Pipe Chip Removal via Pressure Differential Suction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for removing metal chips from the interior of pipes, such as those produced during pipe boring, are labor-intensive and time-consuming, especially when dealing with large pipes and high-pressure fluids, as they often require multiple processes and heavy, cumbersome equipment.
Innovation Solution
A chip-removing apparatus that utilizes a fitting, sandwich valve, chip-removing adapter, suction tube, vertical moving unit, delivery tube, and strainer to discharge chips with high-pressure fluid, leveraging the pressure difference between the pipe and atmosphere to efficiently remove chips in a single process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a magnet is used to remove chips from the pipe interior, then chips can be adhered and removed, but the process requires multiple repetitions (4-5 times) and takes a long time
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the chip removal function from the traditional magnet-based approach and implements it through a suction tube that directly extracts chips from the pipe interior using pressure differential, enabling complete removal in a single pass rather than requiring multiple repetitions
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies pneumatic principles by using the pressure differential between the high-pressure fluid inside the pipe and atmospheric pressure outside to drive chips through the suction tube and out of the pipe, replacing the mechanical magnet-based removal method
2Reliability
If a magnet-based chip removing apparatus is used, then chips can be removed, but the apparatus components are heavy and labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces heavy mechanical components with a pneumatic system that utilizes the existing high-pressure fluid flow to perform chip removal, significantly reducing apparatus weight while maintaining effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes the existing high-pressure fluid flow within the pipe to perform the chip removal function, making the fluid itself serve dual purposes (transport and chip removal) without requiring additional heavy machinery
3Adaptability or versatility
If pipe boring is performed to connect branch pipes or perform maintenance, then pipe connectivity or maintenance is achieved, but metal chips are produced and deposited in the pipe
Solution Approach 1:
The invention enables continuous chip removal during and after pipe boring operations by utilizing the existing high-pressure fluid flow to continuously evacuate chips, preventing deposition rather than requiring separate removal operations
Solution Approach 2:
The high-pressure fluid acts as an intermediary medium that facilitates both the pipe boring process and the chip removal process, serving as a carrier that transports chips out of the pipe without requiring direct mechanical intervention
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
Enables rapid and convenient removal of metal chips from the interior of pipes by utilizing the pressure difference to efficiently discharge chips with the fluid, reducing the need for multiple processes and minimizing equipment weight and complexity.
Implementation Method 1
capable of conveniently and rapidly removing chips from the interior of a pipe by discharging the chips with a portion of the fluid, such as gas, out of the pipe using the difference between the internal pressure in the pipe and external atmospheric pressure
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an apparatus for conveniently and rapidly removing chips from the interior of a pipe by discharging chips with a portion of fluid out of the pipe using the difference between the pressure in the pipe and atmospheric pressure. The apparatus includes a fitting mounted to a region adjacent to a hole bored in a pipe, a sandwich valve coupled to the fitting, a chip-removing adapter mounted above the sandwich valve, a suction tube extending to an inner surface of the pipe through the chip-removing adapter in order to remove chips from the pipe, a vertical moving unit for vertically moving the suction tube, a delivery tube connected to an upper end of the suction tube and configured to deliver the chips to a predetermined place, and a strainer mounted to a distal end of the delivery tube in order to separate the delivered chips from the fluid.