on the inner surface of the first and second half-shells. The sealing gasket is made of an elastic, heat-conducting material and is used to fill the gap between the shell and the outer wall of the water pipe in the locked state. Further, the heat-conducting contact layer is made of copper or aluminum. Further, the refrigerant flow channel has a spiral, serpentine, or continuous annular structure, uniformly distributed along the inner walls of the first and second half-shells.

[0013] Furthermore, the insulation layer is made of polyurethane foam or rubber-plastic insulation material.

[0014] Furthermore, the flexible buckle is made of a low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer material.

[0015] Furthermore, the locking groove is provided with multiple snap-fit ​​positions, forming a multi-position locking structure.

[0016] Furthermore, the first and second half-shells are made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or high-strength engineering plastics.

[0017] Furthermore, the sealing gasket has an annular structure.

[0018] This invention provides a detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes. Through a combination of a rigid shell structure and a flexible locking structure, the clamp not only possesses high structural strength and cold air transfer efficiency, but also significant flexibility, enabling rapid adaptation to water pipes of different diameters. Specifically, it offers the following advantages: The invention features a highly adaptable structure. The flexible locking assembly automatically compensates for pipe diameter deviations, allowing the device to be used with various pipe diameters without replacing the housing. The two-part structure and quick-locking flexible locking mechanism enable operators to quickly install and disassemble the device in confined spaces, improving emergency maintenance efficiency. The combination of a high-conductivity liner and a flexible contact layer further enhances the fit between the housing and the pipe wall, while also improving freezing speed and ice plug quality. The invention has a wide range of applications and can be widely used in on-site maintenance and repair of fluid pipelines in non-HVAC fields such as air conditioning water systems and industrial cooling water systems.

[0019] This invention employs two semi-circular rigid shells joined together to form a ring-shaped covering structure, and a flexible buckle assembly made of low-temperature resistant elastic material is set at the joint, which engages with a multi-position locking groove. This replaces the traditional bolt fastening method, thereby enabling the clamp to be quickly assembled and disassembled in narrow spaces. At the same time, by utilizing the elastic deformation of the flexible buckle during the locking process and the rebound compensation capability after snapping, combined with the multi-position locking structure formed by multiple snapping positions in the locking groove, the same set of clamps can adaptively adapt to water pipes of various outer diameters. This eliminates the need to prepare multiple sets of fixed-size clamps, significantly reducing equipment inventory and maintenance costs, and avoiding stress concentration damage to the shell or buckle caused by rigid compression.

[0020] Furthermore, a heat-conducting contact layer made of high thermal conductivity metal is installed on the inner wall of the shell near the water pipe. This layer works in conjunction with an elastic heat-conducting sealing gasket, allowing the sealing gasket to elastically compress and deform in the locked state to adaptively fill the microscopic gap between the shell and the pipe wall. This eliminates the additional thermal resistance caused by air gaps and establishes a low-thermal-resistance continuous heat transfer path through the high thermal conductivity metal contact layer. Combined with refrigerant channels that are evenly distributed in a spiral, serpentine, or continuous ring shape along the inner wall, and a polyurethane foam or rubber-plastic insulation layer located on the side of the channels away from the water pipe, the cold energy can be uniformly and efficiently transferred to the water in the pipe circumferentially, while significantly suppressing the loss of cold energy to the environment. This greatly shortens the freezing time, reduces the ineffective power consumption of the refrigeration unit, and ensures that the ice plug has a consistent thickness and uniform strength in the 360° circumferential direction. In addition, the flexible buckle made of low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer material maintains its flexibility and elastic recovery ability under deep freezing conditions, effectively preventing locking loosening or sealing failure caused by low-temperature embrittlement, and ensuring structural safety and operational reliability throughout the freezing process.

[0021] In summary, this invention has significant advantages in terms of structural design, ease of operation, scope of application, and freezing efficiency, and solves many shortcomings of the prior art, thus possessing good engineering application value and promising prospects for promotion. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes, provided by an embodiment of the present invention. In the picture: 1-Left housing; 2-Right housing; 3-Refrigerant flow channel; 4-Flexible locking assembly; 41-Flexible buckle; 42-Locking hook; 43-Locking groove; 44-Multi-position locking; 5-Refrigerant inlet; 6-Refrigerant return port; 7-Cooling contact layer; 8-Insulation layer; 9-Sealing gasket. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention and do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention. Without departing from the technical concept of the present invention, those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions, all of which should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] A detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes includes a left housing 1 and a right housing 2. Both the left housing 1 and the right housing 2 are semi-circular rigid structures, which, when closed, form an annular covering structure for covering the outer wall of the water pipe. During operation, the left housing 1 and the right housing 2 align and hug the outer wall of the pipe section to be frozen, forming a rigid support frame. This provides a stable installation reference and mechanical protection for the internal refrigeration components, and ensures that the clamp as a whole maintains structural integrity under internal pressure and external collision conditions, avoiding interruption of the cold energy transfer path due to housing deformation.

[0025] The refrigerant flow channel 3 is located on the inner wall of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 and extends circumferentially. During operation, the low-temperature refrigerant or heat transfer fluid continuously circulates in the refrigerant flow channel 3, distributing the cooling capacity circumferentially along the pipe wall. This avoids local overcooling and circumferential temperature difference caused by traditional single-point cooling, allowing the pipe wall to cool down synchronously in all directions, shortening the ice plug nucleation time and improving the circumferential uniformity of the ice plug.

[0026] The refrigerant inlet 5 and refrigerant return outlet 6 are located on the left housing 1 and / or the right housing 2, and are respectively connected to the refrigerant flow channel 3. During operation, the refrigerant inlet 5 and refrigerant return outlet 6 are connected to a mobile refrigeration unit or liquid nitrogen supply device to form a closed low-temperature medium circulation loop, thereby ensuring a continuous and stable input and return of the cold source, maintaining a constant low-temperature field inside the fixture for a long time, and meeting the requirements of ice plug stability for long-term maintenance of large-scale chilled water systems.

[0027] A heat-conducting contact layer 7 is disposed on the inner surface of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 near the water pipe. The heat-conducting contact layer 7 is made of a high thermal conductivity metal material and forms a heat conduction path with the refrigerant flow channel 3. During operation, the cold energy in the refrigerant flow channel 3 is first conducted to the high thermal conductivity metal heat-conducting contact layer 7, and then directly transferred to the pipe wall through its large-area contact surface. In this way, the extremely low thermal resistance of the metal material is utilized to efficiently and quickly conduct the cold energy in the flow channel to the water in the pipe, significantly shortening the freezing time and avoiding the additional thermal resistance caused by the non-metallic interface layer.

[0028] The insulation layer 8 is located on the side of the refrigerant flow channel 3 away from the water pipe. During operation, the insulation layer 8 thermally isolates the refrigerant flow channel 3 from the external ambient air, thereby effectively suppressing the unnecessary loss of cold energy to the computer room environment, reducing the ineffective power consumption of the refrigeration unit, and preventing condensation or icing on the outer surface of the casing, improving on-site operational safety and reducing energy waste.

[0029] A flexible locking assembly 4 is disposed at the junction of the left housing 1 and the right housing 2. The flexible locking assembly 4 includes a flexible buckle 41, a locking hook 42, and a locking groove 43. The flexible buckle 41 is disposed on the left housing 1, the locking groove 43 is disposed on the right housing 2, and the locking hook 42 is disposed at the end of the flexible buckle 41 and engages with the locking groove 43. The flexible buckle 41 is made of a low-temperature resistant elastic material, which undergoes elastic deformation during locking and rebounds after engagement, allowing the left housing 1 and right housing 2 to engage. Body 2 remains locked; during operation, the operator only needs to stretch the flexible buckle 41 with one hand and engage the locking hook 42 into the locking groove 43 to quickly engage and lock the left housing 1 and the right housing 2. The flexible buckle 41 undergoes elastic deformation during stretching to overcome the difference in pipe diameter. After engagement, the material rebound force automatically compensates for the locking gap, thereby eliminating the tedious steps of tightening bolts one by one, greatly improving the efficiency of assembly and disassembly in narrow spaces, and ensuring that the buckle does not become brittle and break under low temperature conditions, maintaining reliable mechanical locking force.

[0030] A sealing gasket 9 is disposed on the inner surface of the left housing 1 and the right housing 2. The sealing gasket 9 is made of an elastic, heat-conducting material and is used to fill the gap between the left housing 1, the right housing 2 and the outer wall of the water pipe when locked. During operation, as the flexible locking assembly 4 is tightened and pressurized, the sealing gasket 9 undergoes elastic compression deformation and tightly fits the micro-concave and convex surfaces of the pipe wall, thereby adaptively filling the local gaps caused by pipe diameter tolerance, ellipticity or surface roughness, eliminating thermal resistance caused by air gaps. At the same time, because it has heat-conducting properties, it does not hinder the transfer of cold energy while sealing, ensuring that a continuous contact surface with low thermal resistance is formed between the left housing 1, the right housing 2 and the pipe wall.

[0031] Furthermore, the cooling contact layer 7 is made of copper or aluminum; during operation, the copper or aluminum material, with its extremely high thermal conductivity, rapidly diffuses the cold energy of the refrigerant to the entire cooling contact layer 7, thereby further reducing the temperature gradient of the cooling contact layer 7 itself, making the circumferential cooling of the pipe wall more synchronized, improving freezing efficiency and reducing the risk of stress cracks caused by uneven cooling inside the ice plug.

[0032] Furthermore, the refrigerant flow channel 3 has a spiral, serpentine, or continuous annular structure, and is evenly distributed along the inner walls of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2. During operation, the low-temperature medium flows evenly through each area of ​​the inner wall of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 along the spiral or serpentine path, thereby achieving a uniform distribution of cooling capacity over the entire coverage arc length. This avoids the dead zones of temperature difference between the inlet and outlet caused by the traditional single-channel structure, ensuring that the ice plug has a consistent thickness in the 360° circumferential direction of the pipe wall, forming a high-strength uniform sealing barrier.

[0033] Furthermore, the insulation layer 8 is made of polyurethane foam or rubber-plastic insulation material; during execution, the polyurethane foam or rubber-plastic material forms an efficient insulation barrier on the outside of the shell with its closed-cell structure and low thermal conductivity, thereby significantly reducing the rate of cold loss from the outer surface of the fixture and reducing the load on the refrigeration unit. At the same time, the material's own low-temperature resistance ensures that the insulation performance of the insulation layer 8 does not decrease under deep freezing conditions.

[0034] Furthermore, the flexible buckle 41 is made of a low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer material; during operation, the thermoplastic elastomer maintains rubber-like flexibility and elastic recovery ability in a low-temperature environment of tens of degrees below zero Celsius, thereby ensuring that the buckle continuously provides a stable radial clamping force throughout the entire process of ice plug formation and the subsequent low-temperature maintenance stage, avoiding locking loosening or sealing failure due to material hardening.

[0035] Furthermore, the locking groove 43 is provided with multiple snap-fit ​​positions, forming a multi-position locking position 44; during execution, the locking hook 42 can select different depth snap-fit ​​positions according to the pipe diameter on site, so as to achieve adaptive locking of multiple pipe diameters through a single component without changing the fixture, thereby expanding the applicability of a single set of fixtures and reducing equipment inventory and maintenance costs.

[0036] Furthermore, the left housing 1 and the right housing 2 are made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel or high-strength engineering plastics. During operation, aluminum alloy or engineering plastics provide a lightweight solution, which is convenient for one-handed operation at height or in narrow spaces, while stainless steel is suitable for harsh computer room environments with high humidity and high corrosion. Thus, by selecting materials, the fixture can balance portability and durability, and extend its service life in the field.

[0037] Furthermore, the sealing gasket 9 has an annular structure; during execution, the annular sealing gasket 9 forms a 360° continuous sealing band along the circumference of the pipe wall after the left housing 1 and the right housing 2 are closed, thereby eliminating the possible seam gaps of the segmented gasket, ensuring that there are no cold leakage channels along the entire encapsulation arc length, and realizing uniform and seamless cold transfer and mechanical bonding in the entire circumference.

[0038] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes, comprising a left housing 1 and a right housing 2. Both the left housing 1 and the right housing 2 are semi-circular rigid structures, forming a complete annular clamping structure when closed, used to cover the outer wall of the water pipe to be frozen. The left housing 1 and the right housing 2 can be made of materials with good mechanical strength and low-temperature performance, such as aluminum alloy, stainless steel, or high-strength engineering plastics, to ensure structural stability in low-temperature environments and in the locked state.

[0039] Both the left and right shells 1 and 2 have annular refrigerant channels 3 arranged circumferentially on their inner walls. These channels are distributed along the inner walls of the shells and can be spiral, serpentine, or continuous annular structures, ensuring uniform refrigerant flow within the fixture and creating a stable and consistent low-temperature region along the entire circumference. The refrigerant channels 3 are connected to a refrigerant inlet 5 and a refrigerant return port 6 located on the outer side of the shells. These ports are used to connect to external refrigeration equipment, allowing for continuous input and circulation of the low-temperature refrigerant.

[0040] A heat-conducting contact layer 7 is provided on the inner surface of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 near the water pipe. The heat-conducting contact layer 7 is made of copper, aluminum or other high thermal conductivity metal material and forms a good heat conduction path with the refrigerant flow channel 3 to improve the heat exchange efficiency between the clamp and the outer wall of the water pipe. Through this heat-conducting contact layer 7, the low temperature in the refrigerant flow channel can be quickly conducted to the outer wall of the water pipe, shortening the freezing time.

[0041] An insulation layer 8 is provided on the outside of the refrigerant flow channel 3, on the side of the shell away from the water pipe. The insulation layer 8 can be made of polyurethane foam, rubber and plastic insulation material or other materials with low thermal conductivity, in order to reduce the loss of cold energy to the external environment, thereby improving the refrigeration efficiency and reducing energy loss.

[0042] To achieve rapid assembly and reliable locking of the left and right shells, this embodiment provides a flexible locking assembly 4 on the outer sides of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2. The flexible locking assembly 4 includes a flexible buckle 4-1, a locking hook 4-2, and a corresponding locking groove 4-3. The flexible buckle 4-1 is made of a low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer material, capable of elastic deformation during locking. By pressing the locking hook 4-2 into the corresponding locking groove 4-3, the flexible buckle 4-1 rebounds after elastic deformation, achieving reliable locking of the left and right shells.

[0043] In practical implementation, the flexible locking assembly 4 can be configured as a multi-position locking structure, that is, multiple snap-fit ​​positions are set in the locking groove 4-3, so that the clamp can adapt to water pipes with different outer diameters under different locking positions. Through the elastic compensation capability of the flexible locking, it can automatically adapt to the manufacturing tolerances or surface unevenness of the water pipe outer diameter, and avoid stress concentration or structural damage to the shell or locking components due to forced compression.

[0044] In some embodiments, an annular sealing gasket 9 may also be provided on the inner surfaces of the left shell 1 and the right shell 2. The sealing gasket 9 is made of a heat-conducting material with a certain elasticity. When locked, it can fill the tiny gap between the shell and the outer wall of the water pipe, further improving the fit and enhancing the heat exchange effect.

[0045] In actual use, the operator places the left housing 1 and right housing 2 on either side of the water pipe to be frozen, and engages them using the flexible locking assembly 4, forming a complete ring structure that is fixed to the outer wall of the water pipe. Then, low-temperature refrigerant is introduced into the refrigerant channel 3 through the refrigerant inlet 5, causing the temperature of the inner wall of the housing to drop rapidly. This cold air is then conducted to the outer wall of the water pipe through the cold-conducting contact layer 7, causing the fluid inside the water pipe to gradually freeze in a localized area, forming an ice block. Once the ice block has formed, maintenance work can be performed on the downstream pipes, valves, or equipment. After the work is completed, the refrigerant input is stopped, the clamps are removed, the ice block melts naturally, and the system returns to normal operation.

[0046] In another embodiment, a detachable refrigeration clamp is provided for non-stop maintenance of air conditioning chilled water systems with pipe diameters of DN50~DN100. Both the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 are die-cast from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy. The half-shell wall thickness is 8mm, and the inner diameter of the semicircle is designed to be 110mm based on the maximum compatible pipe diameter of 100mm, to allow for compression space for the sealing gasket 9. The cold-conducting contact layer 7 is made of 3mm thick T2 copper plate, which is bonded to the inner wall of the shell with thermally conductive silicone grease and then fixed with countersunk screws. The inner surface of the copper plate is machined to a surface roughness Ra of no more than 1.6μm to ensure a tight fit with the outer wall of the water pipe. The refrigerant flow channel 3 adopts a serpentine groove structure milled on the inner wall of the shell. The groove cross-section is 10mm wide and 8mm deep. A copper plate is sealed above the groove by vacuum brazing to form a closed flow channel. The total unfolded length of the serpentine flow channel is approximately 1.2m, ensuring uniform distribution of cooling capacity along the circumference of the pipe wall. The insulation layer 8 is made of closed-cell polyurethane foam, filled between the outer side of the refrigerant channel 3 and the outer wall of the shell through a molding foaming process. It has a thickness of 20mm and a thermal conductivity of no more than 0.024W / (m·K). Two sets of flexible locking components 4 are provided, located on both sides of the shell joint. The flexible buckle 41 is made of low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer TPE-S material, with a width of 25mm and a thickness of 4mm. Its effective tensile length is 30mm, and it maintains an elongation at break greater than 200% even at -50℃. The locking groove 43 has four multi-position locking positions 44 along its depth direction, corresponding to locking requirements for pipe diameters of 50mm, 65mm, 80mm, and 100mm, with a spacing of 5mm between adjacent positions. The sealing gasket 9 is made of aluminum foil composite silicone rubber gasket with a Shore hardness of 40A and a thickness of 5mm. It maintains a thermal conductivity of no less than 1.5W / (m·K) even at a 20% compression rate.

[0047] In actual use, the operator selects the corresponding locking position according to the outer diameter of the water pipe on site. After aligning the left housing 1 and the right housing 2, the flexible buckle 41 is stretched so that the locking hook 42 is engaged in the multi-position locking position 44 corresponding to the pipe diameter in the locking groove 43. Taking a DN80 water pipe as an example, when the locking hook 42 is engaged in the third position, the flexible buckle 41 generates an elastic elongation of about 15mm. The rebound force causes the sealing gasket 9 to undergo a 20%~25% compression deformation, tightly adhering to the outer wall of the water pipe. The external mobile refrigeration unit supplies R404A refrigerant at a temperature of -40℃ to the refrigerant flow channel 3 through the refrigerant inlet 5. After circulating through the serpentine flow channel, it returns through the refrigerant return port 6. Under the high thermal conductivity of the cold-conducting contact layer 7, the outer wall of the DN80 steel pipe cools from room temperature to below -5°C within 3-5 minutes, and the chilled water flowing inside the pipe at a velocity of 1.5 m / s forms a dense ice plug approximately 150 mm in length within 8-12 minutes. Due to the heat insulation effect of the insulation layer 8, the outer surface temperature of the shell remains above 5°C, with no condensation. The power consumption of the refrigeration unit is reduced by approximately 30% compared to a structure without insulation. After maintenance, cooling is stopped and the flexible locking assembly 4 is unlocked. The left shell 1 and right shell 2 can be disassembled within 10 seconds, and the ice plug melts naturally within 5-8 minutes, restoring the system to normal operation. This embodiment verifies that the clamp, through parametric design within the medium-diameter range, can achieve rapid assembly and disassembly, adaptability to various pipe diameters, and efficient freezing.

[0048] In another embodiment, a detachable refrigeration clamp is provided for large industrial cooling water circulation systems with pipe diameters ranging from DN150 to DN250. Unlike Embodiment 2, in this embodiment, the left shell 1 and right shell 2 are made of 304 stainless steel sheet, bent and welded, with a wall thickness of 12mm to withstand the high internal water pressure and external mechanical impact of large pipelines. The cold-conducting contact layer 7 is made of 5mm thick 1060 pure aluminum sheet, connected to the inner wall of the shell by laser welding, and the inner surface of the aluminum sheet is polished. The refrigerant flow channel 3 adopts a spiral structure with a pitch of 30mm, a circular cross-section, and an inner diameter of 15mm. A semi-circular groove is directly machined into the inner wall of the shell and then welded and sealed to a stainless steel cover plate. The total number of spiral turns is 6, ensuring a 360° uniform coverage of the low-temperature medium on the inner wall of the shell. To meet the locking force requirements of large-diameter shells, three sets of flexible locking components 4 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the shell. The width of each set of flexible buckle straps 41 is increased to 35mm, and the thickness is 5mm. The locking groove 43 has three multi-position locking positions 44, corresponding to pipe diameters of 150mm, 200mm, and 250mm respectively. The sealing gasket 9 is an integral annular structure, made of silicone rubber matrix uniformly filled with aluminum powder, with an embedded stainless steel skeleton to enhance the pressure resistance. It is 8mm thick and can fill the macroscopic gaps on the surface of large-diameter pipes under pressure, while maintaining axial heat conduction capacity through the metal filler. The insulation layer 8 adopts a composite structure of rubber and plastic insulation cotton and outer aluminum skin, with a total thickness of 30mm, and is fixed to the outside of the shell by buckles.

[0049] In practical use, taking a DN200 industrial cooling water pipe as an example, three sets of flexible locking components 4 operate simultaneously. The operator sequentially stretches each flexible buckle 41 and engages the locking hook 42 into the second position of the locking groove 43. The synchronous tightening of the three sets of locking components ensures that the left shell 1 and the right shell 2 are subjected to balanced forces in the circumferential direction, avoiding shell tilting caused by single-point tightening. After tightening, the sealing gasket 9 generates uniform radial compression, and the cold-conducting contact layer 7 made of pure aluminum plate forms a large-area low-thermal-resistance contact with the pipe wall. The external refrigeration equipment delivers a -50°C low-temperature ethylene glycol solution to the spiral refrigerant channel 3 through the refrigerant inlet 5. Due to the uniform distribution characteristics of the spiral channel 3, the circumferential temperature difference of the DN200 steel pipe is controlled within 3°C. The static or low-speed flowing cooling water inside the pipe forms a high-strength ice plug with a length of about 200mm within 15~20 minutes. The composite structure of the insulation layer 8 and the outer aluminum skin reduces the rate of cold loss from the outer surface of the clamp by approximately 45% compared to the bare metal shell, significantly reducing the refrigeration load during the freezing process of large-diameter pipes. This embodiment demonstrates that by increasing the shell wall thickness, employing multiple sets of evenly distributed flexible locking assemblies 4, and an integral annular sealing gasket 9, this clamp can be reliably extended to a range of large industrial pipe diameters, maintaining structural strength while still offering the advantages of rapid assembly / disassembly and efficient freezing.

Claims

1. A detachable refrigeration clamp for repairing frozen water pipes, characterized in that, include: The first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2) are both semi-circular rigid structures, which, when closed, form an annular covering structure for covering the outer wall of the water pipe; a refrigerant channel (3) is provided on the inner wall of the first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2) and extends circumferentially; a refrigerant inlet (5) and a refrigerant outlet (6) are provided on the first half-shell (1) and / or the second half-shell (2) and are respectively connected to the refrigerant channel (3); a heat-conducting contact layer (7) is provided on the inner surface of the first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2) near the water pipe, the heat-conducting contact layer (7) is made of a high thermal conductivity metal material and forms a heat conduction path with the refrigerant channel (3); an insulation layer (8) is provided on the side of the refrigerant channel (3) away from the water pipe; A flexible locking assembly (4) is disposed at the junction of the first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2); the flexible locking assembly (4) includes a flexible buckle (41), a locking hook (42) and a locking groove (43). The flexible buckle (41) is disposed on the first half-shell (1), the locking groove (43) is disposed on the second half-shell (2), and the locking hook (42) is disposed at the end of the flexible buckle (41) and engages with the locking groove (43); the flexible buckle (41) is made of a low-temperature resistant elastic material, which undergoes elastic deformation during the locking process and rebounds after engagement, keeping the two shells locked; and a sealing gasket (9) is disposed on the inner surface of the first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2). The sealing gasket (9) is made of an elastic, heat-conducting material and is used to fill the gap between the shell and the outer wall of the water pipe in the locked state.

2. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cooling contact layer (7) is made of copper or aluminum.

3. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The refrigerant flow channel (3) has a spiral, serpentine or continuous ring structure and is evenly distributed along the inner wall of the first half shell (1) and the second half shell (2).

4. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulation layer (8) is made of polyurethane foam or rubber and plastic insulation material.

5. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible buckle (41) is made of a low-temperature resistant thermoplastic elastomer material.

6. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The locking groove (43) has multiple snap-fit ​​positions, forming a multi-position locking structure (44).

7. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first half-shell (1) and the second half-shell (2) are made of aluminum alloy, stainless steel or high-strength engineering plastic.

8. The refrigeration clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing gasket (9) has an annular structure.

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