Buried Pipe Leak Sealing Through Porous Medium Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Leakage of water from utility pipes is a significant issue due to defects, making precise location and repair difficult, expensive, and disruptive, with existing methods risking contamination and requiring extensive excavation.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a loss control medium introduced into a pipe, conveyed to a defect, and pressurized to accumulate within a porous medium, creating a seal that inhibits fluid flow through the defect, allowing for external sealing without breaking the pipe or knowing the exact leak location.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional repair methods are used to fix pipe leaks, then the leak can be repaired, but the process requires extensive excavation and causes large disruption to the water utility network
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sealing function from traditional excavation-based repair methods. Instead of digging up and replacing pipe sections, a loss control medium is introduced into the pipe and expelled through the defect into the surrounding porous medium to create an external seal, separating the sealing operation from the pipe structure itself
Solution Approach 2:
The loss control medium acts as an intermediary substance between the pipe interior and the surrounding porous medium. It is conveyed through the pipe, expelled through the defect, and accumulates in the porous medium to form a sealing barrier, mediating the seal without requiring direct access to or modification of the pipe structure
2Reliability
If traditional repair methods are used to fix pipe leaks, then the leak can be repaired, but the process is difficult and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The loss control medium performs multiple functions automatically as it is conveyed through the pipe: it travels to the defect location, is expelled through the defect into the porous medium, accumulates to form a seal, and inhibits further leakage. This self-service approach eliminates the need for manual excavation, defect location, and complex repair procedures
Solution Approach 2:
The loss control medium serves multiple purposes: it acts as a conveying fluid, a sealing material, and a leakage inhibitor. This multi-functionality consolidates what would traditionally require multiple separate operations (excavation, defect identification, sealant application, backfilling) into a single integrated process
3Reliability
If traditional repair methods are used to fix pipe leaks, then the leak can be repaired, but there is risk of contamination of the pipe being repaired
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of introducing sealant material into the pipe from the exterior (which risks contamination), the invention inverts the approach by expelling the loss control medium from the pipe interior through the defect into the surrounding porous medium. The sealing action occurs externally, eliminating the risk of contaminating the pipe interior with sealant materials
4Reliability
If the pipe is dug up and replaced to repair leaks, then the leak can be fixed, but extensive excavation is required causing large disruption
Solution Approach 1:
The invention skips the time-consuming steps of excavation, defect location, and traditional repair procedures. The loss control medium is rapidly conveyed through the pipe and expelled through the defect to create an immediate seal, rushing through the repair process in a single operation that eliminates hours or days of excavation work
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 method effectively seals leaks quickly and minimally invasively, reducing contamination risks and avoiding the need for extensive excavation, while being applicable to buried pipes, thus addressing the challenges of leakage in utility pipes.
Implementation Method 1
applying a pressure to the loss control medium such that at least a portion of the loss control medium is expelled from the pipe through the defect into the porous medium
Implementation Method 2
causing the loss control medium to accumulate within the porous medium in the vicinity of the defect which inhibits flow of a liquid through the defect
Data Source
AI summary
A method of inhibiting leakage of a fluid through a defect (4) in a wall of a pipe (2), comprising the steps: introducing a loss control medium (30) into a first portion of a pipe (2); conveying the loss control medium (30) along the pipe from the first portion to a second portion of the pipe, wherein the second portion is embedded in a porous medium and has a defect (4) through which fluid conveyed by the pipe during normal use leaks into the porous medium; and applying a pressure to the loss control medium (30) such that at least a portion of the loss control medium (30) is expelled from the pipe through the defect (4) into the porous medium thereby causing the loss control medium to accumulate within the porous medium in the vicinity of the defect which inhibits flow of a liquid through the defect into the porous medium.