Cam-Assisted Wedge Plugging Tool for High-Pressure Pipe Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for plugging pipes under pressure, especially with high temperature liquids or gases, often fail to provide a reliable and leak-proof seal, as they either require tapping a hole or do not adequately address the structural integrity and sealing needs for high-pressure conditions.
Innovation Solution
A cam-assisted, wedge actuated, double block and bleed, metal-to-metal plugging tool system that uses toroidal collars and containment housings to create a double block and bleed seal, ensuring uninterrupted circumferential planar sealing surfaces and employing a hydraulic cylinder for precise positioning and actuation of sealing cups to achieve a metal-to-metal seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional plugging methods are used for pipes under high pressure and temperature, then the pipe can be plugged, but the seal reliability is insufficient and leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The plugging tool is divided into multiple sealing cups (first sealing cup and second sealing cup) that can be independently actuated by separate wedges. Each sealing cup creates an independent metal-to-metal seal against the pipe wall, providing redundant sealing paths that enhance reliability and prevent leakage under high pressure and temperature conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism transitions from traditional soft sealing to metal-to-metal sealing by changing the material parameter of the sealing surface. The sealing cups are designed with metal sealing faces that directly contact the pipe wall, creating a seal that can withstand extreme pressure and temperature without deforming or degrading like soft materials would.
2Strength
If a simple plugging device is used, then the device complexity is low, but the structural integrity under high pressure is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple functional components are merged into an integrated plugging tool assembly including the body, multiple sealing cups, wedges, and cam mechanisms. The wedges serve dual purposes by both pushing the sealing cups against the pipe wall and being guided by cam surfaces that control the sequencing of seal engagement. This merging reduces the number of separate actuators needed while maintaining structural integrity under high pressure.
Solution Approach 2:
The plugging tool employs dynamic cam surfaces that guide the wedges during insertion and actuation. The cam geometry changes the direction of force applied by the wedges, transforming linear insertion motion into radial sealing force. This dynamic mechanism allows a single actuation direction to control multiple sealing actions in sequence, reducing device complexity while ensuring proper sealing under high pressure conditions.
3Temperature
If metal-to-metal sealing is implemented, then the seal can withstand high temperature and pressure, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing cups are designed with slight compliance or cushioning features that allow for minor variations in pipe surface flatness and positioning. The metal sealing surfaces incorporate slight deformability or cushioning elements that compensate for manufacturing tolerances in both the pipe and sealing cup, ensuring reliable metal-to-metal sealing without requiring extremely tight manufacturing precision while still withstanding high temperature and pressure.
4Measurement precision
If a cam-assisted wedge actuation system is used, then the sealing cups are properly positioned and sealed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cam surfaces serve multiple functions: they guide the wedges during insertion, control the sequencing of sealing cup actuation, and maintain proper positioning during the sealing process. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate guidance mechanisms and positioners, thereby reducing overall device complexity while achieving precise sealing cup positioning against the pipe wall.
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
The system effectively blocks fluid flow through the pipe by creating a leak-proof metal-to-metal seal, ensuring structural integrity under high pressure and temperature conditions, allowing for the removal and reconnection of pipeline sections without leakage.
Implementation Method 1
A pair of wedge members are forced against rearward surfaces of the seal cups to simultaneously force them into metal-to-metal sealing contact with the sealing surfaces formed on the toroidal collars
Implementation Method 2
cam-assisted, wedge actuated, double block and bleed, metal-to-metal plugging tool system
Implementation Method 3
employing a hydraulic cylinder for precise positioning and actuation of sealing cups to achieve a metal-to-metal seal
Implementation Method 4
The system effectively blocks fluid flow through the pipe by creating a leak-proof metal-to-metal seal, ensuring structural integrity under high pressure and temperature conditions
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of plugging a pipe including sealably securing onto the exterior of a pipe first and second spaced apart collars, each collar having a sealing face in a plane perpendicular the pipe axis, cutting and removing a length of pipe from between the collars leaving two open pipe ends, positioning first and second seal cups between the collars, each seal cup having a forwardly extending circumferential lip of internal diameter greater than the external diameter of the pipe, each seal cup having top and bottom cam followers, moving cam surfaces against the cam followers to guide the seal cups into sealing engagement with the sealing faces of the collars, and forcing a wedge between rearward surfaces of the seal cups.