Duct Lining Pig With Tree Diffuser for Uniform Thermoplastic Melting
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing pigs used for lining ducts, such as water or sewage pipes, have a limited length, which restricts the space for heating air to achieve uniform melting of thermoplastic material within the fabric sleeve, leading to potential cold and hot spots in the liner, resulting in incorrect or weakly formed duct liners.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a tree diffuser system with multiple sets of branch pipes and baffles to distribute gas flow evenly across the coiled heating elements within a cylindrical chamber, ensuring uniform heating and improved efficiency without increasing the length of the pig, allowing for effective heating of the thermoplastic material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the pig length is increased to provide more space for heating air, then uniform heating of thermoplastic material is improved, but the pig becomes difficult to navigate around curves in the pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The heating chamber is segmented into multiple zones with separate heating elements (first heating element, second heating element, third heating element) positioned at different locations. This segmentation allows each zone to be controlled independently, achieving uniform heating across the entire thermoplastic material surface without requiring excessive length
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of extending the pig length in one dimension, the patent distributes heating elements in multiple spatial dimensions within a compact chamber - positioning heating elements radially and axially to create a three-dimensional heating pattern that achieves uniform heating without increasing overall length
2Ease of operation
If the pig length is limited to around 700 mm for easy navigation, then the pig can navigate curves easily, but the space for heating air is insufficient to achieve uniform melting of thermoplastic material
Solution Approach 1:
The heating chamber is divided into multiple heating zones with separate heating elements, allowing efficient use of the limited 700 mm length. Each heating element serves a specific zone, ensuring that the constrained space is utilized optimally to achieve uniform heating without requiring additional length
Solution Approach 2:
Different heating elements are positioned to provide localized heating to specific areas of the thermoplastic material. The first, second, and third heating elements are strategically placed to address local heating requirements, ensuring uniform overall heating while maintaining the compact 700 mm length for easy navigation
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 enhances the heating efficiency of the gas within the cylindrical chamber, ensuring uniform temperature distribution and preventing cold and hot spots, resulting in a correctly formed and robust duct liner.
Implementation Method 1
The pig is provided with a plurality of annular coiled heating elements arranged around a common axis
Implementation Method 2
heat is applied to the liner and the liner is subsequently allowed to cool, whereupon the liner forms a hard and rigid tubular lining
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a pig which is insertable at least partly within a fabric liner sleeve located in a duct and which is capable of heating the liner sleeve in situ in the duct to melt thermoplastic material of the liner sleeve to form, on subsequent cooling of the melted thermoplastic material, a rigid liner in the duct. The pig comprises: a gas inlet (1008) for receiving pressurised gas; a heating chamber (17) in which the pressurised gas is heated; and a gas outlet (1009) via which pressurised gas heated in the heating chamber (17) is deliverable to the fabric liner sleeve.The pig comprises a tree diffuser (15) located in the heating chamber (17) via which pressurised gas can be delivered into the heating chamber (17).The tree diffuser (15) has a plurality of branch pipes (A,B,C) each comprising at least one gas delivery aperture, each branch pipe (A,B,C) extending outwardly from a trunk portion of the tree diffuser (15).