Cryogenic Pipe Insulation Assembly With Staggered Leak Barriers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulation devices for low-temperature pipes fail to prevent cold gas leakage through junction lines and allow gaps to form between insulation materials when the pipe contracts due to cryogenic temperatures, leading to potential accidents and inefficiencies in gas transfer.
Innovation Solution
The insulation device incorporates a layered structure with primary, secondary, and tertiary insulation materials, including low-density and high-density foam materials, and specialized contact surfaces and connectors to minimize gaps and prevent gas leakage, featuring bent or inclined surfaces and expandable/contractable foam materials to adapt to pipe expansion and contraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If insulation materials are bonded to form half-cylindrical bodies with junction lines, then the insulation device can be assembled and installed, but cold gas leaks through the junction lines due to poor insulation properties at the junction areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a staggered arrangement of junction lines in different insulation layers, shifting the problem from a 2D surface issue to a 3D spatial distribution problem. By offsetting junction lines in the radial direction across multiple layers, the cold gas leakage paths are disrupted and redistributed, preventing concentrated leakage at single junction locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multiple nested insulation layers (first, second, and third insulation materials) where each layer contains junction lines that are staggered relative to the others. This nested structure creates multiple barriers to cold gas leakage, where the junction lines of inner layers are compensated by the continuous insulation material of outer layers, and vice versa.
2Area of stationary object
If insulation devices are connected in an aligned relationship to surround long pipes, then complete coverage is achieved, but gaps form between connected insulation devices when the pipe contracts due to low-temperature materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces expandable/contractable foam materials that can dynamically adjust their volume in response to pipe contraction or expansion. These foam materials fill gaps that form between insulation devices when the pipe contracts, and can be compressed when the pipe expands, maintaining continuous insulation coverage under varying thermal conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes materials with variable physical properties, specifically foam materials that change their density and volume based on temperature conditions. The expandable/contractable foam adjusts its physical parameters (volume, density) in response to thermal changes, allowing it to maintain effective sealing and insulation performance across different operational states.
3Ease of operation
If junction lines of multiple insulation materials are arranged in aligned contact, then assembly is simplified, but cold gas leakage is facilitated through the aligned junction lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the alignment problem from a radial alignment (2D) to a three-dimensional staggered arrangement. By offsetting junction lines in the radial direction across multiple insulation layers, the simple radial alignment is replaced with a more complex but effective 3D staggered pattern that disrupts cold gas leakage paths while remaining manufacturable.
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 configuration significantly reduces cold gas leakage and prevents gaps between insulation materials, ensuring effective insulation and secure connections even during pipe contraction, thereby enhancing safety and efficiency in low-temperature gas transfer.
Implementation Method 1
when a low-temperature material of about −200° C. flows into the pipe, the pipe 10 contracts in the lengthwise direction... the pipe 10 expands upon removal of the low-temperature material
Implementation Method 2
an expandable/contractable foam material to adapt to pipe expansion and contraction
Implementation Method 3
an insulation device for a low-temperature pipe has been proposed to block ambient air by covering the pipe with an insulation material
Data Source
AI summary
An insulation device for a low-temperature pipe according to the present disclosure includes: a pair of primary insulation materials surrounding a first radially outer surface and a second radially outer surface of the pipe; a pair of secondary insulation materials surrounding outer surfaces of the primary insulation materials; a pair of tertiary insulation materials surrounding outer surfaces of the secondary insulation materials; a pair of finishing covers surrounding outer surfaces of the tertiary insulation materials; an out-profile coupled to each of the finishing covers so as to surround each of widthwise opposite ends of the finishing cover; and an in-profile coupled to each of the finishing covers so as to surround each of lengthwise opposite ends of the finishing cover, wherein the pair of secondary insulation materials are configured such that each of opposed contact surfaces thereof is formed in a shape bent at least one time.