Nanoparticle Foam Plugging for Stable Temporary Pipe Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipeline plugging technologies fail to maintain volumetric stability and mechanical strength for extended periods, especially during hot maintenance, posing safety risks and increasing downtime due to the inability to prevent the passage of flammable gases and vapors.
Innovation Solution
A foam formulation composed of surfactants and nanoparticles, particularly LDH nanoparticles, which undergo a liquid-gel transition, ensuring stability and integrity for over 8 hours under pressure and temperature conditions, allowing easy removal post-use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical plugging devices (balloons, disks) are used to obstruct piping, then flammable vapors are prevented from advancing towards maintenance areas, but the devices cannot be removed without disassembling part of the pipeline
Solution Approach 1:
The foam plug changes its physical state from liquid to gel over time, with viscosity increasing from initial low viscosity to final high viscosity. This parameter change allows the foam to be easily pumpable initially but becomes structurally stable during maintenance, and can be reverted to liquid state for easy removal by washing with water or steam.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam plug is designed as a temporary, disposable plugging solution that is easily removed by washing with water or steam after maintenance, eliminating the need for complex disassembly procedures required by mechanical plugging devices.
2Reliability
If foam with high volumetric stability is used for pipe plugging, then flammable gases are prevented from passing through, but the foam formulation becomes complex with multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The foam formulation uses a composite system combining surfactants (for foam generation), co-surfactants (for stability enhancement), and nanoparticles (for structural reinforcement and gel transition). This composite approach achieves high volumetric stability and mechanical strength while maintaining controlled removability.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam undergoes a liquid-gel phase transition over time, with the formulation designed to progress from a pumpable liquid state to a structurally stable gel state during maintenance, and can be reverted to liquid state for removal. This phase transition provides automatic temporal control of foam stability.
3Ease of operation
If existing foam formulations are used for pipe plugging, then installation is simple, but the foams cannot maintain structural integrity for extended periods under hot maintenance conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The foam formulation is designed with dynamic properties that change over time: initial low viscosity for easy pumping and installation, followed by progressive increase in viscosity and elastic modulus to achieve structural stability during maintenance. The foam adapts its mechanical properties to match different operational requirements at different time points.
Solution Approach 2:
The foam's physical parameters (viscosity, elastic modulus, gel fraction) change progressively over time under hot maintenance conditions, transforming from a fluid state suitable for injection to a gel state providing long-term structural integrity, and can be reverted for removal.
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 foam effectively prevents the passage of flammable gases and vapors, ensuring safety during maintenance by maintaining structural integrity and ease of removal, reducing downtime and costs.
Implementation Method 1
The liquid foam made from a solution of surfactants and nanoparticles has volumetric and temporal stabilities guaranteed by an increase in the viscosity and elastic modulus over time. Such a liquid-gel transition allows the physical/dimensional integrity of the foam to be maintained for 8 hours or more
Implementation Method 2
The particles decrease surface tension and capillary pressure, reducing the rate of film thinning and lamella drainage, in addition to increasing the interface viscosity and preventing coalescence of cavities or bubbles
Implementation Method 3
the particles added to the foam formulation act by accumulating at the liquid-gas interface in order to increase the lamellae resistance to gas diffusion, in addition to increasing the its rigidity
Implementation Method 4
The nanoparticle reinforced foam that is the object of the present patent of invention can be applied in pipes that need to be plugged, when under hot maintenance, either to prevent the flow of explosive gases emanating from the surface of the duct walls
Data Source
AI summary
The present specification refers to a patent of invention for a foam formulation and its use in the temporary plugging of pipes, where the foam has volumetric and time stability, is prepared from a solution containing surfactant, co-surfactant, alkaline substance and LDH nanoparticles, is able to have its viscosity increased over time and remain intact for 8 hours or more even under pressure differences of up to 0.1 bar and a temperature of 60° C. and then it is able to disperse simply by using water or even the fluid transported in the pipeline. The LDH nanoparticle reinforced foam of the present invention can be applied in pipes that need to be plugged when they are undergoing maintenance, either to prevent incandescent soldering splashes from coming into contact with an explosive atmosphere or to avoid contamination in the pipe interior, among other applications. The present invention belongs to (but is not limited to) the field of plugs for pipes with explosive atmospheres and can be applied in systems that require temporary plugs that can be easily remover by using water or another solvent.