Pipe Cap Assembly With Transition Fitting for Faster Sealed-System Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pipe caps used in sealed systems, such as nuclear power plants, are cumbersome and time-consuming to remove and reattach, leading to increased radiation exposure for workers and prolonged system outages, as they often get misplaced or fall during maintenance, necessitating a more efficient and safe solution for draining, venting, and refilling operations.
Innovation Solution
A pipe cap assembly featuring a base portion with a threaded port and cylindrical connector portion, allowing for easy attachment with a flat wrench, along with a transition cap and fitting that can be quickly secured and unsecured using a lanyard to prevent loss and facilitate access with a hose or venting system, reducing the time required for maintenance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional pipe caps are used with pipe nipples, then the system can be sealed, but the pipe caps are cumbersome to remove and reattach, increasing maintenance time and radiation exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe cap assembly is divided into two main segments: a base portion that attaches to the pipe nipple and a connector portion that receives the transition cap. This segmentation allows the base portion to remain permanently installed on the pipe nipple, eliminating the need to remove and reattach the entire pipe cap during maintenance operations. Only the transition cap needs to be removed or attached, significantly reducing maintenance time and radiation exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portion is pre-installed on the pipe nipple before maintenance operations begin. This preliminary action ensures that when maintenance is needed, workers only need to attach or remove the transition cap rather than the entire pipe cap assembly. The base portion with its externally threaded connector is already in place, ready to receive the transition cap, thus eliminating time-consuming reattachment operations.
2Ease of operation
If conventional pipe caps are removed during maintenance, then access to the pipe is gained, but the pipe caps are frequently misplaced or fall, requiring time to retrieve or replace them
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the pipe cap assembly into a permanently installed base portion and a removable transition cap, the invention ensures that the base portion remains fixed on the pipe nipple. This eliminates the problem of misplaced pipe caps, as the base portion with threading is already in place and cannot be lost. Workers can freely attach or remove transition caps without worrying about losing the cap itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The base portion acts as an intermediary element between the pipe nipple and the transition cap. It provides a permanent threaded connection point that mediates the attachment and removal of transition caps during maintenance operations. This intermediary base portion ensures that the connection mechanism remains fixed while allowing flexible attachment of transition caps as needed.
3Reliability
If conventional pipe caps are used, then the system can be sealed, but the pipe caps must be removed completely to attach hoses or venting systems
Solution Approach 1:
The pipe cap assembly is segmented into a base portion that provides the sealing connection to the pipe nipple and a transition cap that provides the interface for hoses or venting systems. This segmentation allows the sealing function to be maintained by the permanently installed base portion while the transition cap can be easily attached or removed to connect different types of hoses or venting equipment, simplifying the overall attachment process.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition cap is designed with a cam lock fitting that can universally accept various types of hoses and venting system connections. This multi-functional transition cap serves as a universal interface, allowing different hoses and venting systems to be connected to the same base portion without requiring different pipe caps for each application, thus simplifying the attachment process while maintaining reliable sealing.
4Productivity
If conventional pipe caps are used, then maintenance can be performed, but workers are exposed to higher radiation doses due to prolonged exposure time
Solution Approach 1:
The base portion is pre-installed on the pipe nipple before maintenance operations, and the transition cap can be quickly attached or removed as needed. This preliminary installation of the base portion with its threaded connector eliminates the need for workers to spend time removing and reattaching the entire pipe cap assembly during maintenance operations, thereby reducing the time workers are exposed to radiation and improving maintenance efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the pipe cap assembly into a permanent base portion and a removable transition cap, the invention enables quick attachment and removal of the transition cap during maintenance operations. This segmentation allows maintenance tasks to be completed faster, reducing the time workers are exposed to radiation, while the permanently installed base portion ensures that no components are lost or misplaced.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of using a pipe cap assembly for a normally-sealed system includes attaching the base portion of a pipe cap to a pipe of a normally sealed system. A transition cap having internal threads is releasably coupled to an externally-threaded cylindrical connector portion of the pipe cap for sealing the same during normal operation. When access to the normally sealed system is required, the transition cap is unthreaded from the pipe cap, and a transition fitting is installed instead. A drain hose, vent hose, or the like, may be coupled to an access port of the transition fitting and fastened thereto for passing fluids to or from the normally sealed system. Alternatively, a test instrument may be coupled to the access port. Thereafter, the transition fitting is removed, and the transition cap is re-installed.