Installation and method for unwinding, protecting and rewinding a pipeline-type object

Abstract

Technique for unwinding, protecting and rewinding an elongated object (100) such as a pipe or a cable, using an installation (1) comprising two reel holders (2, 3) arranged head to tail, on either side of a sheathing equipment (4). Figure for the abstract: Fig. 3

Description

Title of the invention: Installation and method for unwinding, protecting and rewinding a pipeline-type object Technical field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of techniques for protecting elements such as buried pipes intended for the transport or distribution of a fluid or electricity.

[0002] Generally speaking, the invention can be implemented to protect any elongated object of this type which has a flexibility allowing this object to be wound, typically on a reel. State of the prior art

[0003] The patents issued under numbers EP 1 781 978 and EP 2 327 833 describe techniques for protecting pipes with a geotextile material coating.

[0004] The known techniques for protecting a buried pipeline are generally intended to carry out a sheathing operation on the site, in order to be able to bury the pipeline thus protected as the excavation and backfilling operations progress.

[0005] There is a need to reduce the handling times associated with conventional sheathing techniques. Statement of the invention

[0006] To this end, the invention relates to an installation for unrolling, protecting and rewinding an elongated object such as a pipe or a cable, comprising: - a first reel holder comprising two first drums configured to cooperate with a first reel for the purpose of mutual rotational drive, - a second reel holder comprising two second drums configured to cooperate with a second reel for the purpose of mutual rotational drive, - an actuating mechanism configured to drive at least one of said second drums in rotation, - sheathing equipment.

[0007] The installation is configured so that, in a mode of use in which the first drums cooperate with said first reel on which said object is wound and in which the second drums cooperate with said second reel, the actuating mechanism drives at least one of said second drums in rotation so as to be able to gradually unwind said object from the first reel, wrap the object thus unwound with a sheath using the sheathing equipment and wind the object thus sheathed onto the second reel.

[0008] The invention thus provides a solution allowing, during the same operation, the object to be unrolled, protected and re-rolled with its protection around a reel.

[0009] The installation is particularly suitable for implementation in a workshop, the object with its protective sheath rolled up on the reel can thus be stored and delivered to the site to be directly buried.

[0010] The invention thus makes it possible to eliminate transport and handling times for installing and removing the installation from the site, these handling times being able to be up to three times greater than the time required to sheathe the object.

[0011] By implementing the installation in the workshop, the risks of environmental pollution are further reduced.

[0012] The first drums are preferably configured to cooperate with said first reel so as to provide tangential drive.

[0013] Similarly, the second drums are preferably configured to cooperate with said second reel so as to provide tangential drive.

[0014] A tangential drive makes it possible to simplify the installation and, in particular, the structure of the reel holders which can in particular be made more compact.

[0015] In particular, each of the reel holders may comprise a simple frame carrying the two corresponding drums, forming a structure of relatively low height on which it is sufficient to place a reel.

[0016] Of course, the reel holders may include means for adjusting the position of the drums, for example in order to adapt them to reels of different dimensions.

[0017] The invention makes it possible to use the installation according to several modes of use, which can be implemented successively.

[0018] Thus, the aforementioned mode of use may be a first mode of use.

[0019] In a non-limiting manner, the installation can be used according to a second mode of use for which it is preferred that the actuating mechanism is configured to drive at least one of said first drums in rotation. In this second mode of use, the first drums cooperate with said first reel and the second drums cooperate with said second reel on which said object is wound.

[0020] In one embodiment, the installation is configured so that, in said second mode of use, the actuating mechanism drives at least one of said first drums in rotation so as to be able to progressively unwind said object of the second reel, wrap the object thus unrolled with a sheath using the sheathing equipment and wind the object thus sheathed onto the first reel.

[0021] Thus, the installation is reversible, taking into account the arrangement of the reel holders, which are thus placed head to tail.

[0022] Each of the modes of use may further comprise several phases, including, but not limited to, a first phase in which the object wound on one of the reels is unwound so as to be connected to the other reel, followed by a second phase in which the object is wound on the latter reel in the manner described above.

[0023] The first phase can be carried out by driving the reel on which the object to be protected is wound, by actuating at least one of the drums of the reel holder supporting this reel.

[0024] In one embodiment, the actuation mechanism comprises one or more motors.

[0025] Preferably, one or more of said motors is electric.

[0026] In one embodiment, the first reel holder and the second reel holder are arranged such that the first drums and the second drums have respective parallel axes of rotation.

[0027] According to a first variant embodiment, the sheathing equipment comprises a spiralizer.

[0028] According to a second variant embodiment, the sheathing equipment comprises a heat-sealing device.

[0029] These variants can be combined and the sheathing equipment can comprise, alternatively or in addition, other devices or fixing means.

[0030] According to another aspect, the invention also relates to a method for unwinding, protecting and rewinding an elongated object such as a pipe or a cable, using an installation as defined above.

[0031] Preferably, the method comprises: - a step of providing said object wound on a first reel and a sheath, - a step of arranging the first reel on the first drums of the installation, - a step of placing a second reel on the second drums of the installation, - a step of actuating at least one of said second drums using the actuating mechanism of the installation, so as to progressively unwind said object from the first reel, wrap the object thus unwound with the sheath using the sheathing equipment of the installation and wind the object thus sheathed onto the second reel.

[0032] In one embodiment, the method comprises, after said actuation step: - a step of replacing the second reel, on which the sheathed object is wound, with a third reel on which a new object to be protected is wound, - a step of actuating at least one of said first drums using said actuating mechanism, so as to progressively unwind said new object from the third reel, wrap the new object thus unwound with the sheath using the sheathing equipment and wind the new object thus sheathed onto the first reel.

[0033] In a non-limiting manner, said sheath may comprise a geotextile.

[0034] For information purposes, the sheath may conform to any of the sheath variants described in the patent issued under number EP 1 781 978.

[0035] In one embodiment, wrapping said object with the sheath comprises fixing the sheath using a spiral and / or by heat-sealing and / or by self-gripping type fixing, for example using double-sided adhesive tape.

[0036] Other advantages and characteristics of the invention will appear on reading the detailed, non-limiting description which follows. Brief description of the drawings

[0037] The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings in which: - [Fig. 1] is a schematic view of an assembly comprising on the one hand an installation according to the invention and, on the other hand, two reels, the installation comprising two reel holders arranged head to tail and sheathing equipment arranged between the reel holders, each of the reel holders comprising two drums on which a respective one of the reels is arranged; - [Fig.2] is a schematic view of the assembly of [Fig.l], in a first configuration in which one end of a cable wound on a first of said reels, located towards the left of the figure, is moved towards a second of said reels, located towards the right of the figure, by actuation of a drum supporting the first reel; - [Fig.3] is a schematic view of the assembly of [Fig.l], in a second configuration in which the cable is unwound from the first reel, protected by the sheathing equipment and wound onto the second reel by actuation of a drum supporting the second reel; - [Fig.4] is a schematic view of the whole of [Fig.l], in a third configuration which differs from that of [Fig.2] in that the cable is initially wound onto the reel located towards the right of the figure; - [Fig.5] is a schematic view of the whole of [Fig.l], in a fourth configuration which differs from that of [Fig.3] in that the cable is unwound from the reel located towards the right of the figure, protected by the sheathing equipment and wound onto the reel located towards the left of the figure by actuation of a drum supporting this latter reel. Detailed description of embodiments

[0038] An installation 1 in accordance with the invention is shown in [Fig.l].

[0039] [Fig.l] includes a reference frame indicating orthogonal directions D1, D2 and D3. In this example, direction D3 is vertical.

[0040] Installation 1 comprises reel holders 2 and 3 and sheathing equipment 4.

[0041] In this non-limiting example, the reel holder 2 comprises a frame 11, four bearings 12 (two of which are not visible in [Fig.l]) and two drums 13 and 14.

[0042] The bearings 12 are here sole bearings carried by the chassis 11.

[0043] Each of the drums 13 and 14 extends along a respective longitudinal axis A1, parallel to the direction D1, forming two ends which each cooperate with a respective one of the bearings 12.

[0044] In a manner known per se, the bearings 12 are configured to ensure rotational guidance of the drums 13 and 14 around their respective axis A1, relative to the chassis 11.

[0045] In this example, the drums 13 and 14 are sized and spaced from each other in the direction D2 so as to be able to place a reel 21 there as illustrated in [Fig.l].

[0046] The reel 21 is in this example a conventional cable reel. In a manner known per se, the reel 21 comprises a central portion 22 (shown in dotted lines in [Fig.l]) extending around an axis A2, as well as two side walls 23 (only one wall 23 being visible in [Fig.l]) spaced apart from each other along the axis A2. Each of the side walls 23 comprises a peripheral surface 24 which extends circumferentially around the axis A2. The central portion 22 and the side walls 23 are each substantially cylindrical and dimensioned such that the side walls 23 have a diameter greater than the diameter of the central portion 22.

[0047] In the configuration of [Fig.l], the side walls 23 of the reel 21 bear on the drums 13 and 14 by their peripheral surface 24, so that the axis A2 of the reel 21 is parallel, or substantially parallel, to the axis A1 of each of the drums 13 and 14.

[0048] Thus, the drums 13 and 14 cooperate with the reel 21 so as to be able to achieve mutual tangential rotational drive, in particular around the axes A1 for the drums 13 and 14 and around the axis A2 for the reel 21.

[0049] In this example, the installation 1 comprises an actuating mechanism (not shown) provided with a first electric motor having an output shaft coupled in rotation with the drum 13, in order to be able to drive the drum 13 in rotation around its axis A1.

[0050] In this example, the drums 13 and 14 are connected to each other by a transmission belt or chain (not shown) configured to transmit to the drum 14 a rotation of the drum 13.

[0051] Concerning the reel holder 3, this also comprises a frame 31, four bearings 32 and two drums 33 and 34 forming an assembly similar to the reel holder 2 and being configured to receive a reel 41 similar to the reel 21. In particular, the reel 41 also comprises a central part 42 and two side walls 43 which have a peripheral surface 44 extending circumferentially around an axis A2 of this reel 41.

[0052] The preceding description, relating to the reel holder 2 and to the reel 21, applies by analogy to the reel holder 3 and to the reel 4L.

[0053] In this example, the actuating mechanism comprises a second electric motor (not shown) having an output shaft coupled in rotation with the drum 33, in order to be able to drive the drum 33 in rotation around its axis AL.

[0054] The drums 33 and 34 are also connected to each other by a transmission belt or chain (not shown) configured to transmit to the drum 34 a rotation of the drum 33.

[0055] The installation 1 is arranged so that the reel holders 2 and 3 are arranged head to tail, on either side of the sheathing equipment 4 in the direction D2, so as to be able to wind onto the reel supported by one of these reel holders an elongated object initially wound onto a reel supported by the other reel holder (see further below).

[0056] In the example of [Fig.l], the axes A1 of the drums 13, 14, 33 and 34 are parallel, or substantially parallel.

[0057] In a non-limiting manner, the sheathing equipment 4 comprises in this example a shaping device (not shown) as well as a device called a “spiralizer” (not shown) as described in the patent issued under number EP 1 781 978. In a manner known per se, the shaping device is configured to place a sheath on an object in relative movement with respect to the shaping device, while the spiralizer is configured to fix the sheath thus placed by surrounding the sheath with one or more ribbons or with one or more wires stretched in a helix around the sheath.

[0058] The sheathing equipment 4 comprises for this purpose a reel (not shown) on which said sheath is wound.

[0059] In this example, the sheath is in the form of a strip of geotextile material.

[0060] In a non-limiting manner, this strip comprises a sheet formed from a layer of non-woven material, as defined in the aforementioned patent.

[0061] A first mode of use of the installation 1 of [Fig.l] will now be described, starting from an initial configuration in which an object to be protected, which in this example is a cable 100, is completely wound onto the reel 21.

[0062] The first mode of use comprises two phases in this example.

[0063] With reference to [Fig.2], a first phase consists of unwinding the cable 100 from the reel 21 by moving one of its ends to the reel 41 in order to secure it with this reel 41, in the manner described below.

[0064] During this first phase, the first motor is actuated to drive the drum 13 in rotation around its axis A1 in a direction of rotation RL. The rotation of the drum 13 drives, via the corresponding transmission belt or chain, the drum 14 in rotation in the same direction RL. The drums 13 and 14 thus make it possible to drive the reel 21 in rotation around its axis A2 in a direction of rotation R2 opposite to the direction RI, by tangential drive.

[0065] Such a rotation of the reel 21 makes it possible to move the cable 100 in a direction of advancement T1 along D2, directed from the reel holder 2 towards the reel holder 3, so that said end of the cable 100 reaches the reel 41 by passing through the sheathing equipment 4.

[0066] The sheathing equipment 4 is implemented so as to envelop the parts of the cable 100 which pass through it.

[0067] When the end of the cable 100 thus arrives at the level of the reel 41, with a length of unwinding from the reel 21 allowing it to be fixed to the reel 41, the rotation of the output shaft of the first motor is interrupted.

[0068] During this first phase, the guiding of the cable 100 and the fixing of its end to the reel 41 are in this example carried out manually by one or more operators.

[0069] With reference to [Fig.3], a second phase is implemented in order to wind the cable 100 sheathed by the equipment 4 onto the reel 41.

[0070] To do this, the second motor is actuated to drive the drum 33 in rotation around its axis A1 in the direction of rotation RL. The rotation of the drum 33 drives, via the corresponding transmission belt or chain, the drum 34 in rotation in the same direction RL. The drums 33 and 34 thus make it possible to drive the reel 41 in rotation around its axis A2 in the opposite direction of rotation R2, by tangential drive.

[0071] During this second phase, the drums 13 and 14 are in freewheel mode and are driven in rotation in the direction RI under the action of the rotation of the reel 21 in the direction R2.

[0072] During this operation, the reel 41 can thus pull the cable 100 in the direction of advancement T1, so as to progressively unwind it from the reel 21, wrap it in the sheath as it passes through the sheathing equipment 4, and wind the cable 100 thus sheathed onto the reel 4L.

[0073] In the first mode of use which has just been described, the reel holder 2 provides a payout or unwinding function, while the reel holder 3 provides a winding function.

[0074] A second mode of use of the installation 1 of [Fig.l] will now be described, starting from a configuration in which an object to be protected, which in this example is also a cable 200, is completely wound onto a reel 250 arranged on the reel holder 3.

[0075] In a non-limiting manner, the reel 250 can be arranged on the reel holder 3 to replace the reel 41 following an operation such as described above according to said first mode of use.

[0076] In summary, in the second mode of use, the reel holder 2 provides a winding function, while the reel holder 3 provides a reeling or unwinding function.

[0077] In this example, the second mode of use comprises two phases analogous to the two phases of the first mode of use.

[0078] Thus, with reference to [Fig.4], a first phase consists of unwinding the cable 200 from the reel 250 by moving one of its ends to the reel 21 in order to secure it with this reel 21.

[0079] During this first phase, the second motor is actuated to drive the drum 33 in rotation about its axis A1 in the direction R2. The rotation of the drum 33 drives, via the corresponding transmission belt or chain, the drum 34 in rotation in the same direction R2. The drums 33 and 34 thus make it possible to drive the reel 250 in rotation about its axis A2 in the direction R1, by tangential drive.

[0080] Such a rotation of the reel 250 makes it possible to move the cable 200 in a direction of advancement T2 along D2, opposite to the direction T1, going from the reel holder 3 towards the reel holder 2, so that said end of the cable 200 passes through the sheathing equipment 4 and reaches the reel 21.

[0081] The sheathing equipment 4 is implemented so as to envelop the parts of the cable 200 which pass through it.

[0082] When the end of the cable 200 thus arrives at the level of the reel 21, with a length of unwinding of the reel 250 allowing the cable 200 to be fixed to the reel 21, the rotation of the output shaft of the second motor is interrupted.

[0083] During this first phase, the guiding of the cable 200 and the fixing of its end to the reel 21 are carried out manually by one or more operators.

[0084] With reference to [Fig.5], the second phase makes it possible to wind the sheathed cable 200 onto the reel 21.

[0085] To do this, the first motor is actuated to drive the drum 13 in rotation about its axis A1 in the direction R2. The rotation of the drum 13 drives, via the corresponding transmission belt or chain, the drum 14 in rotation in the same direction R2. The drums 13 and 14 thus make it possible to drive the reel 21 in rotation about its axis A2 in the direction R1, by tangential drive.

[0086] During this second phase, the drums 33 and 34 are in freewheel mode and are driven in rotation in the direction R2 under the action of the rotation of the reel 250 in the direction RL.

[0087] The cable 200 is thus pulled by the reel 21 in the direction of advance T2, so as to progressively unwind it from the reel 250, envelop it in the sheath as it passes through the sheathing equipment 4, and wind the cable 200 thus sheathed onto the reel 21.

[0088] The invention thus makes it possible to sheath the cable 100, 200 by progressively winding the cable thus protected around a reel, which allows it to be stored in the form of a coil which can be delivered as is to a construction site.

[0089] Many variations can be made to the installation and to the examples of implementations which have just been described. In particular, the object to be protected can be a pipe intended to convey a fluid or more generally an elongated object capable of being rolled up.

[0090] Regarding the sheathing, the protective covering may comprise a material different from that indicated above and its fixing may be carried out by a device other than a spiral, for example using a heat-sealing device or a fixing technique using a tape, known as "Velcro" (registered trademark), double-sided.

[0091] Regarding the actuating mechanism, this may comprise one or more electric motors, as described above, which may be powered by the mains or by a generator. As an alternative non-limiting example, hydraulic actuators may be used.

[0092] The actuating mechanism may further be configured to drive one or more drums of the installation in combinations other than those described above. For example, a drum of one of the reel holders may be actuated at the same time as a drum from another reel holder, possibly using a single motor and a suitable transmission mechanism.

Claims

Claims

1. Method for unwinding, protecting and rewinding an elongated object (100) such as a pipe or a cable, using an installation (1) comprising: - a first reel (21) and a first reel holder (2) comprising two first drums (13, 14) configured to cooperate with said first reel (21) for the purpose of mutual rotational drive, - a second reel (41) and a second reel holder (3) comprising two second drums (33, 34) configured to cooperate with said second reel (41) for the purpose of mutual rotational drive, - an actuating mechanism configured to drive at least one of said second drums (33, 34) in rotation, - sheathing equipment (4) comprising a spiral and / or a heat-sealing device, the method comprising: - a step of providing said object (100) wound on said first reel (21) and a sheath comprising a geotextile, - a step of arranging the first reel (21) on the first drums (13, 14) of the installation (1), - a step of arranging said second reel (41) on the second drums (33, 34) of the installation (1), - a step of actuating at least one of said second drums (33, 34) using the actuating mechanism of the installation (1), so as to progressively unwind said object (100) from the first reel (21), wrap the object (100) thus unwound with the sheath using the sheathing equipment (4) of the installation (1) and wind the object (100) thus sheathed onto the second reel (41).

2. A method according to claim 1, comprising, after said actuating step: - a step of replacing the second reel (41), on which the sheathed object (100) is wound, with a third reel (250) on which a new object (200) to be protected is wound, - a step of actuating at least one of said first drums (13, 14) using said actuating mechanism, so as to progressively unwind said new object (200) from the third reel (250), wrap the new object (200) thus unwound with the sheath using the sheathing equipment (4) and wind the new object (200) thus sheathed onto the first reel (21).

3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein wrapping said object (100) with the sheath comprises fixing the sheath using said spiralizer and / or by heat-sealing and / or by hook-and-loop type fixing, for example using double-sided adhesive tape.

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