Composite Pipe Thermal Contraction Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current marine pipelines for cryogenic applications face challenges with thermal expansion and insulation, leading to high costs due to the use of expensive materials like nickel in alloys like INVAR, and inefficient insulation methods.
Innovation Solution
A composite pipe solution is proposed, utilizing a pipe made of composite materials with carefully selected high-strength fibers and resins to control thermal contraction and provide superior insulation, reducing the need for additional insulation and minimizing thermal conductivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional metal pipes with insulation layers are used for cryogenic applications, then thermal insulation can be provided, but thermal contraction control is poor leading to high thermal stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials consisting of metal layers with different thermal expansion coefficients. Specifically, it uses an inner layer of material with high thermal expansion coefficient and an outer layer of material with low thermal expansion coefficient, creating a composite structure that controls overall thermal contraction and reduces thermal stresses in cryogenic applications.
2Temperature
If expensive nickel-based alloys like INVAR are used to control thermal expansion, then thermal contraction is minimized, but material cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces expensive nickel-based alloys with more economical material combinations. By using common metals with different thermal expansion properties in a composite structure, it achieves comparable thermal contraction control without the high material costs associated with INVAR or other nickel-based superalloys.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses composite construction with multiple metal layers having different thermal expansion coefficients, substituting the need for expensive single-material solutions like INVAR alloy while achieving similar or superior thermal performance at lower cost.
3Loss of energy
If thick insulation layers are added to metal pipes for cryogenic service, then thermal insulation improves, but pipe complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the structural pipe function and the thermal insulation function into a single integrated composite structure. The multiple metal layers themselves provide the insulation effect through their combined thermal resistance, eliminating the need for separate thick insulation layers and reducing overall structural complexity.
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 composite pipe effectively manages thermal contraction and insulation, reducing material costs and improving the efficiency of cryogenic fluid transport by minimizing boil-off and mechanical stress, while maintaining robustness and temperature resistance.
Implementation Method 1
control the equivalent thermal contraction coefficients in the longitudinal direction and the hoop direction. The lay up is such that the longitudinal contraction is close to zero
Implementation Method 2
The composite pipe effectively manages thermal contraction and insulation, reducing material costs and improving the efficiency of cryogenic fluid transport by minimizing boil-off
Data Source
AI summary
A pipeline 100 comprising an outer rigid conduit 30, which is formed of a composite material, the composite material being arranged such that thermal expansion in the longitudinal direction is an effective longitudinal CTE from zero to about −/+10×10−6° K−1.