PE Pipe Quick-Connect Valve for Faster Hot Tapping and Plugging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing polyethylene pipe service systems face challenges in efficiently and quickly connecting and disconnecting machines for hot tapping, plugging, and completion operations due to complex and time-consuming threading processes, especially when dealing with polyethylene pipes of varying sizes.
Innovation Solution
A polyethylene pipe service system utilizing a cam profile with a male portion featuring tabs on the valve and a complementary female portion with stair-stepped channels on the machine, allowing for quick connection and secure attachment with less than a full rotation, and a threaded collar for additional securing, facilitating faster and more reliable operations across different pipe sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional threading processes are used to connect machines to polyethylene pipes, then secure attachment is achieved, but connection time becomes excessive and efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is divided into two distinct components: a cam profile mechanism for rapid initial connection and a threaded collar for final securing. This segmentation allows the time-consuming threading operation to be separated from the quick connection phase, enabling operators to achieve functional connection quickly while maintaining secure attachment through the subsequent collar installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam profile mechanism performs the preliminary connection action before threading is completed. By establishing initial connection through the cam profile's tab-and-channel engagement, the system prepares the joint for final securing, reducing the overall time required for complete connection while ensuring proper alignment and positioning before the threaded collar is installed.
2Reliability
If complex threading processes are used for secure connection, then reliability of attachment is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cam profile mechanism serves as an intermediary between the quick-connect requirement and the secure-threaded attachment. It provides a simplified engagement interface that guides the connection process, making the operation easier by eliminating the need for operators to manually align and thread components from scratch, while still leading to a reliable final connection through the collar.
Solution Approach 2:
The cam profile performs preliminary alignment and positioning actions that prepare the connection for final securing. This preliminary engagement ensures proper orientation and reduces the complexity of the subsequent threading operation, making the overall process easier to perform while maintaining connection reliability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If traditional connection methods are used, then adaptability to different pipe sizes is achieved, but connection time increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The cam profile mechanism is designed as a universal connection interface that can accommodate multiple polyethylene pipe sizes (DN 90 to DN 250) through a single standardized design. This multi-functional approach allows the same quick-connect mechanism to work across different pipe diameters, maintaining adaptability while dramatically reducing connection time compared to size-specific threaded procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a polyethylene (“PE”) pipe servicing system of this disclosure may include a fusible PE fitting (F) providing a branch connection to a PE pipeline section or run (P), a valve (10) connected to the fitting and including quick connect/disconnect means, and a machine connectable to the valve including complementary quick connect/disconnect means. The quick connect means provide for full scope of operation, including cleaning, fusion, cool down, hot tap, plugging, and completion. No squeezing is used. The quick connect/disconnect means may include a first portion 20 of a cam profile and a second portion 40 of the cam profile complementary to that of the first. The machine may be a drilling or hot tapping machine (30T), a plugging machine (30P), or a completion machine (30 C), and their associated tools. The valve and machine are more lightweight and faster and easier to use than the prior art.