Disposable Drain Device for Pipe-Joint Effluent Containment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for collecting effluent from disassembled pipe-joint couplings are hazardous due to contamination and require cleaning of collection devices, leading to additional waste streams, especially when dealing with hazardous materials.
Innovation Solution
A disposable drain device with axial and radial closure mechanisms to contain and direct seepage from pipe-joint couplings, allowing for clean collection and disposal without creating additional hazardous waste, featuring a pliant sheet material wrap with hook and loop fasteners and a cinch strap for sealing, and a drain means with a drain port and neck for efficient gravity-driven removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a bucket or container is used to collect discharge from disassembled pipe-joint couplings, then the discharge material can be collected, but the collection device requires cleaning and creates additional hazardous waste streams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a disposable containment device made of flexible sheet material that is used once and then discarded as solid waste. This eliminates the need to clean reusable containers, thereby preventing the creation of additional hazardous waste streams from cleaning effluent while still achieving effective discharge collection
2Ease of operation
If discharge material is allowed to drain into a container under the disassembled coupling, then collection is simple, but the method is hazardous due to contamination and requires disposal of both the discharge and cleaning effluent
Solution Approach 1:
The disposable nature of the containment device eliminates hazardous contamination risks to reusable equipment. The device is discarded after single use as solid waste rather than being cleaned, thereby eliminating the secondary hazardous waste stream from cleaning effluent while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible sheet material acts as an intermediary containment barrier between the hazardous discharge and the environment. It directs the discharge through a controlled drain means into an appropriate waste container, preventing uncontrolled spillage and atomization while protecting handlers from direct exposure
3Productivity
If the drain device needs to be cleaned after use, then it can be reused, but this creates an additional waste stream of cleaning effluent when the seepage was hazardous material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves this contradiction by making the drain device disposable rather than reusable. The device is designed for single use and then discarded as solid waste, which eliminates the need for cleaning operations and thereby prevents the creation of additional hazardous waste streams from cleaning effluent
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
Effectively contains and collects seepage from pipe-joint couplings without spillage or atomization, enabling safe disposal as solid waste, thus avoiding additional hazardous waste streams and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards for hazardous materials.
Implementation Method 1
The drain means is disposed on the wrap member, allowing seepage material collected in the containment space to be eliminated by the force of gravity
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a disposable drain device for containing seepage from a pipe-joint coupling as the coupling is broken open. The drain device has a wrap member made of a sheet material sufficiently pliant to be wrapped around the circumference of the pipe-joint coupling and resistant to the seepage composition. A drain means is disposed on the wrap member, having a drain port passing through the surfaces of the wrap member and a drain neck. The drain neck is disposed to direct seepage out of the installed wrap member. After use, the drain device can be disposed of as solid waste, rather than needing to be cleaned if the seepage was a hazardous material. The drain device being “disposable” allows the avoidance of creating an additional hazardous waste stream.