Adjustable Flange Reel System for Flexible Pipe Deployment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The high cost and logistical challenges associated with manufacturing, shipping, and deploying flexible pipes are exacerbated by the need for reels or spools, which can be expensive and complex to produce, transport, and use.
Innovation Solution
A modular reel system that allows flexible pipes to be shipped and stored as coils without reels, featuring a drum with adjustable flanges and a drum modification system that accommodates different coil sizes, enabling assembly and deployment at the site, along with a flange adjustment system to secure the pipe and prevent lateral shifting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If flexible pipe is wound onto a reel for storage and transportation, then the pipe can be deployed efficiently, but the cost and logistical complexity of manufacturing and shipping reels increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reel system is divided into separate components: a drum and flanges that can be assembled at the deployment site. The flanges are further segmented into adjustable sections that can be configured to different positions. This segmentation eliminates the need to ship complete assembled reels, reducing logistical complexity while maintaining deployment efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The flanges incorporate an adjustment system with ratchets and chains that allow the distance between flanges to be dynamically changed. This dynamic adjustability enables the same reel system to accommodate different pipe diameters and deployment requirements, reducing the need for multiple specialized reels and thereby reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If traditional reels are used to store and transport flexible pipe, then pipe deployment is facilitated, but shipping and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reel into a drum and separate adjustable flanges, the system can be manufactured in modular components and shipped more efficiently. The flanges can be manufactured as flat packages that assemble into the operational position at the deployment site, reducing manufacturing and shipping costs while maintaining ease of pipe deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable flange system provides multi-functionality by accommodating different pipe diameters and deployment configurations with a single reel design. This universality eliminates the need to manufacture multiple specialized reels for different pipe sizes, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining ease of operation across various applications.
3Reliability
If fixed-distance flanges are used on reels, then pipe is secured, but adjustment for different pipe sizes is not possible
Solution Approach 1:
The flange system incorporates a dynamic adjustment mechanism with ratchets and chains that allow the distance between flanges to be changed and locked at different positions. This provides both the security of a fixed connection (through the ratchet locking mechanism) and the adaptability to accommodate different pipe sizes (through adjustable positioning).
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows changes in the geometric parameter of flange spacing to adapt to different pipe diameters. The ratchet and chain mechanism enables discrete parameter changes while maintaining secure locking, thereby achieving both reliability through secure attachment and versatility through adjustable spacing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution reduces the number of reels needed, lowers shipping costs, and simplifies the deployment process by allowing flexible pipes to be assembled into a spool at the deployment site, thereby reducing complexity and increasing efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
A ratchet that couples to the first connector with a chain or strap. The ratchet reduces a length of the chain or the strap between the first connector and the ratchet to reduce a distance between the first flange and the second flange.
Data Source
AI summary
A reel system that includes a drum that receives a coil of flexible pipe. A first flange that removably couples to a first side of the drum. A second flange that removably couples to a second side of the drum. The first flange and the second flange secure the coil of flexible pipe to the drum.