Insulated Pipe Casing Overlap Joints for Secure Electrical Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pipe heat insulation casings in various industries lack reliable electrical insulation and secure fastening, leading to potential disconnection and failure during assembly and operation, which complicates leakage detection and control.
Innovation Solution
A pipe heat insulation casing design using serially connected cylindrical metal elements with electrically-insulating spacers in overlapping areas, where perforation openings are filled with resilient or elastic-plastic materials for both electrical insulation and mechanical connection, ensuring reliable assembly and operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal heat insulation casing elements are connected using conventional fasteners, then mechanical connection is achieved, but electrical insulation between elements is not provided
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces electrically-insulating spacers as intermediary elements between adjacent metal casing elements. These spacers are positioned in overlapping areas and serve as mediators that simultaneously provide mechanical connection support and electrical insulation, resolving the contradiction between mechanical strength and electrical insulation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite construction by combining metal casing elements with non-metallic electrically-insulating spacers. This composite approach allows the system to leverage both the mechanical strength of metal and the electrical insulation properties of non-conductive materials, achieving both requirements simultaneously.
2Ease of operation
If bent leaves are used to connect metal casing elements, then assembly is simplified, but the leaves may lose strength and break away during multiple assembly and disassembly operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the connection system into separate functional components: metal casing elements, electrically-insulating spacers, and fastening mechanisms. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally - the spacers provide consistent electrical insulation and positioning, while fasteners provide reliable mechanical connection, avoiding the strength degradation issues of integrated bent leaves.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrically-insulating spacers act as intermediary elements that facilitate reliable connection between metal casing elements. These spacers maintain consistent positioning and provide stable attachment points for fasteners, ensuring connection reliability that withstands multiple assembly and disassembly cycles.
3Manufacturing precision
If high accuracy production is used for leaves going through openings, then connection precision is improved, but assembly becomes rather labour-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates the positioning function from the connection function. Electrically-insulating spacers pre-establish precise positioning and alignment between adjacent metal elements, while fasteners handle the connection. This segmentation eliminates the need for high-precision leaf-to-opening alignment, significantly reducing assembly labor while maintaining connection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrically-insulating spacers are positioned in advance to establish precise alignment and spacing between metal casing elements before fastening occurs. This preliminary positioning action eliminates the need for high-precision adjustments during the fastening process, improving assembly productivity without sacrificing connection precision.
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 solution provides reliable electrical insulation and mechanical connection of metal elements, enhancing pipeline safety and leakage detection accuracy by ensuring secure fastening and structural stiffness during assembly and operation.
Implementation Method 1
electrically-insulating spacers 4 made of resilient or elastic-plastic material
Implementation Method 2
electrically-insulating spacers 4 made of resilient or elastic-plastic material
Implementation Method 3
electrically-insulating spacers 4 laid between the cylindrical metal elements 3 in the mutual overlapping areas 8
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to pipelines and equipment useful in nuclear power plants, heat power engineering, manufacturing engineering, petrochemistry, water supply, chemical and aerospace industries, and other fields. The invention relates to a pipe heat insulation casing consisted of metal elements and assembly method ensuring reliable electrical insulation of all elements. The connection of the metal elements is with lapping, the elements are with openings in the lapping area where the electrically-insulating spacers are set made of resilient, elastic-plastic, plastic, fully viscous or partially solidified material ensuring electrical insulation between the adjacent elements. The electrically-insulating spacers are applied to the lapping areas of the metal elements to fill the openings of the lapping areas thus arranging reliable pin connections between the spacer and adjacent casing elements. Multiple pin connections ensure fixation of the adjacent metal elements without any failure to electrical insulation of each other.