Side-Install Pipe Centralizer With Bi-Cone Geometry for Bends
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing centralizers for pipe tools require labor-intensive installation and removal, are limited in size adaptability, and fail to maneuver effectively through bends and turns, leading to increased material and labor costs, job duration, and frustration.
Innovation Solution
A centralizer apparatus with a truncated bi-cone shape that can be installed from the side of a guide hose, adaptable for various sizes, and designed to maneuver through bends and turns with reduced snagging, using interchangeable finger sets and optional rubberized gripping elements for enhanced clamping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional centralizers are used that require attachment to the end of the guide hose, then the centralizer can provide stable centering, but the installation and removal process becomes labor-intensive and increases job duration
Solution Approach 1:
The centralizer is divided into modular components including interchangeable finger sets that can be quickly changed without removing the entire centralizer from the guide hose, enabling rapid adaptation to different hose diameters and reducing installation time
Solution Approach 2:
The centralizer incorporates flexible fingers that can dynamically adjust their position and configuration to accommodate different guide hose diameters and navigate bends, providing both ease of installation and stable centering through adaptive geometry rather than fixed rigid structures
2Reliability
If multiple centralizer sizes are maintained for different guide hose diameters, then each centralizer can provide optimal centering for its specific size, but material costs and inventory complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The centralizer design incorporates interchangeable finger sets that can be configured to accommodate multiple guide hose diameters, allowing a single centralizer body to perform multiple sizing functions and eliminating the need to maintain separate centralizers for each hose size
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible finger configuration allows the centralizer to dynamically adapt its internal diameter to match different guide hose sizes, providing optimal centering accuracy across multiple diameters through a single versatile device rather than requiring multiple fixed-size centralizers
3Reliability
If rigid centralizer structures are used to maintain stable centering, then centering precision is improved, but the ability to maneuver through bends and turns is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The centralizer employs flexible fingers that can bend and deform as the guide hose navigates turns and bends, allowing the centralizer to maintain its centering function while adapting to the changing geometry of the piping system, thus preserving both stability and maneuverability
Solution Approach 2:
The centralizer incorporates flexible finger elements that can deform and conform to the curvature of bends in the guide hose, enabling the rigid centering function to operate effectively even when the overall structure must flex to navigate turns
4Ease of operation
If the centralizer has a tight-fitting design to reduce snagging, then maneuverability through bends is improved, but the ability to provide adequate clamping force is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible fingers can dynamically adjust their clamping force by deforming under load, allowing the centralizer to maintain adequate holding force on the guide hose while still permitting the necessary flexibility to navigate bends without excessive snagging
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter of the present disclosure relates, in various embodiments, to an improved centralizer for use with various pipe tools carried by a guide hose, wherein said improved centralizer can be installed via the side of said guide hose; thus, eliminating the need to remove said pipe tool. Said improved centralizer comprises interchangeable finger set(s) dimensioned to fit around a guide hose, and wherein a first and a second jacket are dimensioned to fit over and secured to said finger set(s). Once fully assembled, said improved centralizer is in the shape of a truncated bi-cone. Said shape facilitates the centering of said pipe tool within the inside of a pipe and allows for continued centering during the movement of said pipe tool through a piping system, including around turns and elbows.