Pipeline Liner Hose Resin Composition With Reduced Styrene
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of styrene in liner hoses poses health concerns due to its potential carcinogenic and mutagenic effects, and existing alternatives like methacrylates are more expensive and have lower reactivity, making them unsuitable for large-scale use.
Innovation Solution
A liner hose with a reaction material that contains a solid component (45-65% by weight) and a solvent mixture, where styrene and/or vinyltoluene make up 5-80% by weight, allowing for reduced styrene content while maintaining rapid curing and improved UV permeability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If styrene is used as solvent in the reaction material, then the resin achieves good reactivity and rapid curing, but health risks increase due to carcinogenic and mutagenic effects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical composition parameters of the solvent mixture, reducing styrene content from traditional high levels (45-70% of total resin) to a controlled range (5-80% by weight in the solvent mixture, with solids at 45-65% by weight). This parameter optimization maintains adequate reactivity while significantly reducing health hazards associated with styrene exposure during processing and curing.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses a composite solvent system combining styrene (or vinyl toluene) with at least one alternative solvent that has different properties. This composite approach allows the resin to benefit from styrene's reactivity while the alternative solvent dilutes the overall toxicity and reduces harmful emissions, creating a balanced formulation that addresses both performance and safety concerns.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If methacrylate is used as alternative to styrene, then health safety improves, but cost increases and reactivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the proportion of methacrylate (or other alternative solvents) in the solvent mixture to achieve a balance between safety and reactivity. By controlling the solids content at 45-65% by weight and styrene/vinyl toluene at 5-80% by weight in the solvent mixture, the formulation ensures sufficient reactivity for practical curing speeds while maintaining the health safety benefits of reduced styrene content.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite solvent system that combines alternative solvents (methacrylate, vinyl toluene, or other esters) with controlled amounts of styrene or vinyl toluene. This composite formulation leverages the synergistic effects of different solvents to achieve reactivity levels comparable to traditional styrene-based systems while maintaining reduced toxicity and improved health safety profiles.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If styrene content is reduced in the reaction material, then health and environmental impact decreases, but UV permeability and curing performance may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent carefully adjusts the UV wavelength range (300-400 nm) and exposure parameters to compensate for changes in UV permeability caused by reduced styrene content. The solids content (45-65% by weight) and solvent mixture composition are optimized to ensure adequate UV transmission through the liner hose thickness, maintaining reliable curing performance even with lower styrene/vinyl toluene content (5-80% by weight in solvent mixture).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention allows for dynamic adjustment of curing parameters including UV intensity, exposure time, and wavelength selection based on the specific formulation and hose thickness. This dynamic approach ensures that curing performance remains reliable across different styrene reduction levels, adapting the curing process to match the modified resin composition and UV absorption characteristics.
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 proposed solution reduces the environmental and health impact by minimizing styrene exposure while ensuring excellent curing performance even with thicker hoses, thus providing a cost-effective and safe refurbishment solution.
Implementation Method 1
Cross-linking by radical polymerization leads to very rapid curing
Implementation Method 2
The reaction material hardens under the influence of UV radiation
Data Source
AI summary
A liner hose for lining pipes or ducts comprises an inner film, an outer film facing an inner wall of the pipe or duct in the installed state and at least one reinforcing layer arranged between the inner film and the outer film. The reinforcing layer contains a reinforcing material which is impregnated with a curable reaction material. The reaction material contains a solid and a solvent mixture, wherein the solid in the reaction material has a proportion which is less than 65 percent by weight. In an embodiment the solvent mixture is a mixture of styrene and/or vinyltoluene and at least one solvent which is not styrene or vinyltoluene. The styrene and/or vinyltoluene has a proportion of between 5 and 80 and preferably between 15 and 50 percent by weight in the solvent mixture.