Chilled Hazardous Fluids for Pipeline Safety

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Solution Overview

Problem

The storage and transport of hazardous fluid substances pose risks due to potential or actual damage to persons, equipment, or the environment, as fluids can disseminate rapidly and lead to detonation or ignition, resulting in explosions or fires, which existing methods fail to adequately mitigate.

Innovation Solution

Freezing or chilling hazardous fluids to increase their stability, reduce fluidity, and minimize risks by using chilled or frozen fuels in pipelines and storage facilities, with controlled valve systems to manage breaches and emergencies, and employing refrigeration units and conveyance devices for safe transport and storage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If hazardous fluids are stored and transported in liquid state, then ease of transport and flow is improved, but risk of fire, explosion, and rapid dissemination increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of transportVSAvoidrisk of fire and explosion

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the temperature parameter of hazardous fluids from ambient to sub-zero temperatures, transforming them from liquid to semi-solid or frozen state. This parameter change reduces fluidity and viscosity, thereby decreasing the rate of dissemination in case of breach while maintaining transport capability through specialized pipelines

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent utilizes phase transition of hazardous fluids from liquid to semi-solid/frozen state through refrigeration. This phase change fundamentally alters the physical properties of the fluid, reducing its mobility and reactivity, thus mitigating fire and explosion risks while enabling controlled transport

Inventive Principle:

Principle #36Phase transitions

2Reliability

If hazardous fluids are frozen to increase stability, then risk of fire and explosion is reduced, but transport and flow capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestability of hazardous substanceVSAvoidtransport capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs dynamic temperature control systems that can adjust the thermal state of hazardous fluids along the transport pipeline. By maintaining optimal temperature gradients, the system ensures sufficient fluidity for transport while preserving freezing temperatures at storage points, thus balancing stability and transport capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces refrigeration units and temperature control systems as intermediary devices between the hazardous fluid and the environment. These intermediaries maintain the fluid in a controlled semi-solid state that preserves both stability and limited flow capability for transport

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If chilling is applied to decrease fluidity, then rate of emergence from breached container is reduced, but energy consumption for refrigeration increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverate of disseminationVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary refrigeration to hazardous fluids before they enter the transport pipeline, pre-cooling them to a temperature where they maintain semi-solid stability. This preliminary action reduces the subsequent refrigeration energy required during transport while maintaining adequate fluidity for flow

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent optimizes the temperature parameter to a specific range where hazardous fluids achieve the desired balance between reduced fluidity for safety and sufficient流动性 for transport. This parameter optimization minimizes the energy gap between achieving safety benefits and maintaining transport capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

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 chilling or freezing of hazardous fluids significantly reduces the risk of fire, explosion, and leakage, enhancing containment and safety during storage and transport by decreasing the fluidity and viscosity of the substances, thereby minimizing damage to people, equipment, and the environment.

Implementation Method 1

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRefrigeration: Cooling

Implementation Method 2

The act of freezing a hazardous fluid fuel, thereby to render it a solid fuel, is known to increase the stability of the fuel, reducing the risk of fire and/or explosion

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFreezing: Freezing

Implementation Method 3

To the extent that chilling a hazardous substance increases its viscosity/decreases its fluidity, the chilling process will lessen the consequences of a breach of the substance container, by decreasing the rate at which the substance emerges from the compromised container

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectViscosity change:

Data Source

PatentUS10677393B2Frozen/chilled fluid for pipelines and for storage facilities

Publication Date: 2020.06.09 MATOS JEFFREY A

AI summary

Methods for managing a hazardous fluid within a pipeline and within a storage facility, and in particular for managing a potential or actual leak of the hazardous fluid. Such methods include the detection of such an event by one or more sensors, and the containment and the mitigation of the event.